Mix Up Theatre provides a few recommendations from students, families and teachers for things to see and do!
Seen anything good lately? Send us in a quick review and a rating for anything live, theatre, comedy, online or cinema based and we'll add it to our recommendations list.
E-mail: info@mixuptheatre.com
Film - Cinema
★★★★★
Meet Robot-son Crusoe! Adapted from Peter Brown’s best-selling children’s book about a shipwrecked droid – with a voice cast led by Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal.
Mix Up Junior (Age 5) - ★★★★★
"I give it 10 out of 5 - the best bit was when they were cuddling each other."
Have you seen it?...
2. & Juliet
Theatre
★★★★★
Leeds Grand Theatre, 18th - 30th November
Part of UK Tour
There is life after Romeo!
Get whisked away on a fabulous journey as Juliet ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love—her way. Created by the Emmy-winning writer from “Schitt’s Creek,” this hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told and asks, what would happen next if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo?
MIX UP REVIEWS:
Archie (Age 12) & Maddie (Age 10) - ★★★★★
"& Juliet is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Max Martin, and full of hits like Baby One More Time, I Want It That Way, Whataya Want From Me, Roar, and many many more. It’s an imagined alternative version of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.
Shakespeare’s wife Ann suggests changing the ending of the play so Juliet doesn’t die, and instead Juliet goes off to Paris to find out more about herself and become more independent with her friend May, her Nurse, and Ann who along with William have written themselves into this new version of the play!
It’s a lot like a Shakespeare comedy with lots of confusion, misunderstandings, romance, double-weddings, disguises, audience interaction, bad puns, and Shakespeare quoting lots of his famous lines all the way through. The songs weren’t original and are already famous hits, but they cleverly managed to make all the lyrics fit in well with the story.
The choreography, singing and set were all amazing. The girl who played Juliet was excellent, but the actress playing Ann stole the show with her incredible energy and voice. Her song That’s The Way It Is got a well deserved standing ovation. The Nurse and her love interest Lance were also hilarious.
The audience loved it and by the end everyone was on their feet dancing and singing along for the last 2 numbers. It’s a great show and would go again!
Archie’s final thought: I loved the songs, the interesting plot, clever set changes, and all the performances were perfect!
Maddie’s final thought: It slayed the house down, I loved the music, vibe, May and Juliet.
5 stars!"
Theatre
★★★★★
Truro Hall - Hall for Cornwall - 19th - 23rd November
Part of UK Tour
Winter 1934 and an avalanche stops The Orient Express dead in its tracks. A murder. A train full of suspects. An impossible case. Trapped in the snow with a killer still on-board, can the world’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, crack the case before the train reaches its final destination?
Sam (Age 12) - ★★★★★
"One of the greatest theatre productions of Scotland, with outstanding acting, sets and costumes that never fail to catch the eye.'"
Gallery
★★★★
National Library of Scotland - until April 2025 - Part of Scottish International Storytelling Festival
Scottish International Storytelling Festival
Learn about Renaissance-era Scotland, from astronomy to 16th-century music and colourful calligraphy. Explore how writers today use the Renaissance for inspiration, and how contemporary perspectives reveal fresh interpretations of the past. Immerse yourself in this period by creating an illuminated letter, adding your stitches to an embroidery, or dressing up as your Renaissance self.
Stewart - ★★★★
"A fascinating little gallery, well set out in specific aspects of Renaissance era Scotland (literature, science, music, etc.). It’s a small gallery and focused primarily on antique books but do take time to explore and you’ll find some treasures.
The volvelle dated from 1551was particularly impressive, a means of studying the moon and astrology it’s a unique feature to the gallery and something I didn’t even know had existed, so I enjoyed exploring this feature.
Meanwhile there’s even room for a bit of dress-up which will appeal to the younger gallery visitors (or the Instagram crowd) and there’s plenty of books to have a look through as well – plenty of Shakespeare inspired picks in there which is always appealing."
5. Dr Arnott's Sampling Sensation - Immersive Workshop & Guided Tour
Tour
★★★★
The Real Mary King's Close
Uncover the secrets of 17th-century medicine with Dr Arnott’s Sampling Sensation. As the wealthiest resident of Mary King’s Close, Dr Arnott once owned not one but two properties on the street.
His wealth outstripped even that of his popular and business-savvy neighbour, the local merchant and city burgess, Mary King…The question is, how did he make his fortune? Well, “urine” for a pee-culiar treat!
Dr Arnott’s Sampling Sensation Dr Arnott trained at the Royal College for Physicians and Surgeons, specialising in internal medicine. An apothecary with a flair for the nitty gritty, his favourite method of examining his patients’ health was to analyse their urine for its colour, smell and… TASTE!
Hollye (Age 13) - ★★★★
"I thought that it was really fun and interesting seeing how people lived all those years ago. The tour guide [Adam] was also lovely,"
What else is on?...
Karen Dunbar
Comedy
Town Hall, Edinburgh - Friday 22nd November
Grangemouth Town Hall - Saturday 23rd November
Join us for a magical evening with Karen Dunbar. Spend an unforgettable evening in her company as she share stories, jokes and insights from her incredible career.
Cracking New Jokes Show
Comedy
Dragonfly, Edinburgh - Thursday 21st November
Professional Comedians trying out new jokes in a fancy cocktail bar every Thursday! Scotland's Best Comedians Live are proud to bring a new weekly showcase to the Dragonfly Cocktail Bar in Edinburgh's historic Old Town.
Christmas at the Botanics
Event
Royal Botanic Gardens until 30th December
A magical trail with new lights for 2024 – after-dark festive fun in a botanical world.
Your very merriest Christmas starts here. Limited capacity with timed entry. Plan now to secure the date and time of your choice.
Created by award-winning, internationally acclaimed light trail producers and firmly positioned as unmissable within Scotland’s seasonal calendar, Christmas at the Botanics has everything you need for an unforgettable time with friends and family, including a magical glimpse of Father Christmas along the way. Discover flickering candles floating high into the night sky and a sea of light that stetches out into the distance filled with all the colours of the rainbow.
Grab a seasonal bite to eat from one of the hand-picked street food vendors who bring an indulgent twist to tempting treats on offer. Complete your walk under the stars with a festive *spiced winter warmer, *hot chocolate or *toasted marshmallow and share it with someone special.
Mother Goose
Theatre - Panto
Gaiety Theatre, Ayr - until 4th January 2025
Written by Fraser Boyle and Ken Alexander, writers of the Gaiety’s 2023 five star panto hit ‘Cinderella.’
Mother Goose is a good egg, the most giving of souls – salt of the earth and kind to a fault – she would give you her last ha’penny if you needed it. But when her faultless generosity lands her neck deep in the stinking Ayrshire proverbial, it will take a touch of eggs-ellent panto magic to save her Ayrshire bacon. In these tough times who could turn down a Goose that lays Golden Eggs? But will it really help her, or will it set her down a path towards eggs-treme greed and vanity? You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs after all…
Style Mile Christmas Carnival
Festival
Buchanan Street, Glasgow - Sunday 24th November - 1pm-5pm Free
Join us for a FREE, magical celebration as Bridgeman Arts returns to the city centre with our tenth Style Mile Christmas Carnival. Our Christmas Carnival Carousel will transform the city streets around the Style Mile with a host of magical fantasy characters, giant artworks, performing troupes and dancers and musicians to help get us all into the Christmas spirit.
101 Dalmations: The Musical
Theatre - Musical
Edinburgh Playhouse until 23rd November
The smash hit musical 101 Dalmatians is coming to Edinburgh Playhouse this winter.
When fashionista Cruella de Vil plots to swipe all the Dalmatian puppies in town to create her fabulous new fur coat, there’s trouble ahead for Pongo and Perdi and their litter of adorable, tail-wagging young pups.
This classic canine caper is brought to life on stage with spectacular puppetry, show-stopping choreography, witty songs and irresistible puppies!
Cinderella
Theatre - Musical
Edinburgh Playhouse 23rd November - 31st December
You shall go to the ball this Christmas with the spectacular family pantomime Cinderella.
Join returning panto favourites Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young with a new magical pantomime for all the family.
Packed with all of the traditional pantomime ingredients Edinburgh audiences expect, Cinderella features laugh-out-loud comedy, stunning scenery, beautiful costumes and plenty of boos and hisses.
Join Cinders as she goes from rags to riches, outwits her very wicked sisters and meets her Prince Charming.
Mix Up Theatre is a youth theatre that runs drama classes for Ages 3-18 throughout Scotland (Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Linlithgow, South Queensferry) and online.
To book in for a free trial you can register HERE
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