Kathleen Mansfield, Author at North West End UK

A Night at the Musicals – Peebles Orchestra

19Nov

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

A Night at the Musicals – Peebles Orchestra

Peebles Orchestra was founded by Claire Garnett, MBE, in 1976. Claire was its guiding spirit for forty-two years before she handed over this tremendous pool of talent to the chair, Chris Dubé. Claire has been fundamental in establishing a solid musical base in Peebles. She founded Peebles Players for people with disabilities and music for dementia in care homes. Her legacy does her proud. A Night at the Musicals was Peebles Orchestra’s latest offering on Saturday evening. Chris Dubé, his hard-working vice-chair, Annelies van den Bogaard and the entire orchestra relished the opportunity to partner with local youth and adult groups: Stardust, InChorus, Nomad Beat, and two gifted young soloists, Gregor Scott, fifteen, and Erika Rae Franssen, seventeen. Conducted by Ross Gunning, this ensem...

15Oct

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

The Seagull – Royal Lyceum

The Seagull is the complete package thanks to James Brining's direction. The casting is perfect; the set sumptuous; the costumes tip-top and the adapted script a true delight. Mike Poulton, the witty script adaptor, praises The Lyceum as “a theatre and a company Chekhov would have loved.” The cast of eleven certainly warm your heart, being consistently strong across the board. There is humour, tenderness, spite and selfishness aplenty. The Seagull offers a study in human folly, with each of us striving for originality and acknowledgement in a world where our relationships and the perspective of “the other” tarnishes and corrupts our pure intentions. The human experience is presented with simplicity. The tragedy of despised love and our willingness to accept crumbs, or nothing at a...

4Jul

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Kismet – Festival Theatre

Kismet means destiny or fate and this premiere of two works, the brand new Gallery of Consequence (Dutch choreographer and director, Emma Evelein) and B.R.I.S.A. (Johan Inger - first performed in 2014 by NDT2) present a thought-provoking and intriguing set. The cacophonous movements portrayed personal insecurities and discomfort alongside our outer masks, our human ingenuity and our propensity to gather tribally. Each set offers a robust, confident and energetic take on modern life within our engineered world. Are we fated to exist overshadowed by computer screens and to find the carpets upon which we walk consume us? It's clever. The creative team for Gallery of Consequence knocks it out of the park. AMIANGELICA’s visuals are key aspects of the narrative as is the lighting (Ryan Jos...

Peebles Orchestra Concert – Peebles Burgh Hall

26May

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Peebles Orchestra Concert – Peebles Burgh Hall

Weber Overture, Preciosa, J. 279 Mozart Minuet in C, K.409 Haydn Piano Concerto No. 11 in D, Hob. XVIII:11 (with guest pianist, Pawel Szulc) Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5 in D, Reformation, Op. 107 This evening, Peebles Orchestra, conducted by the inimitable Robert Dick (“one of the most sensitive and least clichéd conductors I have ever worked with.” - Nicola Benedetti) produced its trademark hum, buzz and bravado to a full house of appreciative music lovers. Robert Dick is an accomplished musician with a plethora of credits to his name and a host of international engagements. He freelances with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Scottish Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Scotland. It is a credit to Peebles Orchestra that he regularly conducts this talente...

Living With the Dead – Augustine United Church, Edinburgh

26Apr

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Living With the Dead – Augustine United Church, Edinburgh

Writer, Cossette Bolt, creates a homage to humanity with this script. The sensitive subject (set in a funeral home where the dead are finally prepared for their send-off) is a tribute to the lives each body recently encompassed. Bolt says: This story exists because tragedy exists. [A] staggering number of lives [are] lost as a result of natural disasters, human disasters, and the pandemic. I recognized the normalcy with which people tossed around numbers of dead in the hundreds and thousands but seemed scandalized by smaller-scale tragedies. A young American, who has completed her post-graduate MFA Acting for Stage and Screen at Napier University, Bolt relishes the Edinburgh vibe and creative flow. Paired with the youthful, Not so Nice! theatre company (headed up by Matthew Attwood) Bol...

Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) – Festival Theatre

23Apr

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) – Festival Theatre

Accomplished Scottish writer, actor and director, Isobel McArthur, has taken the old adage, while the cats away the mice will play and crafted an absolute winner in Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of). It is hilarious and superbly performed by an ensemble of talented actors. Costume changes happen as if Houdini were channeled (or maybe Derren Brown with his clever psychology and hypnotism). Characters leave the stage and re-enter at the speed of light, transformed into a newly minted persona! It is brilliant! It is funny! It is hugely entertaining and modern. Of course, the occasional black-out and the odd bit of glitter ball dancing all elevate the fun, thanks to the lighting designer, Colin Grenfell. The cast can sing, dance and act their socks off and when this is combined with an...

2Apr

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Down The Hatch – Pleasance Theatre

What began as slightly self-conscious soon developed into a showcase of joy for this young collection of enthusiasts. The premise was simple: a tavern with a collection of characters who told their stories through song and dance. It reminded me of Jim Cartwright’s TWO but the stories were somewhat thinner, each tale being bound by the lyrics of a particular song. My favourite was the traditional Irish ballad, Aililiú Na Gamhna, sung by second-year, Lily Hodge. It was pitch-perfect and filled with tender anguish. The blocking enhanced the sentiment of the piece. Ewan Robertson has a fine, sweet voice living within the body of a construction worker - tall, wide and muscular. He concluded the first half with a stunning lift of Elham Khosravipour who seemed anomalous in her belly-dancing...

Spring Serenade Concert with students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – Carlops Village Hall

3Mar

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Spring Serenade Concert with students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – Carlops Village Hall

Oodles of talent poured forth at a humble village hall in the Scottish Borders on Sunday afternoon. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s young talent got themselves organised and created a programme of music which was a delight. Eighteen-year-olds, Maria McMaster (voice) and Lena Błotnicka (Cello) and nineteen-year-olds, Michael Gemmell on piano and Kristie MacKenzie on flute are all first-year students at the Conservatoire. Today’s performances showcased just how they earned their places at this prestigious establishment. They filled the packed hall with beautiful, touching and amusing pieces and they received well-deserved, rapturous applause and many shouts of delight at the end. Gemmell organised this event with his former teacher, accomplished pianist and examiner, Lauren G...

The Makropulos Affair – Festival Theatre

2Mar

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

The Makropulos Affair – Festival Theatre

As ever, Scottish Opera delivers sumptuous sets, great lighting, singers who can act, and a wonderful orchestra that never disappoints, but this English rendition of The Makropulos Affair, by Leoš Janàček jarred my senses with its modern-day, casual lexicon. Words, such as F*ck somehow don’t marry comfortably with the impassioned, heightened music and traditional, elegant, and beautiful costumes. It was, no doubt, a deliberate choice. Creating a grating cacophonous lexicon - the use of brutal Viking words rather than those of Latin derivatives gives the opera an earthy groundedness - and caused me a headache. I wanted to lose my sense of reality for an hour or two. I was denied the option. Single syllables and short sentences (translation by David Pountney) reflect the sheer en...

11Jan

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

The Nutcracker – Festival Theatre

Familiarity, surprise and a sumptuously sparkling set from Lez Brotherston: that’s Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker. It's a wonderful escape on a sub-zero evening. The orchestra is superb and Daniel Parkinson’s musicians deliver Tchaikovsky’s score with aplomb and tenderness in turn. The corp de ballet and the principals effortlessly float and gracefully swirl as if the demanding choreography were simple. The layered, cosy set is like a warm hug. It draws you in and cradles you in its dreamworld. Within this cocoon, enjoy the antics of dizzy old Aunts, the swish of crinoline and the magic of Christmas presents, friends and family before transitioning to Clara’s dreamworld. Photo: Andy Ross Lighting by George Thomson adds greatly. Set, lighting and costumes support and showca...