So much culture, so little time. We boil it down to 20 of the best events
P H O T O © N E L D A V D S O N
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DANCE Scottish Ballet
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BOOKS Bloody Scotland
Two exciting works choreographed by Javier de Frutos (Elsa Canasta) and Bryan Arias (Motion of Displacement) kick off Scottish Ballet’s autumn programme. See feature, page 34. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Thu 24–Sat 26 Sep; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 29 & Wed 30 Sep. Another hot weekend celebrating crime fiction with top authors including Ann Cleeves, Denise Mina (above), Ian Rankin and Martina Cole plus events such as Whose Crime is it Anyway?, in which a novel is improvised before your very eyes. See feature, page 55. Various venues, Stirling, Fri 11–Sun 13 Sep.
P H O T O © M A N U E L H A R L A N
THEATRE 6 Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour Lee Hall adapts Alan Warner’s The Sopranos into a loud but endearing romp through Edinburgh with a sextet of wild Oban girls. See review, page 84. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 8–Sat 12 Sep; Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Fri 25 & Sat 26 Sep.
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FILM Take One Action!
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COMEDY Doc Brown
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KIDS Magic Sho
The campaigning festival tackles issue such as tax avoidance by big business, exploitation of farm workers, and the poor of Paraguay rising up through making music. See preview, page 59. Various venues, Glasgow and Edinburgh, Wed 16–Sun 27 Sep.
Having largely turned his back on live rapping, the comic born Ben Smith unleashes his Weird Way Round tour before he gets trapped on a film set with Ricky Gervais for the David Brent movie. See preview, page 57. Òran Mór, Glasgow, Thu 24 Sep; Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 25 Sep. Shona Reppe follows up hits such as Potato Needs a Bath, Cinderella and The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean by donning a tuxedo and teaming up with a rabbit for a show about the world of magic. See preview, page 67. Touring from Sat 5 Sep.
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CHOSEN BY VIOLINIST NICOLA BENEDETTI Beethoven Weekend
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P H O T O © S M O N F O W L E R
Beethoven is a name known to most people. His most famous works hold tunes many people could whistle but, needless to say, the breadth and depth of his compositions are a treasure trove waiting to be discovered. Some of the most memorable and visceral experiences I have had as a musician have been at the hands of Beethoven. He’s not always known primarily for his vulnerability but it is precisely this quality that has moved me to tears on innumerable occasions. I would encourage anyone to attend this weekend at least in part and discover more of the subtlety and diversity of this great composer. Beethoven Weekend, City Halls and Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Thu 24–Sun 27 Sep, featuring the Elias String Quartet (left), Ll(cid:0)r Williams and Richard Wigmore; Nicola Benedetti is on tour with Italy and the Four Seasons from Thu 17 Sep; full dates at nicolabenedetti.co.uk.
3 Sep–5 Nov 2015 THE LIST 5