Sunday, December 22

Author: Greg Holstead

The Marriage of Figaro – Festival Theatre
20Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

The Marriage of Figaro – Festival Theatre

At a lengthy 3 and a half hours, performed in Italian with English subtitles, this was, to be honest, a somewhat daunting proposition. More used to one hour long bite-sized Fringe morsels, an opera definitely requires a long-distance mentality rather than a sprint approach. On reflection, Kirill Serebrenbbnikov’s take on Mozart’s comic opera, The Marriage of Figaro, would have been better as a half-marathon. The joy, humour and accessibility of the first act is worth five stars, but what follows is, frankly, incomprehensible, confused and humourless that seemingly almost forgets that there is an audience, drenching itself in opulence and superficial appearance to the point of self-destruction. The weirdly lavish mirrored art and the butchery of most of the cast in the second act is like...
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Show Pony – Summerhall Main Hall
18Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

Show Pony – Summerhall Main Hall

What happens to a show pony when it gets old? Yep, bang!! Three ‘middle-aged’ ladies pull back the curtain for a behind the scenes view on what it’s like to be a circus performer your whole life, with your body slowly giving up, facing the existential question, what next? An entertaining hour, of high quality tricks and stunts, but also much humour and insight, which suggests this talented trio are not done yet, and are more than one-trick-ponies. Along the way, we get to delve into the earliest memories of the strong woman, the aerialist and the contortionist. It’s a fascinating and beautifully choreographed introduction, with old photos, flickering videos and tricks aplenty, which has all the charm and otherness of a Wes Anderson flick. They explain that the rules of circus ...
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A Knock On The Roof – Traverse Theatre
18Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

A Knock On The Roof – Traverse Theatre

World Premier A Knock On The Roof, a brand new, and very current, one-person play written by and starring Khawla Ibraheem, which takes us to Gaza as young mother, Mariam, prepares for war along with her mother and 6-year-old son, Noor. The title refers to the, so-called, humanitarian practice of dropping small warning bombs on residential buildings in Gaza, giving civilian tenants five to fifteen minutes to evacuate before a much bigger rocket hits. Whether this happens in reality is anyone’s guess. The family live at the top of a seven-storey tower block, which is good and bad. Good because they will hear the knock on the roof first, but bad because they will have a long way to run to escape the carnage that is coming. Mariam decides to train for the possibility of this Knock...
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Dear Billy – Assembly Rooms
16Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

Dear Billy – Assembly Rooms

Partick, birthplace of comedian, Billy Connelly, back when it was a small countryside village on the outskirts of Glasgow, on the banks of The Clyde, famous for fish and hunting, Aye, it had a hundred chippies and you had to watch out for people with knives! The world and the words of National Treasure, Billy, are brought gloriously to life by multiple Fringe-First winner, Gary McNair, accompanied by the musical talents of Simon Liddell and Jill O’Sullivan. But this is no tribute act, despite the obvious visual similarity between McNair and a young Billy. Instead, it is an array of stories and recollections, of the big man, hilariously voiced and acted by McNair, collected across the length and breadth of Scotland, most humorous, but some surprisingly deeply moving. From his childho...
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One Sugar, Stirred to the Left – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall
16Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

One Sugar, Stirred to the Left – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

World Premier Based on his own lived experience, following the death of his father, award-winning composer Jon Lawrence, turns playwright in a quirky, bittersweet tale, which may have a sad ending built-in but leaves a pleasant aftertaste, nonetheless. Hamish and Henry lie in hospice beds. They know they are dying, but they have not lost their sense of humour, or their need for human contact. They still have their dignity, and for one of them they find a reason for living, at least a little longer, in a final task to be completed. Like a final episode of Still Game much of the best writing here comes in the pitch-black gallows humour, but also the life truths, shared between coffin-dodgers Stephen Corrall (Henry) and Duncan Airlie-James (Hamish). A pair of old curmudgeons, rea...
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Mary: A Gig Theatre Show – theSpace @ Symposium Hall
15Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

Mary: A Gig Theatre Show – theSpace @ Symposium Hall

Ahhh! The youthful enthusiasm approach! Recently graduated from QMU, Rona Johnston, writer and lead performer, gathers her (5) Marys to tell the story of Mary Stewart, Queen of Scots. The 6 young ladies squeeze onto the tiny stage, smirking, impetuous and ready. With a strong feminist thread and music at its heart and a SOLD OUT run, this feels close to being a hit! But SIX this is not. Not yet! Through a mixture of verse and song we follow Mary and her inner circle (known as her Marys) from France to Scotland and on to London and her ultimate demise. It is a strong story which lends itself to performance. Eight songs (soon to be released on Spotify) light up the production, ranging from Celtic ballads to grunge-rock anthems. Alli Von Hirschberg on electric lead guitar is a star ...
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The Kate Bush Story – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall
15Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

The Kate Bush Story – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

I took my seat at this one slightly concerned for the welfare of the singer. Would she try to be like Bush and fail, or try to be like Bush, but just be a parody or mimic, affecting a false voice (the worst of all options!), or just try not to be like Bush at all? The whole premise of the show seems like a bear-trap. After all, who can compare to the incomparable Bush, sing the unsingable songs, or be the unbearable complexity that is Kate. The first two intro songs of Hounds of Love and Wuthering Heights do nothing to quell my concerns. Thank God therefore for The Man With the Child In His Eyes, which sees Richards sitting down on keyboard, calm the hell down, and channel the essence of Kate for the first time with a sensitive and beautiful interpretation. Brilliant! The wonderf...
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21: The Music of Adele – theSpace @ Symposium Hall
15Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

21: The Music of Adele – theSpace @ Symposium Hall

Ella McCready comes from an early life immersed in the music of Adele, a true fan, which is very apparent in this performance. Close your eyes, and you could easily be in the front row of an intimate audience with one of the all-time greats. Her voice is remarkably similar, singing and phrasing are faultless which is obviously a good thing, right? McCready’s tender, breathy, rendition of When We were Young, which she acknowledges as one of her all-time favourites, and mine, is one of the undoubted highlights of this dedicated homage. However, there is always a fine line between mimicry and artistry, and this walks perilously close to the former. In danger of becoming the equivalent of listening to a greatest hits album, salvation here comes from an unlikely source, the skins. The...
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007 Voices of Bond – theSpace @ Symposium Hall
15Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

007 Voices of Bond – theSpace @ Symposium Hall

Following a brief video-briefing from M…M….Mike, we are passed into the very capable hands of femme fatale Ella McCready, resplendent centre stage in shimmering red sequin dress, supported by a full band. The scene is set for a journey through the music of Bond in the more than capable hands of Fringe music experts, Owl….. Night Owl. So, relax into the superior comfort of real leather upholstery, and the stunning acoustic of The Symposium Hall. All the expected songs are here, but also some welcome surprises. And these are not mere copies. McCready’s brilliantly Jazzy, upbeat version of Nobody Does it Better, is quickly bettered by an elastic and colourful interpretation of, For Your Eyes Only, a sure improvement on the dour Easton original. McCready’s range is exceptional, worki...
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My English Persian Kitchen – Traverse Theatre
15Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

My English Persian Kitchen – Traverse Theatre

World Premier A unique play involving the live creation (and ultimate consumption) of a popular Iranian soup dish, ash-e-reshteh, which is, we are told, dished out on the streets of Iran every day, as common as Ice cream. Cultural differences are at the centre of this story by award-winning writer Hannah Khalil. Adapted from the real life story of Atoosa Sepehr as she flees from Iran to escape an abusive husband, and her subsequent journey to settle in England. Isabella Nefar (Salome, National Theatre) welcomes us into Traverse 2 as though to a dinner party, smells of chopped onions, herbs and spices waft through the space. There is a buzz of conversation. Food, a bridge of the senses, cultures, the very essence of our being, and within the ceremony of sharing food, the hand of f...
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