EDINBURGH 2023: Review: MUSEUM LATE: FRINGE FRIDAYS, National Museum Of Scotland

As a museum lover who just happens to love theatre as well, I knew that I had to check out Museum Late: Fringe Fridays at the National Museum Scotland. Billed as giving audiences the chance to “enjoy a unique flavour of the Fringe and explore the museum after hours,” I looked forward to seeing what the night would have to offer. 

Walking into the event was a bit strange, as the main hall was nearly completely empty except for a small table offering a few temporary tattoos and another booth where you could dress up in outfits based on the Beyond the Little Black Dress exhibition. The Main Stage had a DJ playing some fun music as everyone filtered in. There were plenty of bars to choose from, and hot food was available in the museum’s cafe on the ground floor. 

The Fringe-related aspect of the evening was that around a dozen different shows gave previews of their full Fringe performances throughout the evening. The shows I managed to catch were Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, Attenborough and his Animals, and God Catcher: The Musical. Each show gave a short, 10-15 minute performance as a preview for their full performance and they were all quite enjoyable.

I was impressed with the Showstopper! team managing to create a musical about a baby shower in only 15 minutes. Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of disorganisation when it came to getting into the different theatres spread throughout the museum, especially the Wee Stage. Several queues formed on their own and the doors did not open on time, which led to a bit of a rush getting from one show to another. 

Something that was a bit disappointing about the event was the lack of exhibitions open during the event. I was looking forward to getting a look at the exhibitions focused on Scotland, including the iconic Lewis chess pieces and the Arthur’s Seat coffins. Instead, only parts of the Natural World, Science and Technology, and Art, Design and Fashion galleries were open, with ropes cordoning off most of the museum. Getting to see Beyond the Little Black Dress for free was definitely a highlight of the evening, as normally you have to pay to get into the exhibition but it was included in the ticket for Museum Late. 

Ultimately, Museum Late: Fringe Friday is a great concept and it is great to see snippets of different Fringe shows while exploring the Museum of Scotland at night, but it was a bit disappointing in its lack of organisation and small range of activities. 

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