Caroline Worswick

ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show – Gilded Balloon Teviot

7Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show – Gilded Balloon Teviot

There is nothing I like more than spending an hour watching an improvised show, and I always make sure that my Edinburgh Fringe Festival visits have at least one impro show on my list. This time it’s the turn of ‘ShakeItUp,’ who create a show entirely from the suggestions given by the audience, then perform the show in the style of a Shakespeare play. Now, I have to admit to being a regular visitor to impro shows performed by ‘The School of Night’, who set the bar very high in terms improvising Shakespeare, so I was keen to see whether this troupe (for the want of a better name), could surpass my high expectations. So today, the audience was offered the choice of a history, comedy or tragedy play, and comedy won by a close margin. Next, the name the person yo...

The Trials of Galileo – Greenside at Infirmary Street

7Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

The Trials of Galileo – Greenside at Infirmary Street

In 1633, Galileo was put on trial by the Roman Inquisition, and he was found to be ‘vehemently suspect of heresy’ and put under house arrest. All his theories and efforts to educate were treated as an act of rebellion against the church. The fact that Galileo had been approved to write about his theories by the Pope made no difference to the outcome. Written and directed by Nic Young, this play delves into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the trial, which was conducted in Latin, and where he was threatened with the rack if he did not confess to something that he quite clearly was not guilty of. Played by Tim Hardy in this one man show, Galileo now has the opportunity to put his side of the story across, during the trial he was spoken to in the third p...

7Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

Boudica – Greenside at Infirmary Street

This play is a modern interpretation of the life of Boudica, who was Queen of the ancient British tribe of the Iceni, who led a failed revolt against the Roman Empire in AD 60/61. At this point in Boudica’s life, her husband Peter (King Prasutagus in the ancient world), has recently died, and Boudica (Jo Scherer) and her daughters Gallia (Bella Yow) and Aoife (Lila Patterson) are at the funeral mourning his loss. Following the funeral, Boudica hears from Cato (Buster Van Der Geest), that there is no Will, and therefore, as her husband had run up debts within the company, her husband’s assets now belong to the company. Cato has replaced Boudica within the company so now has control of the company, and her finances, but offers her what he feels is a sweet deal to help her daug...

Lucy & Friends – Pleasance Courtyard, Forth

6Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

Lucy & Friends – Pleasance Courtyard, Forth

After going to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre recently and seeing Lucy McCormick play Saturninus in their production of Titus Andronicus, I thought I would see what Lucy does without the constraints of the Bard’s pen work, and The Globe’s policies to rein her in. This was my first experience of McCormick’s alternative side, and the two could not be more different. McCormick likes to greet her audience as they arrive, mingling with them, and I guess the title of the show gives you a hint as to the reason for this, we are to be her friends! Some members of the audience are given jobs to do, she is short-handed, so needs help with some tasks, this inclusion within the show creates an amazing atmosphere within the audience, as we see fellow audience members (sorry, friends), become...

The Real William Shakespeare…As Told by Christopher Marlowe – Greenside at Riddle’s Court

6Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

The Real William Shakespeare…As Told by Christopher Marlowe – Greenside at Riddle’s Court

The elusive Christopher Marlowe (Nicholas Thorne) is a character from history that intrigues us today, how did he die at age 29, was it a bar room brawl or was he murdered? Was Kit Marlowe the real author of the Bard’s plays? Many books have been written on this subject, and we are no closer to knowing if any of the theories are true. Matchmaker Theatre Productions have put forward another theory, from the pen of Shaul Ezer. What if he was killed for being a playwright? The play examines Marlowe’s colourful character, building an image of a homosexual, atheist poet, playwright, and spy, living his life like his backside was on fire, running from one hairy situation to another. Ezer brings in a character called Laura (Kirsty Eila McIntrye), who lives ...

The Brief Life and Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria – Pleasance Dome

6Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

The Brief Life and Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria – Pleasance Dome

What a cracking beginning to my Edinburgh Fringe Festival! After seeing Out Of The Forest Theatre’s Call Me Fury at The Hope Theatre in London in 2019, I was compelled to pay a return visit to their newest play. Here is a rough synopsis. Boris III became King after his father abdicated in 1918 after World War I, he married Princess Giovanna of Italy and in 1937 his son Simeon was born. Neither Boris, nor his father Ferdinand were Bulgarian due to the Turks occupying Bulgaria for 500 years, but they carried the burden of taking care of the people of Bulgaria now that Bulgaria was independent. Here is where the play begins, with Boris III, now married and the country is peaceful. Until of course World War II began! Boris (played by Joseph Culle...

6Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

Tennessee, Rose – Pleasance Dome

The Tennessee in the title refers to playwright Tennessee Williams, the writer of such greats as The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, and Rose was his sister, who has also been described as his muse. Tennessee, Rose examines the relationship between Williams and Rose by travelling through time with Rose to her childhood, and how her experiences shaped her future, leaving her with scars, both mental and physical. It is very easy to think of this show as a play about a playwright and his sister, but this play is so much more than that. The lack of understanding of mental health meant that Rose’s treatment was severe, without any care for her feelings, but only on the impact that her unguarded action and speech had on others. Clare Cockburn has written a rem...

Tales of a Jane Austen Spinster – Greenside at Nicholson Square

5Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

Tales of a Jane Austen Spinster – Greenside at Nicholson Square

Finding love always seemed to work out well in the end for Jane Austen’s heroines, Austen’s books were filled with honourable gentleman such as Mr Darcy, Henry Tilney and Captain Wentworth, but Lilliana (Alexandra Jorgensen) hasn’t yet found her beau and wonder’s how she can do this. Maybe, a wander into the modern world of dating may help! Jorgensen (also the writer), plays Lilliana, a young lady who seems to have been passed over by men, whilst her friends and family receive plenty of attention. Beginning the tale in Austen era costume, Jorgensen’s character compares the world of dating in Austen’s period, to how we date today. It is an interesting comparison, and leads us into the world of dating apps, and consent. Who would not be charmed by a story inclu...

11Jul

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Bones – Park Theatre

Rugby – a physically tough sport, with broken bones, but there is also a camaraderie around playing a team sport that creates a supportive network, all pulling together for ‘the Club.’ The players physical toughness belies the mental wranglings that go on with any team sportsperson before a match – will I be good enough today; I hope that I do not let the team down! Written by Lewis Aaron Wood, Bones delves into the mental health of the rugby player, in particular Ed (Ronan Cullen). Ed is used to being in the thick of the action, in the scrum, fighting for the ball, taking the knocks, beavering away in the background to help his team on to victory. His closest friends Charlie (Samuel Hoult) and Will (Ainsley Fannen) play for the same team, and the play begins with thei...

The Plotters Have Mapped Out Their Route…

21Mar

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

NEWS

The Plotters Have Mapped Out Their Route…

This Autumn will see the highly anticipated British musical Treason premiere its first full production in select theatres across the UK. Kicking off with a bang on 25th October at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Treason will continue to Sheffield Lyceum Theatre on 31st October and finally explode into London’s Alexandra Palace from 08th – 18th November. Treason the Musical is an historic tale of division, religious persecution, and brutality, ending in an ambitious yet fateful plot to bring down both the monarchy and the government. Set to blow you away with stunning original folk and pop songs, this one-of-a-kind show tells one of the most intriguing tales in Britain’s history as it’s never been seen before. Photo: Mark Senior Garnering a global audience followi...