Greg Holstead, Author at North West End UK

22Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Shooglenifty – Rose Theatre, Edinburgh

I vaguely recall the Shoogles, it must have been more than 25 years ago in some dank Edinburgh cellar. But I still remember being moved, shocked even, by the discovery that Scottish traditional music could be funky, edgy, dance-worthy! I cannot remember what I was expecting then (Jimmy Shand perhaps?!), but the band that termed the phrase Acid Croft were a musical revelation. And here tonight, at The Rose Theatre, nothing has changed, yet everything has changed. No longer led by their charismatically big-bearded frontman, fiddler, Angus Grant, who used to bound around the stage like some BFG and always whipped the crowd up a storm, lost way too early to throat cancer in 2016. But somehow, they have survived, regrouped, with new fiddler Eilidh Shaw, fitting in beautifully to the w...

22Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Heaven – Traverse Theatre

This play is a compelling duel monologue between a wife and her husband during the weekend of a spirited wedding celebration in a small town in the Irish Midlands. The dialogue alternates between Janet Moran’s Mairead, a 50-something social worker with a fiery temper, and Mal, her mild-mannered teacher husband who has somehow managed to suppress his homosexual leanings for the last thirty years, but suddenly, with the littlest of pushes, finds a calling to action them. Meanwhile, Mairead finds her own passions reignited in an old flame who she hasn’t seen since she was 20. Beautifully written by Eugene O’Brien, and sensitively delivered with a light Irish brogue, direct to the audience, has everyone leaning in and laughing or smiling knowingly. The set and lighting design are exquis...

After The Act (A Section 28 Musical) – Traverse Theatre

21Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

After The Act (A Section 28 Musical) – Traverse Theatre

A law existed until very recently which refused to acknowledge that gay and lesbian existence was normal. Between 1988 and 2003 a local government act was introduced which decreed that councils and schools throughout the United Kingdom be silent on homosexuality and not spend time in lessons discussing or acknowledging let alone normalising its existence. This production by Breach Theatre, written by Ellice Stevens and Billy Barrett, with an original score by Frew, After The Act takes as it’s starting point the Danish children’s book Jenny Lives With Eric and Martin, which caused such an uproar when it was launched into schools in the early 1980’s. Set against the suddenly rising AIDS epidemic, people panicked, burned the books, protests against teaching same-sex relationships in school...

20Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Adults – Traverse Theatre

Back to The Traverse Theatre, which can be relied upon for good quality shows with high production values, great tech and quality actors throughout the year, but really pulls out the stops come Fringe time. So, here comes my review number 4 for the ‘Trav’ this time round. Adults isa slightly awkward three-hander from Kieran Hurley which seeks to challenge our conception of what is sexually ‘normal’, whilst also trying to be a serious commentary on the economics of the sex work industry within the capitalist market economy, and a sex farce. Can it really be all these things? This starts so well and with a swarth of laughs in the first half, the audience lean in as Madam Zara (Dani Heron) realises that the latest customer to her tiny attic flat/brothel is none other than her old in...

TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] – EICC

20Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] – EICC

Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera is a modern rock opera that sets out to tell the story of the ex-prime minister who modernised Labour and catapulted them to new heights with his ‘New Labour’ landslide election victory in 1997, ending 18 years of Conservative government. Like Tony Blair himself, this production has good points, and bad points. It is probably forgivable and understandable that this show steers clear of outright satire, after all, Blair is still alive and has very, very deep pockets. Some parts of the script actually make comic reference to this! Unfortunately, this lack of bite made for an enjoyable, but perhaps ultimately unedifying evening. More Spitting image than Question Time but then again what do you expect from writer Harry Hill! We start the evening, with a...

Vote Macbeth! – The Space @ Surgeons’ Hall

19Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Vote Macbeth! – The Space @ Surgeons’ Hall

Part 4 of my Fringe of ’23, Macbeth marathon, sees another murder, this time set in the present day that boils and bubbles its way through a very dense script/lib to end with its own toils and troubles. The common theme in disappointing shows is that they inevitably try to do too much, and there could hardly be a better example than this one. From the singular hand of John Paul Liddell, writing, composing, directing, acting and singing (very nicely BTW I might add!) in the Macbeth lead role, there is no air at all left in this one by the end. A dense and wordy treatise on political power, where Macbeth is president, I assume of a post-Independent Scotland, set in the near future, the musical is comprised of 18 songs, which run non-stop, top to tail, with no dialogue in-between. N...

18Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Ripper – Hill Street Theatre

A small ‘black box’ theatre venue with a pronounced AC thrum and uncomfortable chairs does not auger well for this brand new musical by Pete Sneddon. However, once the action started I am pleasantly surprised, both by the quality of the acting, the script and the music accompanying this pacy rock opera, directed efficiently by Mark Jeary-Fairbairn. It just goes to show what can be produced on a tight budget, with enough commitment and talented actors. A few tweaks of the lighting set up would improve the audience experience, with bright LEDs behind the stage area causing some unnecessary glare issues, particularly for the front row. That having been said, John Christopher is excellent in the lead role, which requires real commitment and attack from the very start, and which he...

18Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

No Love Songs – Traverse Theatre

It probably helps that I was already a fan of the music of The View and Kyle Falconer. This was on my must-see wish-list, and boy was it worth waiting for. Certainly the best show I have seen at the Fringe this year, and I have seen a lot. This is review no. 50! Brilliantly acted by John McLarnon as musician, Jesse andwith an absolutely knock-out award-winning performance by Dawn Sievewright as Fashion student, Lana, the story is a simple boy-meets-girl, which only starts getting complicated when two become three. The simplicity and universality of the story-telling is perhaps this shows greatest strength, for it allows the music to shine – the essential element that brought them together and the one that is tearing them apart. When Jesse leaves to tour America, Lana’s ini...

The Grand Old Opera House Hotel – Traverse Theatre

18Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Grand Old Opera House Hotel – Traverse Theatre

A technical Tour De Force, and certainly the most lavish production by the Traverse at this year’s Fringe, with a knock-out set and costumes by Ana Ines Jabares-Pita . Set in an old haunted Opera house, turned 21st century hotel we follow, Aaron (Ali Watt) who has just started working at the hotel, but quickly discovers that hidden just beneath the magnolia painted walls lies the original spook-ridden opera house. It is not long before he meets and falls in love with a strange opera-singing girl, Amy (the wonderfully gifted Karen Fishwick) and he also finds his own opera voice. Once the ghosts and the guests all find their singing voices the real fun starts, let the panto-farce-opera commence. There is some hilarious re-wording of opera favourites, which at least some of the audi...

Otto & Astrid’s Joint Solo Project – Assembly George Square Gardens

18Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Otto & Astrid’s Joint Solo Project – Assembly George Square Gardens

A stunning little music tent with beautiful raked, ancient timber and leather curved seating, in a prime time slot in a perfect location, what could possibly go wrong. Well, no audience for one! Maybe it is the wordy title or perhaps a total lack of self-publicity, I don’t think they care one way or the other, because they are going to have fun! If they can just sort out Astrid’s Public Liability Insurance! And that is the attitude that carries through the show: Anarchic, chaotic and absurd fun. Come ready to rock out to their latest anthems, ‘I Want To Be Your Kitten’, and ‘Tasty Snack’, with hilarious lyrics sung to a heavy metal soundtrack, and some very funny moments. I hope you are getting this picture, because it is not exactly easy to sum up! This is a hidden gem of a show...