Beth Eltringham, Author at North West End UK

Of Mice And Men – Drawing Room at Assembly Rooms

26Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Of Mice And Men – Drawing Room at Assembly Rooms

If like myself you were forced to read the book: Of Mice And Men in school you will already know what tragedy awaits you, but if you are new to the story beware. John Steinbeck’s famous novella takes to the stage this fringe as a 2-man, 1 act play and truly succeeds in capturing the essence of its lead characters Lennie and George. From the get-go we know exactly who these two characters are: George is the man in charge, aggressive and fed up with his life and Lennie is the simpler of the two, a very tall man whose strength is not in his mentally but his unintentional brute. Actors Nigel Miles-Thomas and Michael Roy Andrew successfully bring the opening chapter of the book to life, capturing the harsh yet somewhat loving relationship between these two men. Out of all of the given play t...

25Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Brodie And Co – Paradise in Augustines

Disclaimer: Due to the age of the performers in this production, the contents of this review will be strictly based upon the creative choices and writing of this musical Deacon Brodie is a local celebrity in Edinburgh, so it was a brave choice for Shrewsbury School to bring their new Deacon Brodie themed musical to the Edinburgh fringe, especially when having to adopt non-native Scottish accents. Complete with brand new musical numbers, questionable history and the age-old habit of having school children play sex workers, Brodie and Co doesn’t really hit its mark. As its title suggests, you may assume that the musical will centre around Deacon William Brodie: a cabinet maker and member of Edinburgh Council who had gambling issues and took to theft, but the story decides to ...

Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical – Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose

22Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical – Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose

The tale of Antigone continues to remain prominent within theatre and Greek history, a tale of a woman who goes against her leaders wishes in order to restore dignity to her deceased brother, ultimately leading to her death sentence and the taking of her own life. Like many Greek tragedies, this one is not a happy one, but it does deliver us the message that: it is important to stand up for what you believe in, even if the consequence is dire (oh and don’t disobey the gods…). Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical takes the classic tale but re-frames it in the 1980s, using the AIDS crisis as it’s driven point of revolt. This is cleverly done by exchanging the relationship between Antigone and Creon’s (known as Calvin) son Henry for a relationship between Henry and the deceased and sland...

The Tale of The Original Jekyll and Hyde (Told by a Mad Hatter from Stockport) – Greenside @ Riddles Court

20Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Tale of The Original Jekyll and Hyde (Told by a Mad Hatter from Stockport) – Greenside @ Riddles Court

The tale of Deacon Brodie is one rarely known by those outside of Edinburgh: A corrupt member of the City Chambers who used his skills as a Wright (in this case cabinet maker and locksmith), to steal from the wealthy folk of Edinburgh. The tale however has been known somewhat in another form: as the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde (although that can be held to some debate). The Tale of The Original Jekyll and Hyde (Told by a Mad Hatter from Stockport) lures us in with the promise of hearing Brodie’s tale…. although we end up hearing more about the writer’s fictional character Stanley instead. As a local historian I was pretty excited about the prospect of hearing the tale delivered through a character of the time. There’s something charming about having history ...

This Is Not Hansel & Gretel – Banshee Labyrinth

19Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

This Is Not Hansel & Gretel – Banshee Labyrinth

If you think you know the old German tale of Hansel and Gretel, think again! Christian Hege challenges us to rethink the tale, providing more detail than ever before and asking us to question who the real villain in the tale is. The tale begins with poverty, famine and too much rain for any crop to survive. A widowed man marries a new woman, welcoming her into his impoverished home with his two young children. As time passes and food proves scarce, the new wife decides enough is enough and the children must go. Luring them into the woods to fend for themselves, the children must learn to keep their wits about them, following their own path home and eventually ending up in the home of a witch. The rest you’ll have to attend the show to hear. Hege is a wonderful storyteller, compel...

Daughter Of Sweden – That One Princess Who Drunk With Lizzie I and Thrown Out of England – The Space@ Surgeons Hall

19Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Daughter Of Sweden – That One Princess Who Drunk With Lizzie I and Thrown Out of England – The Space@ Surgeons Hall

Very few people can say that they’ve: been a princess, drank with Elizabeth I, caused one of the biggest Swedish sex scandals in history and become a pirate! But for Princess Cecilia Vasa of Sweden this strange and exciting (although at times upsetting) reality was the case. Daughter Of Sweden- That One Princess Who Drunk With Lizzie I and Thrown Out of England, takes a look at a young princess whose life fell apart after engaging in an affair at the age of 19. With her reputation as a pure young lady in tatters, left to the conservatorship of which ever man in her family ended up in charge, she begins to dream of a life where she can be free. Taking a look at the constraints of being a woman of noble status in Sweden during the rule of famously single Elizabeth I, we see how rebell...

A Ghost Among the Living – Queen Dome at Pleasance Dome

18Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

A Ghost Among the Living – Queen Dome at Pleasance Dome

Box Tale Soup are back at it again with another spine-tingling creation. A Ghost Among the Living takes us into the dark and timeless tales of Edgar Allan Poe, exploring themes of horror, murder and consumption. With a cast of two well synchronized performers, this is a masterclass in visual theatre and never scrimps on the finer details. Set within the Pleasance Queen Dome, our actors have very few places to hide on this round thrust stage, however with every movement choreographed and thoughtfully directed, neither performer drops their compelling performance for even a second. A moving set is constructed out of boxes and arches, all hand made by the company and all multifunctional. The cast effectively use their set to transport us to labyrinth like catacombs, lavish parties and ...

Detective Blank: A One-Man Noir – Temple at C ARTS, C aquila

15Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Detective Blank: A One-Man Noir – Temple at C ARTS, C aquila

A dark and dingy detective’s office, on a dark and dingy street, in a dark and dingy city, you know the type. This one-man noir show has everything you’d expect from the classic detective noir story: a far too relaxed and sharp detective, an untrustworthy femme fatale and a whole load of dodgy crooks. One may assume from the title of the show that this is going to be a multi rolling piece; one man throwing on mustaches and hats, adapting accents galore, but this show takes a much cleverer approach. Our main man (unfortunately I was unable to find the actor’s name) plays the title role of Detective Blank, using lighting and prerecorded voice overs to play the other roles, voice recordings made by the same actor and all very impressively different. The actor’s talented performan...

Crudi Dench: Someone Help Her! – Underbelly Cowgate, Iron Belly

13Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Crudi Dench: Someone Help Her! – Underbelly Cowgate, Iron Belly

Tucked away in an old vault cellar within the George The Forth Bridge you will find this wee gem of a show. Crudi Dench takes to the stage with some “celebrity friends” (spoiler, you are the celebrity friends) to run a help line show. Taking in calls from for those looking for a little assistance and somewhat (although this bits up for debate) working to help those callers. Whilst Crudi’s methods may be a little unorthodox and bizarre and absolutely unhelpful to the cause, they do succeed in thoroughly entertaining her audience. Crudi is a huge personality, her laughter is infectious and even as a disembodied voice from time to time, she still has her audience in the palm of her hands. As with most drag performances there is a heavy reliance on sexual and flirty humour however, even ...

13Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Knocking – The space@Surgeons Hall

Three sisters come together to clear out the belongings of their deceased mother only to find even in their mother’s absence the house is not empty. Together they must work to unearth the secrets of their house and help put a lost spirit to rest. The premise of the story is interesting and has real potential, however the overall production falls flat. We start the show with a mysterious hooded figure standing by the door, entering the stage space and then retreating to the tech desk to loudly stage whisper to the techie throughout the show. In an intimate space such as Theatre One in Surgeons Hall, this was rather distracting to say the least. Our three sisters are the main focus on the show establishing a nice bond between the three however all emotional reactions to the trauma ...