Wednesday, December 17

Author: Beth Eltringham

Bat Out of Hell – Edinburgh Playhouse
Scotland

Bat Out of Hell – Edinburgh Playhouse

Romeo and Juliet meets Peter Pan, meets Meatloaf is probably the best summary one can give of Bat Out Of Hell the musical. The plot is familiar and so is the music, and perhaps that’s what makes it such a fun and lovable show. In what we can assume is a futuristic world just like our own a chemical leak has led to a portion of society remaining forever at the age of 18. This has caused a rivalry between the forever young and those still bitterly aging. Our Peter Pan archetype: Strat (Glenn Adamson) leads the Lost however becomes infatuated by young 18-year-old Raven (Martha Kirby) the unsatisfied daughter of our villain Falco (Rob Fowler) and his even more so unsatisfied wife Sloane (Sharon Sexton). Throughout we see Strat and Raven fight the odds to be together even with the disapprova...
Manipulate: Eat Me – The Studio, Edinburgh
Scotland

Manipulate: Eat Me – The Studio, Edinburgh

It’s difficult to describe ‘Eat Me’, as one may assume it is a play centralizing around cannibalism but not in a way in which one may expect. Eat Me follows the tale of three nameless characters described as ‘The Man’ (Ian Cameron), ‘Prey’ (Claire Eliza Willoughby) and ‘Predator’ (Isy Sharman), who come together in a very strange turn of events. Upon getting assistance from her creepy, stalker-ish neighbour, after falling over on the way home, Prey encloses that she wishes to be eaten. With not a single hint of surprise or hesitation The Man gets to work in making her dream come true. Together they explore the dark web until they come across Predator and set up a date in which Prey can become indeed food.  The production is very sound heavy with a good chunk of the dialogue being pre...
Heathers the Musical – Edinburgh Playhouse
Scotland

Heathers the Musical – Edinburgh Playhouse

A toe tapping dark comedy, Heathers will have you laughing out loud at subjects in which you should really keep a straight face.  Based on the cult classic 80s movie Heathers (Starring Christian Slater and Winona Ryder), Heathers the musical draws a very fine line between satire and serious subjects such as rape, suicide and of course murder, fortunately it does so very well indeed. Veronica Sawyer (Rebecca Wickes) is a student trying to survive life in high school, who just happens to have a talent for forging people’s writing. When this talent gets her noticed by the popular girls/ the Heathers (Maddison Firth, Merryl Ansah and Lizzy Parker) she finds herself entangled in a life of popularity, sex and one mysterious new boy: Jason Dean (Simon Gordon). One thing leads to anothe...
Death Drop – Kings Theatre, Edinburgh
Scotland

Death Drop – Kings Theatre, Edinburgh

Death Drop is a dragtastic British bonanza which is sure to make you laugh out loud from curtains up to curtains down. The show takes place on a strange tidal island where a mysterious Lady von Fistenburg  (Vinegar Strokes) throws a dinner party in celebration of the ten year wedding anniversary of Princess Diana and Charles. In doing so she invites 5 total strangers to join the festivities with her: Shazza (Willam), Summer Raines (Ra’Jah O’Hara), Morgan Pierce (Karen From Finance), Rich Whiteman (Richard Energy) and Phil Maker (Georgia Frost), joined by their motley catering crew (Holly Stars). When a storm attacks all are trapped within the house and as one predicts with a murder mystery it doesn’t take long before someone ends up dead under suspicious circumstances. To tell you ...
Beauty and the Beast – Edinburgh Playhouse
Scotland

Beauty and the Beast – Edinburgh Playhouse

"Be our guest" and so you should, this toe tapping bonanza of a musical is a treat for the eyes. Mixing pre-recorded projections, detailed set pieces of course some magic, this production is one for the whole family. The story follows a Selfish young Prince turned beast and a bookworm beauty who doesn't quite fit in and find herself pursued by a man who just can't take no for an answer. When her father is held prisoner by the beast, belle volunteers to take his place, thus beginning our love story. Of course, one cannot forget the merry band of living furniture who guide us along the way. Expect classics from Howard Ashman and Tim Rice such as: Beauty and the Beast, Be Our Guest, Human Again and Gaston. Casting for this production does not disappoint for the most part, with the ro...