Jessie Martin, Author at North West End UK

17Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Chef – Traverse Theatre

Once again, The Traverse champions fresh, accessible writing; this time with Sabrina Mahfouz’s one-woman play Chef. Set in a prison kitchen, the head chef walks us through her dream menu with a story to accompany each dish. We see glimpses of the chef’s life and significant events which led up to her arrest; her troubled relationship with her father, the first kitchen she ran, illegal dealings with her seedy ex-boyfriend, living on a boat. While the chef recounts her memories, her second-in-command in the kitchen acts as a BSL interpreter. This immersive style of interpretation was refreshing to see, giving a character to the interpreter - including her rather than seeing her as a distraction. Without the interpreter this play would somehow not be as poignant ...

Scottish Opera: The Strauss Collection – Usher Hall

9Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Scottish Opera: The Strauss Collection – Usher Hall

Delivering once again a powerful and meticulous performance, Scottish Opera presented a collection of Richard Strauss’ finest works at the Usher Hall. Led by musical director Stuart Stratford, we were taken on a journey filled with melodrama and sly wit that still translates to the modern-day audience. To begin the concert we were presented with the Prologue of Ariadne auf Naxos - a surprisingly self-referential piece where we see an opera take place within the opera - very meta (mise en abyme if you’re fancy). Helena Dix takes the role of Prima Donna by storm with sass and self-assurance, reminding us that opera is not all doom and gloom. Hanna Hipp and Rhian Lois made for a dynamic duo, both with a stunning clarity to their voices. The contrasting roles H...

Salomé, Tragedy of the Femme Fatale – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

24Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Salomé, Tragedy of the Femme Fatale – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Harrowing, dark, and honest, this one-woman monologue shows our femme fatale Salomé, giving her confession to a detective who is working on the murder case of Salomé’s husband. Based on Oscar Wilde’s Salome, this piece, performed and produced by Maryam S. Holleman, brings a new light to the classic tale. A beautifully written, thoughtful adaptation, Holleman uses the story to give power and understanding to Salomé – a typically scorned character, who has faced a barrage of misogyny over time is given grace. Holleman’s performance is striking and powerful, including raw subject matter discussing the abuse and turmoil of Salomé’s childhood. With discussion too around the South African apartheid as well as other violence in the countries in which Salomé had l...

21Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Must I Cry – Paradise in Augustines

In this artful production, writer and director Bonni Chan soars over Hong Kong, exploring themes of loss and change in the country through the stories of renowned Hong Kong author Xi Xi. Produced by Theatre Du Pif, this show gives a masterful lesson in how to utilise all forms of artistry to create an immersive, cohesive, dreamscape. With projection, light, sound, and movement, Chen takes us on a moving journey from the fullness of childhood to the emptiness that becomes. The creative team behind this show are true visionaries – for me this was a completely refreshing piece – every element was carefully considered and furthered the story’s metaphor. The poetry which inspired this work absolutely comes alive and flourishes on stage – each aspect was crafted to literall...

21Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Ripper – Hill Street Theatre

Reconnect Theatres brings back its grizzly rock-musical for a second time at the Fringe. Based on the infamous murderer Jack the Ripper, we watch police officer Frederick Abberline (played by Stephen Kerr) tackle the seemingly unsolvable trail of gruesome murders. Right off the bat, I was hit with chills – Kerr’s vocals are astounding - in fact the whole cast’s vocals are astounding - truly a spectacularly talented lot. The rock style was perfectly suited to the two leads. Our ripper is played by Alex Lyne who brings a suave, dogmatic feel to the character – so charming you almost forget he is the villain - or is he?... Being such a small cast, some of the bigger numbers of the musicals are difficult to tackle – with no ensemble to fill the stage certain numbers...

19Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Tartan Tat – theSpace @ Niddry Street

Having gone into this show with a vague idea of the plot, I could have never predicted what was to come. While I knew it was about the employees of a tourist shop in Edinburgh, I did not know it would be the sardonic, LGBTQIA+, pop culture spoof that it was. It is always refreshing to see local theatre in the sea of Fringe, and Shark Bait Theatre executed this piece with an in-touch, tongue-in-cheek attitude that all Scottish folk can resonate with. The writers, Lex Joyce and Isla Campbell, have produced something that is both hilarious yet compelling in today’s political climate. Each character had a strong personality that was communicated well by the cast. The line delivery left me in stitches – the actors played off each other excellently, further addi...

17Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Keep Watching It – theSpace on The Mile

The new, independent company Kestrel Eye Productions brings their psycho-thriller to Edinburgh. With the scene set (it being close to eleven o’clock at night) I creeped my way into the black box theatre. The concept of the play was intriguing – a shunned celebrity scientist presents her latest experiment which she hopes will bring about her acceptance back into society. The experiment being the control of human emotions by taking Matrix-like red and blue pills - the scientist making a human-like, winged creature to test these pills. While in theory this piece could have made some very current and relevant observations and commentaries, it unfortunately missed the mark. It did do as it intended to – we saw the effects the pills had on the creature, but with a ...

Murder at the Fringe – Hill Street Theatre

17Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Murder at the Fringe – Hill Street Theatre

Following up on their first instalment at this year’s Fringe (The Court), Edinburgh Little Theatre brings us another audience-forward crime puzzler. After introducing the murder case, we were given the evidence, suspects, and their testimonies. Having seen the cast perform in The Court it was wonderful to see the dynamic range of every actor – each person’s character was on the completely opposite side of the spectrum compared to their last – even if you had not seen The Court, the conviction of each actor is undeniable. I was particularly impressed by the “floozy” mistress, the bumbling butler, and the seedy financial advisor – all round authenticity. Delivering their alibis in a verbatim-esque style, the audience jotted down notes as each suspect spoke, then late...

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-sort – Greenside @ Riddles Court

14Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-sort – Greenside @ Riddles Court

Written and performed by Jan Carey, Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-sort sees Marion Scott present a biography of her relationship with Ivor Gurney by means of their letters to each other and the music of Gurney. Carey masterfully swings between the voices of both Scott and Gurney, giving us a sense of the eccentric personality of Gurney, and the wistful nature of Scott as she reflects on the pair’s friendship. Despite being Carey’s first piece of writing, this play is a true, heartfelt representation of what theatre should be. The audience are taken on a journey of reminiscence that leaves us with both a hollowness and fullness that only an exceptional show can conjure. With humour and sadness, we are given a glimpse into a beautiful relationship and the themes tha...

The Last Five Years – Paradise in Augustines

14Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

The Last Five Years – Paradise in Augustines

Never Ending Theatre’s latest production sees Ciaran Walshe and Sarah-Louise Donnely star in the two-man show that is The Last Five Years. Now this show is no easy feat to pull off, having only two actors to tell the story over an hour and a half. It takes a great amount of stamina and energy to sustain the audience’s focus and enjoyment for that long but Donnely and Walshe certainly pulled it off, giving an emotional portrayal of Cathy and Jamie’s marriage. Jason Robert Brown notoriously composes scores that leave the musicians tripping over themselves, but this band handled it smoothly with only very minor slip ups. I enjoyed seeing the band be featured on the stage – the level of musical technicality needed for this show is very much worth appreciating.&nb...