theSpace Archives - North West End UK

Bring Me To Light – theSpace @ Niddry St

17Aug

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Bring Me To Light – theSpace @ Niddry St

Bring me to Light from the Chloe Kastner Dance Company is a contemporary, artsy dance performance that is advertised as exploring themes of addiction, heartbreak and mental illness within the 40-minute performance which will ‘leave audiences hopeful for a better tomorrow.’ The company, led and choreographed by Chloe Kastner, comprises six dancers. All six appear in the opening piece which begins in the blackout. After consideration, this may have been a technical error as the lighting was inconsistent and appeared unrehearsed in many areas. There were times when the lighting choice lacked purpose and motivation, simply increasing in intensity for a moment and decreasing again, quickly becoming very distracting. All sound/music cues appeared on time except one or two that seemed ...

The Return of Sherlock Holmes – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

11Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Return of Sherlock Holmes – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

Sherlock Holmes (Nigel Miles-Thomas) the world famous detective and his partner in crime Watson (Michael Roy Andrew) are at it again but this time it’s Watson who comes across the clues. It’s been three years since Sherlock’s believed demise at the hands of arch nemesis Moriarty and Watson finds himself lost. Returning to Baker Street to wander the old flat Watson find a letter addressed to himself from a strange source warning him of a murder that just so happens to be in the paper that day. Andrew plays of the role of Watson tremendously, a man in grief who still possesses the curiosity of a detective but displaying himself as a nervous mouse of a man. His comedic timing is on point, and he never misses a beat. Nigel-Thomas is impeccable as the famous detective carrying Sherlo...

Crossing The Void – theSpace on the Mile

11Aug

By Anna ChiariNo Comments

Scotland

Crossing The Void – theSpace on the Mile

Ghost stories are never what they seem, or at least they should not be. As Henry James taught us with his The Turn of the Screw, any self-respecting ghost story should know how to play with the appearance of things, with the ambiguity underlying reality itself, with the perception of the reader or, in our case, of the spectator, and create, through allusions and linguistic traps, a labyrinthine reality, phantasmagorical in fact, a game of reflexes where everything can be the opposite of everything. This is what Crossing the Void succeeds in achieving, to the viewer's great satisfaction, as a result of young scriptwriter Sally MacAlister's collaboration with queer actresses’ koi collective in their debut as a theatre company. A student of Drama Writing at the University of Manchester, M...

9Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Flesh – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

Flesh is a campy, fun jaunt through some of the darker side of Edinburgh’s history! This tale starts at the point of Burke and Hare are arrested for the Westport murders before we travel back in time and follow them on their whirlwind killing spree. Both Jeremy Fraser and Roddy Macleod did an excellent characterization of the infamous killers, and the supporting cast were fantastic! I personally highly enjoyed Anna Scott as Mag, she did a great job at portraying the kind of character you love to hate, and Alison Henry as Nell had a fantastic voice. Frank Burr was a delight in the role of Dr Knox. The costumes were well made and added to selling the look and feel of the piece. The big chorus songs were a highlight of the show, and the composition was upbeat, catchy and well perfor...

Becoming Chavela – theSpace on North Bridge

9Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Becoming Chavela – theSpace on North Bridge

Stephanie Trudeau is a one woman tour de force as she serves up an informative and transformative docu-cabaret following the life and songs of legendary Latin American ranchera singer, Chavela Vargas, accompanied by a simple solo acoustic guitar. Having overheard two Americans beforehand complain that they had missed Trudeau’s performance in LA and New York, I expected much from this globe-trotting show - I was not disappointed. But who you may well ask, or rather was, Chavela. Well, from the sound that comes from Trudeau it is clear from the start that she was firstly an extraordinary singer. Trudeau has the ability to modulate her voice from a teenage girl, to an ancient husky (male) ranchero, sometimes in the same song! Perhaps it is the liberal quantities of Tequila that help to lo...

The musical-comedy, action adventure we didn’t know we needed!

27Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

The musical-comedy, action adventure we didn’t know we needed!

War of the Worlds (on a budget) is the perfect show for comedy and music lovers, families with teenagers and festival goers who want to start their day with a blast! Lamphouse Theatre will bring a brand-new musical comedy version of War of the Worlds to theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August. Featuring just one actor, War of the Worlds (on a budget) will parody Jeff Wayne’s epic arena tour and Tom Cruise’s Hollywood film while paying homage to HG Wells’ original story. With a full soundtrack of brand-new music, plus a loop pedal, a ukulele, lots of cardboard props, plenty of laughs and many hats, this take on the famous disaster story will be more hectic than heroic. Clowning, comedy, music and improvisation will ensure a side-splitting night out: La...

Becoming Chavela heads to Edinburgh Fringe for 3 nights only

27Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Becoming Chavela heads to Edinburgh Fringe for 3 nights only

Becoming Chavela is an award-winning docu-cabaret performance of the life and music of Chavela Vargas set within the art world and social milieu of mid-century Mexico City when it was the cultural capital of Latin America." Iconic, trailblazing lesbian Mexican singer, Chavela Vargas, muse to Oscar winning Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, was, in his words, a “volcano.” Edgy and fearless, she gained entry into the exciting mid-century Mexico City artistic scene through her friendship with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Forgotten for years, she experienced an artistic rebirth in her early 70’s and continued to sing until her death at the age of 93. Chavela constantly broke with social, cultural, and gender norms, defying conventions and living her tumultuous life on her own terms. Ahead of...

21Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Scotland

Defying GraviTT – Online@theSpace

One of the best things about fringe festivals is that you get to experience a range of shows that cannot quite be boxed into one category. One day it might be jugglers or the circus, the next a political rant or an intense two-hander about the restaurant provision for vegans. As shows have gone online during the current pandemic, they have attained an additional status from performers isolated from others by necessity, not always from choice. Boundaries have increasingly become blurred as creators experiment. In Defying GraviTT, The Fabulous TT aka Tish Tindall brings her wry observational skills and musical prowess to a one-person show which considers lockdown from the perspective of “a menopausal madwoman”. Part video diary, part song cycle, part cabaret, Tindall’s piece has to...