Greg Holstead, Author at North West End UK

These things aren’t mine (film) – Traverse Theatre

16Feb

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

These things aren’t mine (film) – Traverse Theatre

Gabbie Cook’s attempt to turn something rotten and corrosive from her childhood into something positive and creative, aided by director Barney White, finds form in this watchable short film at the subterranean Traverse 2 tonight. As part of the Manipulate festival, which has a deserved reputation for bringing the strange and downright absurd together, this abstract film follows the life of former gymnast turned circus artist Cook. High on imagery and low on dialogue it still manages to pack quite a punch, without perhaps finding the knock-out blow. As we now look back and grimace at the ick-inducing objectification of Miss-World or the sexism of Benny Hill or indeed the unchecked racism of Rigsby, we will undoubtedly look back in years to come and grimace at the dehumanising and brutal ...

30Jan

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Moments – The Studio

In the classic time-loop film Groundhog Day, tv reporter, Phil (Bill Murray) attempts over and over again to create the perfect day, a series of carefully choreographed ‘moments’, with his attractive producer Rita (Andie MacDowell), in an attempt to win her heart. Only to be thwarted, often at the last moment, hilariously, time and time again. Some fans calculate the time-loop at 12,403 days! Theatre Re bring their own, thankfully shorter, time-loop to The Studio tonight to wordlessly consider, and reconsider, the powerful bond between a father and a son, and the ‘casting off’ which marks the end of one generation and the beginning of the next. Twelve and a half years after Theatre Re, premiered their particular brand of thoughtful and thought provoking theatre at Pleasance Dome...

22Jan

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Rocky Horror Show – Edinburgh Playhouse

Midway through its UK tour, The Rock Horror Show is a franchise which retains its cult appeal and an ardent band of followers despite being over fifty years old. And there were no complaints here from the almost full audience, who cheered and bayed and provided the necessary responses at the appropriate times, and also plenty of unnecessary responses at inappropriate times! This time around, ex-Neighbours star, 56-year-old Jason Donovan takes on the alien, transvestite scientist lead role as the mercurial Frank-N-Furter. Donovan’s Frank is a languid, louche and limp-wigged affair, more aging aunt than sexy vamp. This is Dame Edna in stockings and suspenders, and for me at least, it doesn’t entirely pay off. Given the look and the speed of delivery, which is generally a slow, eye-rollin...

The Sleeping Beauty – Church Hill Theatre

16Dec

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Sleeping Beauty – Church Hill Theatre

This traditional Panto is great family entertainment, including cheesy jokes, audience participation, sing alongs and all the familiar ‘panto’ tropes. Edinburgh People’s Theatre throw themselves into this retro production, and you find yourself laughing, singing and shouting out ‘behind you!’, almost in spite of yourself. It’s enough to make even a moody teen smirk! On the night I attended the massed ranks of Brownies and Guides and large family groups fairly filled up the well appointed and comfortable seats of the Church Hill Theatre and provide plenty of atmosphere and hilarious heckling in all the right places. When dame, Derek Ward, as Queen Dorothy asks if his ‘bum looks big in this’, he looks suitably hurt by the inevitable audience responses. Mandy Black’s assured directi...

Butterflies & Benefits / Cheapo – Traverse Theatre

7Dec

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Butterflies & Benefits / Cheapo – Traverse Theatre

As Part 2 of 4Play at The Traverse Theatre’s support of new writing, four brand new plays by four Edinburgh Playwrights are given their first airings over two nights. Tonight it is the turn of plays 3 and 4 in the roster to have their premier outings to an almost full Traverse 2. Butterflies & Benefits follows the lives of four twenty-something friends, starting at Hogmanay in 1998, the year before the dreaded Y2K, and is set to a soundtrack of dance tunes from that time. Whilst I like a ‘banger’ as much as the next guy, it is fair to say that there is an over reliance on music to both set the scenes and to fill dead air. Character development is left behind in favour of pounding music, dancing madly around, drinking and taking drugs, Coke seemingly the flavour of choice. Maybe ...

Fuckers & Colours Run (Part of 4Play) – Traverse Theatre

7Dec

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Fuckers & Colours Run (Part of 4Play) – Traverse Theatre

As part of Traverse Theatre’s support of new writing, four brand new plays by four Edinburgh Playwrights are given their first airings over two nights, and it is truly heartwarming to see that they are playing to an almost full Traverse 2 tonight. The thrust format of the subterranean Trav 2 seems highly appropriate to the first play Fuckers, pardon my French, which, with full frontal nudity, and sexual content from the start packs quite a punch. Ruaraidh Murray’s script follows the on/off relationship between an American actress Lois, played by Olivia Caw, and Scottish comedian, Andrew, played by Liam Ballantyne. The play is unashamedly sexual in content, but in a playful and joyful way which remarkably manages to overcome any sordid undertones, which is surely the biggest challenge he...

1Dec

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Treasure Island – The Lyceum, Edinburgh

The Lyceum Christmas show has landed! And in the tradition of Lyceum Christmas shows passed it (thankfully!) takes a wide berth around the ‘panto’ genre and serves up its own idiosyncratic recipe; take a classic tale, give it an Edinburgh flavour, a sprinkling of humour, a seasonal twist, a large dollop of live music and action, and serve it firmly tongue -in-cheek and aimed squarely at the family market. For the most part, Treasure Island, adapted by Orkney based writer, Duncan McLean, achieves its objectives, and the production is hilarious, fast-paced and always wonderfully musical. In a clever plot twist, we start our tale in a rest home for reformed pirates, no beards, no swashbuckling and absolutely no treasure hunts… Awwww! But old habits are hard to break, timbers req...

The Tailor of Inverness – Traverse Theatre

15Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Tailor of Inverness – Traverse Theatre

The Tailor of Inverness is not so much about the capital of the North or about the profession of tailoring, rather it is about identity, about truth (or lack of it) and about home. Actor/writer Matthew Zajac plays his own father and then himself as well as multiple other characters in between, in an absolute tour de force, a performancenot to be missed. History is written by the winners, as they say, and for the Tailor, winning was always going to be measured by simply being alive at the end of the Second World War, by whatever means possible. A history lesson, a geography lesson, a survival lesson. A story told how the titular tailor would like to have you believe it, followed by the truth, told by the son who eventually draws all the threads together, however unpalatable. The...

9Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Run, Rebel – Traverse Theatre

Run, Rebel is an award-winning young adult fiction novel, which has garnered significant praise for its punchy verse led telling of life within a traditional Indian family in Britain. The story received Guardians Best Book of 2020 award. Amber Rai is a fifteen-year-old who lives with her non-English speaking parents on a tough estate somewhere in middle England. Her home life has never been easy, her mother and older sister all try hard to avoid and placate their temperamental domineering and sometimes violent, alcoholic father. He is determined to impose the traditional Indian values on his wife and children, and the older sister, Ruby (Simran Kular) has already flown the coop, choosing to go along with an arranged marriage as a way to escape, the lesser of two evils. But she is alread...

The Ritual – Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh

5Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Ritual – Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh

Is there a better example of Vampire Clowning in the UK? I doubt it. The Ritual, my favourite show of the annual Edinburgh Horror Festival, sees the charismatic duo, Gregory Lass and Steffens Hanes team up once again, ably assisted by ‘Emily’, their gate closing, vape puffing (smoke machine) tech wizard who brings it all together rather beautifully. Imagine Fawlty Towers’ Manuel and Basil as vampires and you get an idea of the hilarious roles that Lass and Hanes take on stage. The sycophantic servant, who tries hard but always falls short, and the master who demands perfection and ends up a little deranged trying to achieve it. The beauty here, is that although the roles are very clearly defined, there is also plenty of ‘air’ in this performance, leaving ample room for improvisat...