REVIEWS

Check out what the reviewers are saying about Ruxy's work.

…[one] of Scotland’s leading visual theatre makers… The List

- on Pickled Republic Autumn 2023 and winter 2024

★★★★★

…an explosively mysterious absurdity is what entrances audiences into a cabaret-styled wander through the pickling process…

…Presented through a concoction of puppetry, movement, and confidently absurdist humour, this pulsating allegory for the larder of life invites audiences to relish in the despair, the objective of which is to live – that in a post-pandemic drifting world, the sense and necessity for some catharsis may be just what the doctor ordered…

…Ageing, death, loneliness, birth – the entire lustre of it all is laid bare on the table, seed n’ all. Using their contorting form, the beguiling nature of Cantir’s presence showcases talent and skill as well as the production of more subtle elements as they fling themselves into new and more elaborate costumes…

…The pace at which Cantir switches roles and maintains the energy is enviable; their choreography and expression are inventive and imaginative…

…Cantir’s zesty production catapults the realms of misery and hilarity into one messy, provoking reaction to life – a pertinent, though a friendly, reminder that we don’t know the purpose of life, but it’s never as black and white as what we make it out to be…

…There’s room for a laugh, for love, and yes, there’s even space for death and a few tomatoes…

Dominic Corr for Corr Blimey, 17 October, 2023, reviewed at Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

★★★★★

…a totally unique, absurdist play that can be enjoyed on many different levels…

…always funny. But there is also an underlying sadness and unease as pickling turns to rot and putrefaction…

…Pickled Republic is a hugely entertaining production, providing lots of laughs and provoking thoughts; not only on the pickling of vegetables but also, more deeply, on the purpose of life and reaction to tragedy.

Allan Wilson for All Edinburgh Theatre, 16 October, 2023, reviewed at Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

★★★★★

…a delightfully chaotic, messy, and thought-provoking one-woman show examining the ephemeral and precarious nature of life and humanity’s collective pursuit of purpose and meaning…

…simultaneously unsettling and hilarious opening monologue…

…Ruxy was the driving force of Pickled Republic with their dynamic movement and high energy that brought versatility…

…Their jarring yet endearing expressions, comedic timing, audience interactions, and use of space were phenomenal…

…In just 50 minutes Ruxy achieved something incredible – every moment riveted attention…

…a multi-layered exploration of life’s frustrations and beauty…

…Overall, a fantastic absurdist commentary, suggesting we enjoy life rather than get bogged down by it. Ruxy’s creation was inspiring, poignant, thought-provoking, funny and simple yet juicy…

Rose Murray for A Young(ish) Perspective, 12 February, 2024, reviewed at Traverse Theatre during Manipulate Festival 2024

★★★★

… the remarkable Glasgow-based creator and performer Ruxy Cantir seems to believe that we’ll never survive without a laugh…

…in her riotously vivid 50-minute show Pickled Republic, she chooses to see the world from the perspective of half-a-dozen pickled vegetables, caught in a limbo between death and indefinite preservation… all played by Cantir in breathtakingly athletic style…

…although the whole event is frankly ridiculous, it boasts such a wealth of talent and good looks - in Fergus Dunner’s design, Alberto SAntos Bellido’s gorgeous lighting, and Cantir’s cleverly-observed characters - that it’s also completely irresistible.

Joyce McMillan for The Scotsman, 16 October, 2023, reviewed at Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

★★★★

…the multi-talented Ruxy Cantir has a most original show in the singular Pickled Republic…

…Essentially a one-woman cabaret, Cantir conjures a diverse, organic line-up through a mix of costume, accent, and body transformation. No two are remotely alike, from the tomato with dreams of being eaten to a socially awkward slam-poet onion…

…Cantir exhibits a fine talent for comedy throughout, able to make an audience laugh with a curious look, gesture or sound before uttering a word. There’s something rather classic about her approach to character comedy, pitched somewhere between a young Paul Merton and Morecambe and Wise…

… her schtick is still well-pitched, effective, and continually innovative…

…Cantir lavishes each element of her play with care and attention, each character utterly distinct from personality to physicality…

…Ultimately this is a fine piece of theatre and a wonderfully friendly gateway into the absurd…

…artistic confrontations with the reaper come in far less delightful, interesting, and surprisingly packaged than Ruxy Cantir’s Pickled Republic…

William Quinn for The Quintessential Review, 11 February, 2024, reviewed at Traverse Theatre during Manipulate Festival 2024

- on Unicorn Christmas Party December 2023

★★★★★

…Unicorn Christmas Party was an unexpectedly delightful way to ease myself gently into the festive spirit – just the right amount of glitter, sparkle, fun, and dance to send me out into the dreich Edinburgh afternoon with a smile on my face.  Beg, borrow, or steal a small child and experience this for yourself if you can!

Brett Herriot for ScotsGay Arts, 11 December, 2023, reviewed at The Studio, Edinburgh

★★★★★

"I liked dancing. The two unicorns on the stage called us minicorns and we learnt new dance moves with our hooves. We got a golden letter with gems in it. The stage looked pretty, with candy canes on it. We saved Christmas and made Santa happy."

Cora (Age 5) for Mix Up Theatre, 15 December, 2023, reviewed at The Studio, Edinburgh

★★★★

…unicorns Melody and Luna – Sarah Rose Graber and Ruxy Cantir, a pair of gorgeous Yankee-style stars – set out to help their friend Santa Claus recover his mysteriously lost Christmas sparkle….

…It’s a simple idea quite perfectly executed…

…although the show is designed for young children, and probably best for 3-5 year olds, I’m strongly tempted to recommend it to everyone, of any age, who is feeling a little short of sparkle this Christmas; and needs some generous, joyful and powerful unicorn energy, to help them find it again….

Joyce McMillan for The Scotsman, 17 December, 2023, reviewed at The Studio, Edinburhg

★★★★

…it’s all sprinkled with a glittering and earnest sense of expression and openness of communication and appreciation….

…An absolute master in transformative performance, audiences who caught Pickled Republic but also saw Unicorn Christmas Party (a small cross-section, to be fair) can attest to Cantir’s skill in shifting form and exuding presence is unmatched…

…In working with Rose Graber to craft the show, two enormous talents managed to weave themselves into such an accomplished piece of interactive and energetic expression….

…The level of craft and dedication the pair put into their movement direction is impressive and accessible…

…Rose Graber and Cantir’s welcoming production strips back nerves and anxieties, and naturally encourages people to let down their guard and simply have fun and express themselves…

…Stay for the joy and music, and leave knowing how to do the Unicorn bow. Now that’s what we call quality entertainment. Unicorn Christmas Party takes a departure from the more narrative or comedy-focused shows around Scotland to encourage an openness of expression and movement. It’s unlike much of what is offered right now – and a very welcome addition to the festive season.

Dominic Corr for Corr Blimey, 11 December, 2023, reviewed at The Studio, Edinburgh

★★★★

… As much an experience, as a performance…

…Their sparkling appearance is matched by their seemingly boundless energy, their expressions wrought in variations of smiles which – quite impressively – never seem the least bit painted on….

…Their show is also elegantly simple…

…There’s really nothing not to like about the Unicorn Christmas Party. Graber and Cantir are excellent performers who interact well with an audience. They are thoroughly invested in the experience from beginning to end. They share a wonderful chemistry, which propels them through all sorts of capers, from snowball fights to recounting charming, and funny accounts of their past experiences with Santa and Rudolph…

…The deftness of the show’s performer-creators suggests they have all the talents needed to sell that touch of peril….

… There’s an abundance of talent on display and quality of production which speaks of many long hours of preparation, and practice….

William Quinn for The Quintessential Review, 10 December 2023, reviewed at The Studio, Edinburgh

★★★★

…Graber and Cantir are engaging hosts, keeping the pace just right for the wee ones as they alternate between get-up-and-dance numbers and anecdotes about Santa…

…A big, simple idea for young audiences, boldly presented in a production that is well thought-through and lovingly crafted….

Thom Dibdin for All Edinburgh Theatre, 11 December 2023, reviewed at The Studio, Edinburgh

- on Two in a Barrel during the tour across Scotland in 2023

★★★★

…  Two in a Barrel condenses some of the contemporary world’s pressing issues into a manageable and clever form of interpretive play, imagination, and educative enjoyment. Innocence is key to the authenticity of creators Sarah Rose Graber and Ruxy Cantir’s performance and assurances that the audience has a sense of recognition of the pair. They’re authentically charming and humorous, but also gluttonous and mischievous – the pair are no saints, just like their young audience…

…The cramped confines of the barrel never halt the magic of the show, Graber and Cantir contorting and manipulating the space the audience can visualise within the barrel – conjuring a judging world inside this small space. Humour is wielded primarily for communication and humour, there’s little in the way of verbal conduction for the piece, increasing its accessibility. It also makes for tremendous commentary on co-existing, something gradually the world seems to be struggling with, and the importance of peaceful, beneficial, and supportive friendships….

…A delightfully compact piece, which showcases some tremendously physical storytelling, with a little bit of scientific magic and insightful introductions to the issues future generations face, and ways to counter these, Two in a Barrell is as equally as impressive for young eyes, as it is for weary ones.

Dominic Corr for Corr Blimey, 27 April, 2023, reviewed at Edinburgh Science Festival 2023

- on Pickled Republic at Cabaret@manipulate during manipulate Visual Theatre Festival 2020, Summerhall, Edinburgh

Cantir is an undeniably beguiling performer, even when generating an atmosphere of uneasy queasiness. As the potato-headed singer, her languid, wordless physicality shifts registers between seduction and horror with a delicate subtlety, yet also manages to overwhelm the room with a sense of existential dread. 
… no matter how weird things get, Cantir's audience remains fully on board, delighting in her pitch-black humour and pulpy carnage. …

… Cantir's ability and the confident absurdity of Pickled Republic so far shows great promise.

Deborah Chu for The List, 13 February, 2020

- on Unicorn Christmas Party at Aberdeen Performing Arts’ The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen

… the Unicorn Christmas Party is sure to be a hit.

Great, whimsical fun for little ones and an hour to beam at the delectable joy of the very same.

Lindsay Bruce for The Press and Journal, 13 December, 2021

- on Bête Noire at Clown Cabaret Special Edition for manipulate Visual Theatre Festival 2019, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Ruxandra Cantir was born in Romania, trained in the US and now lives in Scotland – but it doesn't matter where she is geographically, her home is on stage. Cantir's character, 'Parr' is too sensitive for this big, noisy world, and just wants to be left alone. 

She enters the space tentatively, an aghast white face communicating everything we need to know about her inner torment - and when a telephone bursts into life, the harsh ringtone nearly finishes her off. That's pretty much all that happens in this short but sweet sketch, and yet Cantir delivers a masterclass in how poignancy and hilarity can exist hand-in-hand.

Kelly Apter for The List, 15 February, 2019

… and…

… Bête Noire from Ruxandra Cantir: a physical piece about frustration, mystery and comedy. A phone is ringing and the clown is intrigued. This curious performance ends with a horrific twist that is delivered with style and humour.

Steven Fraser for The Wee Review, 12 February, 2019

- on a Storytelling short piece Ruxy did at the Edinburgh Fringe on August 20th, 2017 at Summerhall, Edinburgh

There was also a short piece from Moldovan physical performance artist Ruxy Cantir on the practice of “funeral keening”; being hired to wail and mourn at funerals, a fascinating insight for cosseted Fringe goers in search of eye-opening experiences.

David Pollock for The Independent, August 21, 2017

- on the Pickled Tomato (excerpt from Pickled Republic, played at the Clown Cabaret Scratch Night on June 3rd, 2017 at Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh)

Luckily, that’s what scratch nights are all about: the chance for performers to test things out, seeing what works and what doesn’t. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the pieces that proved the most satisfying were the ones which already fused several disparate elements: Ruxy Cantir’s monologue for pickled tomato, coupling character contortions with a range of facial expressions that Chaplin would envy; or Lewis Sherlock’s abstract, lightbulb-carrying clown in a trenchcoat, managing that Pinteresque trick of being absurdly hilarious and menacing at the same time. Pieces like these put the scratch in context and, more importantly, capture the ineffable nature of clowning – the whole point of which lies in qualities that exist solely in the moment between an audience and a performer onstage. Seeing how it all develops – and gradually begins coming together – is a treat worth experiencing.

Marc David Jacobs for The Fountain, June 16, 2017

- on Ruxy's character Parr (played at Clown Cabaret Scratch Night on September 30, October 1, and 2, 2016 at Tron Theatre, Glasgow)

But it's Ruxy Cantir, who moves with the grace of a silent movie star, all eyes and fidgety digits who provides the pathos. Her Parr character, afraid of everything, is an androgynous porcelain clown - easily broken, oddly beautiful.”

The List writer Lorna Irvine for The Tempohouse, October 5, 2016

- on Ruxy's character Gregor J. Everest - the Mountain Conqueror (played at Clown Cabaret Special Edition for SURGE Fest 2016 on July 31, 2016 at Tron Theatre, Glasgow)

Ruxy Cantir's character Gregor J Everest – very much the bald-pated grotesque of tradition – captured that essence of try-fail-try again that (as Becket also appreciated) sees poignancy and hilarity go hand-in-hand up the rocky mountain slopes of humanity.

Mary Brennan for Herald Scotland, August 1, 2016

- on Ruxy's first public presentation of an excerpt from Pickled Republic - work in progress (played as part of the Conflux PITCH evening on March 10, 2016 at CCA Glasgow)

Ruxy Cantir's Pickled Republic is clearly within the same bouffon tradition as Eric Davis' [Red Bastard] monstrous creation... Her character is witty, engaging and playful: even when she contorts her body to represent her aged nemesis, she is charming and only slightly terrifying.... More Cantir, please!

The List Theatre Editor Gareth Vile for Vile Arts, March 10, 2016

- and others:

Molly Gilmore on Unicorn Dance Party (National Theatre of Scotland Playdates): https://www.theolympian.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article243751612.html

Lorna Irvine on I am ARE Art: 

https://thetempohouse.wordpress.com/2016/06/28/itching-at-some-bouffon-scratchings/

Gareth Vile recommends in a The List preview: https://www.list.co.uk/article/80644-theatre-preview-clown-cabaret/