EH16: PYRE Review

As part of Edinburgh’s Horror Festival, Nevermore Theatre present EH16 Pyre – a collection of stories about the female victims of Edinburgh’s past.

Edinburgh has a long, dark history. Dungeons and ghost tours may lure in the tourists… but the world’s first concentration camp was in Edinburgh. A 900 year old castle overlooks the entire city, filled with blood curdling stories of Kings both heroic and despised. Oh, and there’s an underground city where people died trying to escape the Great Fire of Edinburgh. It may have some of the nicest people you will ever meet – but it is a scary city.

As part of the Edinburgh Horror Festival, Nevermore Theatre have put together a show looking at the stories of three women from Edinburgh’s past: Agnes Sampson was burned as a witch in 1599 after being accused of throwing a cat into the sea to cause a storm to kill King James VI; Jessie King was the last woman to be executed in Edinburgh in 1889 after killing babies she had adopted; most recently Violet, a young woman killed by a jealous ex-boyfriend. These were normal people who had friends, fell in love, wanted a normal life. Through these three individual stories however, Nevermore bring to light the plight of generations of persecuted women – harassed, victimised, and killed for being different.

Pyre is a rewarding, thought-provoking, and at times challenging piece of work. Don’t be put off by any preconceptions you may have about the subject matter, there’s lots of fun to be had. Despite the weighty issues, there are plenty of light and comedic moments that will keep you engaged. I saw Daphne & Celeste at the Leeds Festival in 2000, and I thought *that* would be the most visceral reaction anyone would ever have to “U.G.L.Y.”.

If you want a different Halloween experience this year, head down to The Tron and catch Pyre.

Edinburgh Horror Festival (https://www.facebook.com/edhorrorfest/) is in its second year, and they have put on a series of varied horror performances shows all across Edinburgh. Check out their website for details – there really is something spooky for everyone!

Nevermore Theatre can be found on Facebook right here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/NevermoreTheatre/photos/?ref=page_internal. Tickets are still available for their upcoming Pyre shows on Monday 30th and Tuesday 31st October, so go along to The Tron and enjoy!

They are also producing a Serial Killer Cabaret, which is… well a cabaret show with serial killers in, at 8:10pm on Monday and Tuesday night. What better way to kick off your Halloween night out?