Inspire Me: 9 great things to do in the next week

CATS

RUM Tum Tugger, Mr Mistoffelees, Skimbleshanks, Munkustrap and Old Deuteronomy are back. Yes, Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s extraordinary record-breaking, smash-hit musical has returned to the Playhouse, where you will find it all this week.

Adapted from TS Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, this blend of fantasy, drama and romance is set on the night that the Jellicle Cats meet for the Jellicle Ball in a sparkling fusion of music, dance and verse.

The Jellicle Cats come out to play on one special night of the year – the night of the Jellicle Ball.

One by one they tell their stories for the amusement of Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, who must choose one of the Cats to ascend to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

Cats, Playhouse, Greenside Place, until Saturday, 7.30pm (matinees 2.30pm), £15-£50, 0844-871 3014

LOCALMOTIVE MARKET

YOU don’t need to be travelling to pop into the Waverley Station tomorrow.

The weekly Localmotive Markets, an exciting market bringing the variety, passion, and creativity of small local businesses to the station, returns from 11am.

With a wide selection of ethically-sourced gifts, local products and tasty foods and drinks, make Platform 2 your destination and support local small businesses at the same time.

Waverley Railway Station, Platform 2, tomorrow, 11am-7pm

MAGICFEST GALA

EDINBURGH MagicFest conjures up a spell of magicians and illusionists from around the globe at the Festival Theatre tomorrow, for the grand climax of this year’s event.

Back for a seventh year, the MagicFest Gala (performances at 2.30pm and 7.30pm) bring the best magic and variety talent to the Nicolson Street stage, including current Grand Prix World Champion (the highest accolade a magician can achieve) Hector Mancha.

Joining him in a breath-taking mix illusions, mind reading and confounding variety acts will be South Korea’s Hun Lee, the ‘Digital Time Traveller’, Ted Kim, the ‘White Art Dreamer’ and Young Min Kim, who deconstructs matter with the touch of his hand.

Also on the bill are Scotland’s forensic mind reader Colin Cloud, Jeton the Gentleman Juggler, from Germany and Miss Polly Hoops, a hula hoop artist, and the youngest ever female street performer in London’s Covent Garden.

Both Galas are compared by the ever energetic and charming Chris Henry with the evening performance boasting an additional highlight, the announcement of the winner of the Great Lafayette Award 2016.

MagicFest Gala, Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, tomorrow, 2.30pm & 7.30pm, £14-£33, 0131-529 6000

RAILWAY CHILDREN OUTDOORS

CHAPTERHOUSE Theatre Company are famous for their outdoor theatre productions, and no strangers to the grandeur of South Queensferry’s Hopetoun House.

On Sunday, the company return to the stately home with their latest production, The Railway Children.

Set in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside the piece tells the story of three children whose life’s are changed forever by the mysterious disappearance of their father.

Finding a new home in a beautiful but isolated village, the children make new friends and discover the wonders of the Yorkshire hills and the railway lines scattered throughout them.

E Nesbit’s classic story has delighted adults and children alike for generations and is now brought to life for new audiences in this new al fresco production.

With stunning period costume, traditional music and songs and a whole host of unforgettable characters, The Railway Children is a treat for all the family, perfect for a summer evening’s entertainment - as long as the weather plays its part too.

Performed, not in Yorkshire, but in the grounds of Hopetoun House, don’t forget to bring your rugs, low-backed seating and picnic.

The Railway Children, Hopetoun House, South Queensferry, Sunday, 7pm, £14, 0871-220 0260

BURGH BLATHERS

EVERYONE is a storyteller.

Burgh Blatherers is a welcoming and supportive storytelling group in Edinburgh for those working on their development as tellers.

You’re welcome to listen in to more experienced tellers or tell your own story in the quiet and welcoming atmosphere of the Circus Cafe.

Circus Cafe, St Mary’s Street, Wednesday, 7.30pm-9.30pm, free

THE CRIME FACTOR

PLOTTING the perfect murder? Then The Crime Factor: Four Men in Search of a Plot at Blackwell’s Bookshop next Thursday is just the thing for you.

Join the author of Falling Fast, Neil Broadfoot, the writer of Names of the Dead and The London Cage, Mark Leggatt, GJ Brown, who penned Falling and 59 Minutes, and Criminal History Book author Douglas Skelton for an evening of debate.

The four Scottish crime writers will be discussing - and answering questions about all aspects of crime novels, including plotting, writing and general death and destruction.

Could you be the next Ian Rankin?

The Crime Factor: Four Men in Search of a Plot, Blackwell’s Bookshop, South Bridge, 14 July, 6pm-8pm, free but ticketed, 0131-622 8222

KING’S BACKSTAGE TOUR

FIND out what goes on behind the scenes at the King’s Theatre on Saturday Morning. The King’s Theatre Backstage Tour will reveal the fascinating past of the venue and access areas not usually seen by the public. The Grand Old Lady of Leven Street has a lot of history.

King’s Theatre, Leven Street, Saturday, 10.30am, £7.50 (includes refreshments), 0131-529 6000

SARAH MILLICAN - OUTSIDER

THE South Shields comedian and 8 Out of 10 Cats panellist muses on the outdoors in her new show, which she brings to the Festival Theatre from Saturday for a three day run. There was a time, she says, that a trip outdoors would have been accompanied by questions such as; Where is the taxi? and Do I need a cardie?’

A time when she would have uttered words like “There’ll be wasps. I’ve nothing to sit on. Is that poo? Can we go home?” when faced with the great outdoors.

But now things have changed. Now she has outside slippers and can tell a chaffinch from a tit. But she still can’t tell if it’s an owl or her husband’s asthma.

Sarah Millican: Outsider, Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, Saturday to Monday, 8pm, £27.50, 0131-529 6000

ON SALE NOW

THE 2016 Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival is one of the top ten Jazz Festivals in Europe, with more than 170 concerts in the ten days from 15-24 July.

The full programme is now online at www.edinburghjazzfestival.com with tickets available by calling 0131-473 2000, or in person from The Hub, Castlehill.