Kat Clifford, Author at North West End UK

25Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Plague – theSpaceTriplex

Plague is a tongue in cheek, silly and somewhat bizarre dive into one of the darkest parts of history. The show jumps between a fuddy-duddy professor, a doctor and a Yorkshire farmer, in the modern day, explaining some of the science and history of the plague and a historic telling of the fictional village of Bogsfield set in the 1300’s. It was quite an interesting way to tell the story and helped to break up the more morbid pieces of the historic parts. The songs were nicely composed and very well performed, and this show was really all about the big chorus pieces which the large cast pulled off with skill and mastery. The composition of ‘Dance for God’ both musically and visually were very cohesive and I appreciated the symbolism of the priest commanding his desperate floc...

Absurd: A Live Cabaret Panel Show – PBH’s Free Fringe @ Roti

24Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Absurd: A Live Cabaret Panel Show – PBH’s Free Fringe @ Roti

Absurd: A Live Cabaret Show was good, old-fashioned, silly fun! The show sprang into action right out of the gate and began with a good helping of audience participation! There were plenty of lighthearted, good humoured jokes about finding high quality cabaret in the basement of a restaurant. This variety show was an upbeat romp through a wide variety of acts. We had magic, stand- up comedy, sketches and singing (sort of) all loosely held together by the semblance of a TV panel show. There were heaps of audience participation with games and gentle ribbing of those chosen for various antics. The acts were random and varied either the standouts were Nira Tal who was a very funny lady and Aaron Jones was very enjoyable to watch with his mix of humour, jokes and magic and of course hi...

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch – Underbelly, George Square

21Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch – Underbelly, George Square

Can I give this show 6 stars?! Unfortunate is a phenomenal, intelligent, filthy, satirical extravaganza! Every part of this camp, queer, raunchy retelling of the little mermaid from the perspective of Ursula, the sea witch, was on point. The cast were an extremely gifted group of individuals. Ursula, played in this performance by Robyn Grant, was absolutely magnetic and had a voice that was pure electricity. Nearly the entire cast played multiple characters and their portrayals were so unique and different it really felt like watching an entirely different person each change. This is an extremely talented group of performers who have honed their craft to near flawless. The duets between Triton (George Whitty) and Ursula were exhilarating and every song in the show was performed wi...

Murder, She Didn’t Write – Pleasance Courtyard

19Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Murder, She Didn’t Write – Pleasance Courtyard

Murder, She Didn’t Write is a quick, funny and well presented production. In this improvised show no one, not even the cast, knows what journey they will end up taking the audience on. I was struck immediately by the quality and careful design of the set, and I very much enjoyed that even as the audience were filing into the room we had our detective working on his notes and a pianist playing us in, it really set the scene and put you in right frame of mind for a murder mystery extravaganza. The show kicks off with some audience participation as one of the audience is chosen to help the detective in the investigation. The setting and the mystery are then set by the audience. The detective, played by Stephen Clements, had some great quips and jokes right off the bat, building up the e...

Comedy Night at the Museum – Gilded Balloon

19Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Comedy Night at the Museum – Gilded Balloon

Comedy Night at the Museum is a hilarious illuminating romp through a litany of exhibits at the National Museum of Scotland. We were guided through this adventure by a smart and witty host. There was some audience interaction and some sharp jokes right from the offset. The host invited a group of ‘professors‘ in the form of a variety of stand-up comedians to come on stage and review slides of museum exhibits and give their ‘academic’, ‘professional’ and …entirely incorrect opinions and interpretations of items from the museum leading to some absolutely absurd, side splitting, hysterical tangents and some bizarre outcomes. The narrative was pushed forward by some intellectual questioning from our host which only served to make these explanations become ever stranger and more ludicrou...

Rachel Fairburn: Can I be Awful? – Monkey Barrel Comedy

16Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Rachel Fairburn: Can I be Awful? – Monkey Barrel Comedy

Can I be awful? is hilarious. This is quick, sharp, biting comedy at its finest. Rachel Fairburn has artfully crafted an absolute laugh- riot of a show. I can honestly say I don’t remember laughing this much at a comedy show, period. She skilfully leads us through a well-timed, laugh a minute, adventure that pokes fun where it belongs. The show has a strong theme of class disparity and attitudes and stereotypes towards working class people. Rachel Fairburn has a savagely funny sense of humour and healthy dose of dark, crude, and near the mark banter. The show was presented in conversational and chatty manner that put the audience at ease. This is a comfortable and confident comedian who knows how to build a story in layers. There were some hilarious impressions of trust -fund ...

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Home Truths – Monkey Barrel Comedy

16Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Home Truths – Monkey Barrel Comedy

This is a funny, relatable, current and well crafted show. Kiri Pritchard- McLean is a master of blending self-deprecating humour, near the mark jokes and honesty to take the audience on a side splitting journey. Right out of the gate she bounced off the energy from the audience with quick wit and funny comments. Aside from the adept and confident comedy this Welsh comedian gave us an education. This show felt like a breath of fresh air with some genuinely thought provoking moments. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes in and talk about hard - hitting and uncomfortable topics, highlighting the fact that the venue had only employed white acts for the festival and bringing white privilege and anti-racism to the forefront of people’s minds where it needs to...

Making a Murderer: The Musical – Underbelly, Bristo Square

9Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Making a Murderer: The Musical – Underbelly, Bristo Square

Making a Murderer: The Musical is a beautifully crafted, tongue in cheek, satirical show that at its beating heart has a message of hope and social justice. From the opening I was hooked, Emma Norman was fantastic as Betsy the tour guide, we begin with a song that sets the scene and tempo for the whole show. The lyrics are smart and satirical poking fun at the American small town mentality and the discrimination that goes along with that. The casting is so on point and the ensemble of characters, and their portrayals is phenomenal, this is a talented set of performers! The show really highlights the incompetence of the police force in regard to the case in beautifully tongue in cheek chorus number. The set is simple yet sleek and stylish and the use of multiple media ...

Drag Queens Vs Zombies – Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose

9Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Drag Queens Vs Zombies – Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose

A dragtastic, B - movie, comedy, schlock horror romp with a twist of cabaret! Kate Butch and Crudi Dench skilfully and hilariously take the audience on a ridiculous adventure through a queer pop culture, so- bad- it’s- good, zombie extravaganza. With quick fire jokes right out of the gate and some impressive vocal stylings this show has it all - stand up, audience participation, prop comedy, lip sinking, singing and more. Drag Queens vs Zombies embraces traditional “Carry On “style British comedy and plenty of nostalgia but adds a sharp modern update and a biting edge. Whether you're a seasoned drag fan or if this is your first foray into the drag scene, you will find yourself in safe hands as these queens expertly guide you through this hysterical journey. As a B- movie cult h...

9Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Flesh – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

Flesh is a campy, fun jaunt through some of the darker side of Edinburgh’s history! This tale starts at the point of Burke and Hare are arrested for the Westport murders before we travel back in time and follow them on their whirlwind killing spree. Both Jeremy Fraser and Roddy Macleod did an excellent characterization of the infamous killers, and the supporting cast were fantastic! I personally highly enjoyed Anna Scott as Mag, she did a great job at portraying the kind of character you love to hate, and Alison Henry as Nell had a fantastic voice. Frank Burr was a delight in the role of Dr Knox. The costumes were well made and added to selling the look and feel of the piece. The big chorus songs were a highlight of the show, and the composition was upbeat, catchy and well perform...