Greg Holstead, Author at North West End UK

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying – Traverse Theatre

2Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying – Traverse Theatre

Well, no surprises, it’s brilliant! The endlessly Gallus (dictionary definition – Bold, daring, cheeky person bordering on arrogant. Derived from the Latin word for cockerel or rooster) Gary McNair does it again. The wee big yin puts a smile on everyone’s face with a masterclass in storytelling, and makes it all look incredibly, infuriatingly, easy. But, having loved his five star ‘Dear Billy’ tribute last year at The Assembly Rooms, I had rather been primed to expect excellence. This year, the globe-trotting Scotsman serves up a tale of a young boy and his gambling-obsessed grandad in his attempt, against the odds to reach the year 2000 and win a fortune off the bookies. Like a kilted, David Walliams creation, if you can overlook the odd sweary word, this is Roy-of-the-rovers...

2Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Rift – Traverse Theatre

The stage is sparse in the underground black box of Traverse 2, just a plain table, two folding plastic chairs and a bright red bag of Doritos. A projector advises, keep hands in plain view, the unmistakable soundscape of prison echos through the small space before the projected image starts counting off the years of incarceration. 1, 2, 3… The play starts at year 4. The tight three-sided seating focuses on a spotlight which focuses on the bag of Doritos, two men enter. The story follows two half-brothers one a white supremacist convicted murderer, the other a rising young ‘woke’ writer over the course of 20+ years as they meet at various intervals. A relationship broken apart by lies and mistrust tries and tries again to be re-glued with their shared blood like an intricate Kintsugi...

2Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Red Like Fruit – Traverse Theatre

Good sex, bad sex, wrong sex. What’s the difference? And does it really matter? Why struggle to articulate something that no one wants to hear anyway…? When a Canadian investigative journalist starts researching a high-profile domestic violence case, it leads her to relive and reconsider some of her own life experiences, the results are disarming and disturbing. This beautifully constructed two hander from the pen of Hannah Moscovitch has Lauren’s (Michelle Monteith) story being delivered as a deliciously hypnotic monologue by Luke (David Patrick Flemming). Flemming’s voice control and delivery are the real star of this show, a symphony of tone and indent, emphasis and half-finished sentence are a joy to the ear. @RILEYSMITHPHOTO Lauren sits on a raised Dias, swaying or head in...

Midnight at the Palace – Guilded Balloon, Patter House

31Jul

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Midnight at the Palace – Guilded Balloon, Patter House

My first show of the gauntlet, the scrum, the gladiatorial fight to the death that is the Edinburgh Fringe, kicks off with a world Premier, Midnight at the Palace. An energetic and at times engaging musical, a reimagining of the true story of The Cockettes, a posse of counter-culture glitter-bearded drag queens who took San Francisco by storm in the sixties. Rallying against discrimination at home and unwanted wars overseas, writers Brandon James Gwinnett and Rae Binstock set words to the flower power revolution powered by drugs and free love that drove The Cockettes all the way to the big apple where it all came to a messy end in the early seventies. The talented 8-strong cast from across the pond provide plenty to see and hear, with excellent live keyboard accompaniment, and some ...

21Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

In The Cult of Work – Traverse Theatre

Edinburgh Youth Theatre charity, Strange town, return to the Traverse this week with three shows and this is the second of them. On stage tonight are the Tuesday 14 – 18-year-olds and they certainly put on a spirited and well rehearsed show, with no obvious line blunders, a well-drilled cohort who are a credit to director Catherine Ward-Stoddart. I’ve seen a few shows by Strange town over the years and what always comes across is the unbridled enthusiasm and commitment to the creative process from all involved. It’s always great to see the acting youth of Edinburgh taking over one of the best performance spaces in the Capital. Writer, Daniel Orejon was tasked with producing a short play on the theme of, Nobody wants to work anymore. In the centre of the stage a poster pronounces, ‘Ou...

15Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Hidden Door – Edinburgh Paper Factory

Looking like a set from Blade Runner, lit up with coloured lasers and strobe lighting, the gigantic Paper Factory, out near the airport, is Hidden Door’s most ambitious project yet, and quite possibly it’s final resting place, and why not? This architectural maze is a sprawling series of wide-open spaces, culminating in the cathedral grandeur of The Crane Shed where you have to break your neck to see the ceiling. The Factory Floor is open plan on a vast scale and will take your breath away. Grimy, grungy and littered with looming hulks of dead machines, illuminated from within by carefully placed coloured LEDs, this is a steam punk’s fever dream come to life. Hidden Door is the Capital’s five-day yearly arts and music festival, known for transforming unique often overlooked spaces i...

7Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Lear – Traverse Theatre

Shakespeare’s infamous tragedy is significantly thinned down and reinterpreted into a one hour wordless anti-war allegory by Ramesh Meyyappan, but retains a raw power and delicate beauty and some rather unexpected humour that make it a thoroughly watchable and thought provoking addition to the Lear genre. This Lear has a worldly feel and international backing, a production by Glasgow based Raw Material in association with National Theatre for Scotland and Singapore National Festival of Arts, it looks made to tour extensively. In the hands of writer and performer Meyyappan and acclaimed director Orla O’Loughlin, we see and feel the effects of war on a father returning from the battlefield and his three daughters. The returning king of the household is welcomed with initial relief and ...

1Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Macbeth – Traquair House Gardens

Shakespeare at Traquair has become something of an institution, this year marking the 30th anniversary for the talented troupe of amateur actors and volunteers who bring a different bard play to life each year. This is the third outing of ‘the Scottish Play’, performed promenade style in the grounds of the ancient building, claimed to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. Each scene is set in a different location in the grounds; amongst towering trees, against giant billowing rhododendrons, on great lawns and ancient cobbled stable yards and in one particularly effective scene, amongst the twisted limbs of a yew tree clearing as daylight dwindled. Add to this, the weird soundscape of electronica, grinding gears or static fuzz, or banging doors from carefully placed speaker...

The Ultimate Classic Rock Show – Festival Theatre

27May

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Ultimate Classic Rock Show – Festival Theatre

UCRS are becoming something of an institution, celebrating twenty years of rocking on stage this year. Original band members Luke Bradshaw (Lead Guitar) and Gareth Kedward (Keyboards) are still going strong and showing no signs of slacking in this high tempo run through some of the most iconic rock tracks of the last few decades of the twentieth century. Bradshaw guitar work is simply wonderful, and without doubt some of the best I have seen for many a year! An enthusiastic audience at Edinburgh’s Festival theatre were on board from the very first note as lead man Rory Bridgeman launched into Freddie’s, One Vision, quickly followed by Coverdale’s, Fool For Your Loving. A cracking start! The quality of the vocals and musical accompaniment point towards a well-oiled and well drilled ma...

24May

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Mama’s Broke – Traverse Theatre Bar

Kicking off their first show in a five week tour of the UK, the Bar at Traverse Theatre proved an ideal intimate setting for a spell-binding performance by Canadian Folk duo, Mamma’s Broke, which had everyone leaning in and, at times, tapping along. Hailing from Nova Scotia, Edinburgh has been a regular destination for the pair, since their first Edinburgh Fringe foray eleven years ago, where they resorted to busking on the streets to survive. They have come a long way since then. Known for their haunting harmonies and genre-defying compositions, the 30-something pair served up a beautiful mixture of songs from their previous two albums, Count The Wicked (2017) and Narrow Line (2022), along with some new material heading into the recording studio later this year. The venue’s simpl...