★★★ The problem with Janáček’s The Makropulos Affair lies in what it is: a play set to music, with few concessions made to the genre into which Karel Čapek’s text has been translated. The result is 2 hours of - admittedly rather chic - recitative, without the least hint of a complete melody, never mind an aria. It’s not unpleasant, but musically it simply doesn’t go anywhere.

The Quinntessential Review, Feb 21, 2025 – Edinburgh’s Manipulate Festival 2025 lit up the city from 1st to 9th February, delivering a bold blast of visual theatre, puppetry, and animated film that left its mark. Produced by Manipulate Arts, this year’s lineup dove headfirst into boundary-pushing storytelling, with its film strand—a triple bill of On the Edge, Queer Stories…