91Èȱ¬

With just weeks to go before work gets underway on a £9m project to revamp Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms, the row continues about whether it's the right kind of restoration.

On one side, Edinburgh City Council, who plan to completely refurbish the18th century building, which has staged everything from rallies to ceilidhs via fashion shows and awards ceremonies over the years.

On the other side, those with a stake in the building as one of the biggest and best known venues on the Edinburgh Fringe. Assembly Theatre have staged shows at the fringe for the last 30 years.

Both sides agree that the venue is in urgent need of an overhaul. Paint is peeling, cornicing is cracked and those ornate chandeliers illuminate tired and shabby rooms.

But it's about more than aesthetics. The electrics need urgent attention, there's rot in the woodwork, the theatre seats are broken and torn.

But the contentious part of the plan is the inclusion of shops and a restaurant on the ground floor.

Edinburgh City Council says it's vital for the commercial viability of the project. In essence, the commerce will pay for the refurbishment. They also point out the assembly rooms have housed shops in the past - most recently in the 1950s.

Assembly Theatre are less convinced. The shops will reduce the available theatre spaces by five, making the commercial viability of their own operation difficult. More than 10,000 people - including Simon Callow, Johnny Vegas and Jo Brand - have signed an online petition calling on the council to reconsider.

And while it's easy to dismiss the opposition as online hysteria by people who don't live in Edinburgh all year round, and have their own interests at heart, it's worth thinking about who might run the Assembly Rooms in festival time, if not William Burdett Coutts and Assembly Theatre?

If he can't see the value in running the reduced theatre space, who can? Promoters of stand up comedy? Bang goes the support for challenging theatre. Forget co-productions of Scottish classics. Much easier to stage existing commercial shows - with small casts and little risk.

That's why other people with an investment in the overall fringe have entered the fray.
They also question whether the finished product will boast, as promised, high end shops and a classy restaurant. Or as one campaigner put it to me "tartan tat and takeaway."

Councillor Deirdre Brock, culture convenor at Edinburgh City Council dismisses that.

She says: "We do not plan to turn the Assembly Rooms into a shopping mall. Can I just nail that now?

"There has been so much misinformation about what we want to do. This is about refurbishing a much loved city centre venue, making it fit for the 21st century and making it commercially viable.

"If we didn't do this, the Assembly Rooms would close, and no one wants that."

But the Assembly Rooms have effectively closed. Their doors are locked, their rooms emptied in preparation for work beginning on 10 January. Historic Scotland has given its consent, the final details are expected to be signed off this week.

But campaigners plan to take things one step further. Assembly Theatre director Sandy Ross says they intend to call on the Scottish government to scrutinise the decision of Edinburgh City Council to award planning permission to their own project.

Several MSPs have also promised their support but they have only a few short weeks before work begins.

More tales of the show going on in adverse weather.

So determined are the organisers of the Lochiehead Nativity in Auchtermuchty that they're moving the show, for the first time, to make sure it goes ahead.

The nativity play has been staged annually in a barn on Lochiehead Farm since 1996.

Organisers like to keep it real. There are donkeys and sheep, with their own real interruptions.

The local community all play a part - and most years have found a baby for the manger (this year, it's a girl, but she's played her part with gusto).

But organiser Charlotte De Cle is so worried about the winter weather forecast for later this week (it opens on Friday) that she's taken the radical decision to move the show to Fife Animal Park.

"Everything has been cancelled round here and we just wanted to do anything to keep it going," she said.

"The cast are incredible. They've been out rehearsing this week, uncomplaining, in temperatures of minus seven.

"But we don't want to risk having to cancel the actual show so we've taken up the very kind offer from Fife Animal Park to stage the whole thing there.

"There's proper parking on tarmac but the show itself will be inside a special straw house they've built for us. It was important to us all that we still kept the feeling of being outside."

The audience is always warned to wrap up warm - and Charlotte is confident that they'll still come.

"I've had some lovely e-mails from people - Strathkinnes Medical Centre, for example, who said they wouldn't miss it for the world.

"Our innkeeper is 75, but she'll be there, as will the lady who makes the mince pies.

"There'll be goats and sheep and donkeys, but this year there will also be meercats and parrots."

'Tis the season to be jolly but not if you're a critic.

Or worse, on the receiving end of a bad review.

As newspaper circulations plummet and the internet expands, critics seem like a small and endangered species.

The trade newspaper Variety caused consternation recently when it laid off its film and theatre reviewers.

But do we need them? And would we miss them?

I should point out that I'm NOT one of that very small band of critics in Scotland.

Although a long time ago when I worked as a newspaper journalist, I reviewed theatre and music.

It's a very fine line to tread - between telling it like it is, and facing the full wrath of a self righteous, enraged fan.

I remember in particular reviewing Bob Dylan's concert in Cardiff in 1996.

He's one of a bunch of artists who are totally hit and miss with their performances.

Sometimes they're completely electrifying and unforgettable. And sometimes you wonder if they sent someone else along in a wig and dark glasses to mime along to the CD.

I'm afraid it was one of those, a performance by the numbers with very little personal connection with the audience.

I wrote that in the review - and I got letters in green ink for months afterwards, for what fans saw as a personal attack on their hero.

So the number one qualification for a good critic is a thick skin - particularly vital in a small country where you're easily recognised.

It helps to have some experience - to be able to put the show in context, particularly if it's one you've seen before.

You need to think on your feet.

Newspaper reviews have to be in before 11pm - the show often only comes out half an hour before. With the internet, reviews are instantaneous. You have to be sure of what you want to say and say it.

And you have to be entertaining - you should want to read a critic's review even if you haven't seen the show.

So why have critics fallen out of favour?

I hate to blame the internet - but it plays a huge part.

It's now much easier to sample something you want to see or listen to - before you buy.

Everything from books and albums to films, even shows.

On top of that, there's much more emphasis on the amateur opinion - fans with typewriters, only now they're more likely to be armed with a blackberry or an iphone.

And they're fast - sometimes speedier than the professionals.

When Andrew Lloyd Webber's show Love Never Dies opened, the press night had barely begun when the show had already been nicknamed Paint Never Dries on the internet.

There are loads of sites now where ordinary opinion is as important as anything a critic has to say.

When you buy a book on Amazon, you can read what previous readers thought on the same page.

And because of all that, critics no longer wield the sort of power they once did - like New York Times critic - Frank Rich - who it was said could close a play on Broadway with a bad review.

So how do you justify the critic? Well it does have an old-fashioned feel to it.

If you don't know who to look out for, you might well imagine a monocled gentleman in smoking jacket, wearing a cravat and, pre-smoking ban, brandishing a pipe.

The ladies would be tweed-clad with stout sensible shoes.

But I have to say there's a very small circle of critics in Scotland - I know most of them - and that doesn't match any of their descriptions.

It is still a much-maligned pursuit - and a misunderstood one.

Where else do we talk about "critics"? In sport they're commentators, elsewhere, they're bloggers or columnists.

This is the only area where people are encouraged to criticise - it's immediately quite an agressive term.

Way back in the 19th century Elizabeth Barrett Browning said "we have all known good critics who have stamped out a poet's hopes".

Playwright Channing Pollok was a bit more direct - "a critic is a legless man who teaches running" but I think that's a bit harsh on the vast majority of critics who genuinely care about the wider art form and far from criticising work, actually want to sniff out stuff which would be otherwise overlooked.

Something like Black Watch - a wee gem in the midst of the Edinburgh Festival, which is still touring the world, four years on.

It's also about encouraging debate - not just about saying that something's good or bad.

A good reviewer will have the experience to put a performance or a book, or a film into context.

The shock of the new often takes a bit of getting use to.

Without a critic's championing, many works would be lost from the outset.

A good reviewer will be entertaining - you'll want to read what they have to say, even if you haven't seen the show they're reviewing.

We might all pretend we're on the side of the swooning luvvies but who can't help chuckling at reviews like these?

"The Last Airbender is an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented."
-Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"Such is the mind-boggling awfulness of this family show (El Peter), performed in Spanish with inept English surtitles, that you wish the Lost Boys had not shot at Wendy but taken aim at this great white elephant and finished it off instead."
Lyn Gardener, The Guardian

Or a headline on a review of Gone with the Wind the musical - Frankly, this show is damned.

And if that offends any actors or performers out there - they can always hold out for the day when a critic puts their own work out for criticism.

Or reply with the words of the American playwright, Wilson Mizner.
"A drama critic is a person who surprises the playwright by informing him what he meant".

So the show goes on at countless venues across the country - whether that's pantomimes, or Christmas carol concerts or plays or comedy gigs.

Tales of performers manfully making their way through the snow to venues abound.

But what happens if the show doesn't go on?

Or worse, as happened in Glasgow last night, the show goes on, but half the audience can't get there.

Comedian Frankie Boyle was the top turn at the SECC.

Just hours before his comedy gig, the transport networks had suffered a meltdown.

With no buses, limited train travel, gridlock on the main routes and police warning against anything but essential travel, most fans assumed the gig would be off.

But it wasn't.

Frankie Boyle and his tour company had made it to the SECC and according to the venue, that meant they were obliged to stage the gig, regardless of the weather.

Only half of the 9,000 ticket holders made it to the venue.

Today, Boyle's management company defended the decision to go ahead with the gig.

Chambers Management said in a statement: ""While we fully understand the frustration of those fans of Frankie who couldn't make it to the gig, we have an obligation to all ticket holders to go ahead with a show when we possibly can.

"More than half the audience did manage to make it to the SECC and Frankie did not want to disappoint them."

But fans who didn't make it to the gig are understandably angry.

With police advising against all non-essential travel, it seems irresponsible to encourage fans to attend.

To add insult to injury, there'll be no refunds because the show went ahead.

Venues say they're in a legally difficult position.

If performers make it to the venue, they're obliged to stage the show.

And consider the efforts of those who've often travelled long distances to get there.

Where possible, they're trying to give as much notice as they can.

Tonight's concert by Faithless was called off at lunchtime.

The Scissor Sisters are still scheduled to appear tomorrow (Wednesday), although ticket holders should check with the venue.

Meanwhile, one venue hopes to provide a glimmer of light in the snow gloom.

The Stand in Edinburgh is offering any stranded travellers two tickets for shows at the venue this week.

Club director Tommy Shepherd says travellers only have to show their unused rail or air tickets to claim a freebie.

"We don't usually give away tickets for nothing, but these are exceptional circumstances", he says.

But be quick. The offer is for this week only.

Travel chaos meant I didn't get to see Jack Vettriano's attempt at Christmas cheer - he's the official artist of this year's First Ministerial Christmas card, which was unveiled in Edinburgh on Monday afternoon.

But I did earlier have time to sneak a look at one of the smallest, yet most interesting exhibitions at the National Galleries of Scotland this year.

The Young Vermeer places the galleries' own painting -

The Procuress from Dresden and Diana and her Nymphs from the Hague.

It's the antithesis of the art blockbuster - a mere three paintings in one small room - but for all that, a fascinating display.

These works are all by the young Vermeer - and hint at the colours and style and use of light he'll develop in more famous paintings.

Look at the reflection in the brass bowl Diana's feet are being bathed in.

Look at the canary yellow in the prostitute's gown in the newly cleaned Procuress.

"Blockbuster exhibitions are all well and good," says Tico Seifert, senior curator of European Art at the National Galleries of Scotland.

"But they can be a little overwhelming and you can miss so much.

"These have only been displayed together once before - and that was before the Procuress underwent conservation work, so it looks quite different.

"And visitors can also focus a little more on the early work, which is often overlooked by the public at least."

With only 36 known paintings, Vermeer is one of the world's most exclusive artists - and the National Galleries is one of only 17 national collections to own one of his works.

Their Vermeer arrived in the collection in 1927 - although it had previously hung on the wall of the family home of Glasgow thread manufacturer William Coates, who by coincidence is the great grandfather of another senior curator at the National Galleries, Frances Fowle.

"He had a big collection - around 300 works - but this was his most important," she says.

"His sons bequeathed it to the National Galleries after his death in 1926 and I think he would have been proud that it became such an important painting for this collection and that it's the focus of this exhibition.

"He wanted it to be seen by as many people as possible."

Staff aren't sure how many people will see this small but significant exhibition - but since it's free and just off the main galleries, they hope it'll draw quite a crowd between Wednesday 8 December when it opens - and 13 March next year.

They barely merited a mention in the Radio Times when they played their first concert, never mind a fanfare.

But the 91Èȱ¬ Scottish Symphony Orchestra (SSO) made up for that oversight last night, with a concert to mark their 75th anniversary, full of fanfares, standing ovations and even a birthday singsong!

Originally set up by the 91Èȱ¬ as one of a raft of orchestras to record music for the voracious public appetite for live recordings, the SSO has since transformed into a highly respected symphony orchestra.

That's partly down to the fact it consistently works with modern composers, eagerly taking on complex new music.

Last night's concert introduced a new work by young scots composer Helen Grime.

But it's also down to their sheer resilience.

This orchestra grew out of the recession of the 1930s.

Professional musicians grateful to have the work and aware it wasn't guaranteed.

It's been on the brink of closure several times, including in 1980 when it was the largest of five 91Èȱ¬ orchestras earmarked for closure.

You only have to look at the decision to make the orchestra of Scottish Opera part-time to realise the issue hasn't gone away.

Nor are these times any more certain for live music.

But last night was a chance to celebrate the 91Èȱ¬ SSO's achievements as well as its survival.

As well as the Grime's premiere, there was a passionate performance of Beethoven's violin concerto by Nicola Benedetti -who first appeared with the orchestra in 2004 when she won Young Musician of the Year.

Walton's exuberant Symphony Number One formed the mainstay of the second half, broadcast live on TV and radio - just like the old days.

There was a rousing chorus of happy birthday before the final - sadly unbroadcast - performance of two pieces by Ian Whyte, the founding father of the 91Èȱ¬ SSO - who conducted that first concert at lunchtime on 3 December 1935.

Speaking earlier, Nicola Benedetti described her involvement in the concert as "an absolute privilege".

As a mere member of the audience, it felt like a similar honour and I hope for audiences watching and listening at home, it had the same impact.

Glad to make it through snow-filled Glasgow to snow free Ayrshire for a sneaky peek at the new Burns Birthplace Museum. It's been a long time coming.

The National Trust for Scotland originally came up with the idea six years ago and the cost has crept up to £21m.

But with Burns enthusiast Nat Edwards back at the helm, it has sparked more than a little excitement in advance of the public opening.

The museum draws on 5,000 artefacts from the existing collection, plus new works (George Wylie's playful Burns Line sculpture), new commissions (Peter Howson's exhibition of portraits) and family heirlooms (Alan Archibald, a direct descendant bought a scrap of jean Armour's wedding dress, once in his family, at auction, and lent it back to the museum).

The point says Edwards, who's also drawn on the collection he once oversaw at the National Library of Scotland, is to use the best objects to tell his story.

A mere fraction of the 5,000 items in the collection are currently on display - including his writing desk, his pens, original manuscripts and his fiddle. They'll be rotated over time.

"I think the important thing is to let Burns' words tell the story," he says.

"We try to keep our own interpretation light and let people make their own minds up and really listen to the words of Burns, really listen, really read."

The exhibition takes as its starting point the line from Hugh MacDiarmid in A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle - "Mair nonsense has been uttered in his name/Than in ony's barrin' liberty and Christ" and it's true that the cult of Burns has often obscured the simple beauty of his poetry.

Some of the objects examine his celebrity - but most are simple things which give some sense of the man behind the cult.

Nat Edwards' favourite item is a small plastic apple, givne to Burns by his brother as a wedding present.

"It's the sort of rubbish present one man gives to another and I think that's why I like it best. It says something about him as a man."

Singer/songwriter Eddi Reader agrees.

"I love OK magazine and Hello magazine as much as the next person and I think that's what people loved about him. He was ordinary, not some distant figure, but an ordinary man and I think this gets back to celebrating his ordinariness."

She also points out that until now it's been impossible to see Burns material all in one place.

"You had to go to Edinburgh, to Glasgow, to Mauchline, creep around graveyards. It's brilliant to be able to see everything all in one place."

But visitors should take a little time to explore the wider area. The now revamped and repaired Burns Cottage is a short distance away as are many of the landmarks which feature in his poetry, now properly signposted and helpfully included in a free map from the gift shop.

The museum will officially open on 1 December - but it'll be a quiet and low key event. The real fanfare will be in January on the poet's birthday, when the first minister will host a Burns Supper and officially declare the Burns Birthplace Museum open for business.