Joe Lang, Author at North West End UK

28Aug

By Joe LangNo Comments

Scotland

Chameleon – Greenside @ George Street

This minimalist one-man drama traps the audience within the four walls of a psychiatric hospital room and forces you to confront the inner workings of Delaney’s mind. First of all, I want to give Ruben Sparks all the praise for diving headfirst into such an emotionally demanding role. The character of Delaney, who we follow throughout, opens up about his past while switching between a multitude of personalities, all demanding a high quality of physical vitality from Ruben. The switching between characters definitely pays off, as it not only provides great context for his life throughout the show, but you also just can’t help but fall into a trance-like state when watching. Ruben takes advantage of the small space in relation to his physical movements to create an almost animalistic ...

23Aug

By Joe LangNo Comments

Scotland

Fish – Greenside @ George Street

FISH is far more than you might expect from a show promoted as a one-woman clown performance. Without giving too much away, what starts as a flawless piece of slapstick comedy evolves into a question about the human experience, leaving you feeling more connected and hopeful than ever. Funmi gives a sensational performance as a humanoid fish-clown woman who is both enamoured by humanity and seemingly exhausted by it - quite a reflection of how we all feel, I must add. The first 40 minutes are filled with non-stop laughs; Funmi certainly knows how to interact with the audience and is extremely skilled at creating moments that keep you enthralled in both the madness and genius of the comedy. Each second will have you anticipating what direction she’ll take the performance next, creatin...

Best Worst Advice – Greenside @ George Street

19Aug

By Joe LangNo Comments

Scotland

Best Worst Advice – Greenside @ George Street

"Best Worst Advice" is a show bursting at the seams with vitality and connection, as the three performers integrate the audience's questions into their flowing and dynamic dance routines. All my praise goes to Erin Tracy, Anne Gehman, and Emily Aust, who brought their absolute all to this performance and helped the show glide along as seamlessly as it possibly could. With the nature of this performance relying so heavily on audience participation, there’s always the doubt that perhaps the show will only be as good as the group watching. However, even with a not-all-that-enthusiastic crowd, each one of the three women was still able to grab hold of the moment and construct the 50 minutes into something memorable. For example, the show I went to see had two strangers in the audience b...

AI: Save Our Souls – Greenside at George Street

18Aug

By Joe LangNo Comments

Scotland

AI: Save Our Souls – Greenside at George Street

With all the current fears surrounding artificial intelligence, it was certainly refreshing to see an inventively lighthearted and fun take on the impending doom that many of us feel is either here or on its way regarding the state of A.I. Whilst not offering a truly prophetic insight into what may become of it in relation to humanity, it certainly scratches the surface of this topic and does so while providing nonstop laughs and catchy songs directed by Victoria Klipova. The cast all brought a unique energy to this piece and constructed their characters in almost cartoonish ways, helping the performances stick in your mind long after watching it. Major props go to the protagonist Steve, played by Patrick Kelly, who had a great leading man quality and perfectly bounced off the rest ...

15Aug

By Joe LangNo Comments

Scotland

20/20 – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

20/20 tackles the timeless tale of Orpheus and Eurydice with a modern twist, taking place in 2020 with Orpheus falling in love with a reincarnated version of Eurydice. This baseline for the plot had much potential, as the Greek tale is still ripe with thematic relevance, as seen by the recent smash hit ‘Hadestown’. However, it saddens me to say that this needed a lot more re-drafts and a more focused understanding of the tone before being executed on a stage. I truly admire the passion and dedication poured into this show, as you can see it reflected on stage through each actor's performance. The lead actors of Orpheus and Eurydice are very charming, and if given stronger material, they could have shown off their talents in a much more effective way. The material itself bounces from...

Do Astronauts Masturbate in Space? – Greenside @ Riddles Court 45

14Aug

By Joe LangNo Comments

Scotland

Do Astronauts Masturbate in Space? – Greenside @ Riddles Court 45

This show masterfully blends a dark, dystopian setting with grounded comedy and cutting drama, creating a powerful commentary on modern Britain and its uncertain future, performed by a minimalist three-actor cast. Written by and starring the talented Briony Martha and Zach Reay-Barry, the two bring layers of comedic authenticity and a raw emotional honesty to the stage. Lily and Gareth, the only characters visually present throughout the show, appear to be a happy and content couple at first. However, The Parental Act Law forces them on a journey that makes them question every aspect of themselves and their relationship. This unravelling of their psyche and dynamics is the driving force of what’s so great and intimate about this performance. You really grow a closeness for the pair,...

10Aug

By Joe LangNo Comments

Scotland

Crocodile Tears – theSpace @ Venue 45

Returning for their third year at the Fringe, Shark Bait Theatre places the audience in the jungle amidst the cast of a reality TV show, which is on the precipice of descending into chaos. Director Ivan Hamshaw Thomas and the cast electrify Jess Ferrier's already hilarious script into a joyride, which doesn’t dwindle in pace when deconstructing the reality behind reality TV. Aside from splicing together elements from many recognisable reality TV shows to form the basis of the premise, the show tackles themes such as surveillance, public perception, and the animosity that forms when faced with the task of survival. The script does an amazing job at balancing all of these themes whilst maintaining a relevant and distinct voice, which is poking holes into the superficiality and stupidi...

3Aug

By Joe LangNo Comments

Scotland

Avenue Q – Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge

Avenue Q takes the squeaky-clean morals championed by Sesame Street and other puppet-driven entertainment from our childhood and subverts these lessons through a 21st-century lens, resulting in a satirical insight into the unspoken truths one only comes to learn when embracing adulthood. Although knowing about all of the praise and success it received when premiering in 2003, I went into this with the hindsight that it was written in a bygone era when humour could cut into topics much more outright than mainstream comedy allows today. Nevertheless, I was surprised by how the majority of the jokes still hold up, as the vulgar and pessimistic style of writing, performed with the optimism and gleefulness of the muppets, never failed to enhance the absurdity of the premise. Yet, there a...