Euan Huth, Author at North West End UK

21Aug

By Euan HuthNo Comments

Scotland

1984 – Assembly Roxy

One of the main advantages of theatre is that the actors are physically there in front of you acting. There is a certain rawness to theatre that gives it this powerfulness, which can be used to convey strong messages and themes and emotion to audiences. 1984 is a story that could greatly benefit from that rawness, but it does not deliver. It is a piece that is very relevant in this day and age, Big Brother and The Party oppressing the masses with the Thought Police, no-one is allowed independent thought, and Winston Smith finds himself in the Department of Love after falling for Julia, a rebellious woman he meets in a world that is devoid of any real emotion. The shows biggest failing is the fact that all the interactions between these two pivotal characters is all done through p...

16Aug

By Euan HuthNo Comments

Scotland

Hive – Assembly Roxy

Hive is show that feels like it has big things to say. It wants to talk about corporations building monolithic skyscrapers and the consequences of that , how people can be displaced and forced to move out of their homes, the way grief can impact our lives and relationships. Hive tries very hard to communicate these things, but unfortunately it does not communicate them well enough. The setting is an abandoned housing building with Mother Ria (Elin Doyle) being brought in to investigate a “hive” of some description along with her child, Salve (Emily Millwood), after they where expelled from school and there’s no one Salve can stay with while Ria works. The play also features a third character, Craig, the site manager who joins Ria on her journey to the hive while Salve makes their ow...

What You See When Your Eyes Are Closed/What You Don’t See When Your Eyes Are Open – Summerhall

15Aug

By Euan HuthNo Comments

Scotland

What You See When Your Eyes Are Closed/What You Don’t See When Your Eyes Are Open – Summerhall

What You See When Your Eyes Are Closed/What You Don’t See When Your Eyes Are Open is a very strange piece of art. You are in a small room, and as you enter you are greeted by an eight-foot-tall orange Cyclops who is staring at you. Behind him, a man lays on the floor with the name “Mamoru” on his jumpsuit. The show begins and Mamoru is on location reporting for the news about the fifty-foot Cyclops attacking the city, and like all good fringe shows there’s plenty of audience interaction too. I’ll try to refrain from saying too much about the events of the show, as I feel work of this kind is most effective when you go in completely blind, but to be honest I also don’t think I could begin to explain it clearly anyway. That’s the sort of piece this is, it’s a thought-provoking narrative ...

Making History by Stephen Fry – St Ninian’s Hall

14Aug

By Euan HuthNo Comments

Scotland

Making History by Stephen Fry – St Ninian’s Hall

I feel like everyone has had the hypothetical debate, if you could go back in time what would you change? Some people would give advice to their younger selves, or they’d stop the JFK assassination. And someone always says, “I’d go back and kill baby Hitler”. Making History, originally a novel by Stephen Fry and adapted to the stage by Colin Mcpherson, tries to tackle this moral debate. The set is a wall of famous historical faces, Mary Queen of Scots, Marie Curie, Nelson Mandela, and centre stage, is Adolf Hitler. I enjoyed how the set was used, having the portraits serve as hidey-holes for props, or concealing larger set pieces within them. And simply having this huge wall of famous faces instantly has you thinking about all the major players in history, so before the show even starts yo...

7Aug

By Euan HuthNo Comments

Scotland

Kokoon – Assembly Checkpoint

Even if you have not listened to K-Pop before, you have no idea who Black Pink or BTS are, or the only K-Pop you know is Gangnam Style, I would still urge you to go and see Kokoon. This show was an absolute riot from start to finish. Before the show even starts, you’re sitting listening to this fast-paced thumping track on loop while a video introducing the five K-Pop stars plays. By this point you know what you're in for. The Group has 5 members, each one a very energetic and extremely entertaining performer to watch. They are Jaemin, Joowon, Sae-Am, Shuya, and Wonki, every one of them a great personality and having a distinct place within the group. Wonki for example is an absolutely incredible beatboxer. Despite being one of a group of five he can still hold the entire stage by ...

5Aug

By Euan HuthNo Comments

Scotland

Drop Dead – theSpace @ Niddry Street

Everyone has heard of people doing rehearsals for their wedding, so their big day goes all according to plan and it’s the best day of your whole life. But what about a rehearsal for your funeral? Bit of a weird one, isn't it? Rehearsing for the most important day of your life that you never get to see? Drop Dead takes this idea and runs with it to tell a classic story of a group of oddballs fighting over who gets the inheritance, with an abundance of farcical devised comedy. The moment the show began I was immediately struck with how much fun the actors seemed to be having playing off each other, you can tell these are a group of people that really enjoy their work. Every actor brought their character to life in an energetic and wonderfully entertaining way that made all the intera...