Greyfriars Twisted Tales

George Square 2    2-4, 6-10, 12-17, 19-25 @19.30    The Bridewell Theatre Company

With an audience composed of a, possibly tipsy, British drama school group and a gaggle of American teenagers, it’s difficult to say whether the reception of Greyfriars Twisted Tales was particularly representative of their general appeal festival wide. However, it is fair to say that in this demographic, the energetic pop-trio of John Kielty, Gerry Kielty and Houston (collectively known as The Martians) found the apposite recipients for their witty, didactical, ‘feel good’ choruses.

Leading us through a rough history of Edinburgh from the reformation to the contemporary mystery of Nessie - via an enlightening explanation of the exploits of the infamous duo Burke and Hare - the main thread of Greyfriars Twisted Tales is, unsurprisingly, Greyfriar’s Bobby. The highlight of the piece must surely by Gerry Kielty’s uncanny performance as the terrier, reaching octaves that prepubescent choirboys could only dream about. While a mid-narrative digression into a sentimental rift over the Kielty’s late pet ‘Jamie’ somewhat extinguishes the pace, it is soon re-established with the wonderfully unorthodox melding of Mary Poppins and the third Reich. All in all, the scat-ish, almost meta-production values of Greyfriars Twisted Tales lend themselves well to the fractured material, preventing any descent into a hackneyed history lesson in verse form.