Kathleen Mansfield, Author at North West End UK

My Last Two Brain Cells – Underbelly Cowgate

8Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

My Last Two Brain Cells – Underbelly Cowgate

Joe Pike, Tom Hazleden and Hannah Tudge, all graduates of Fourth Monkey Drama School, Finsbury Park, return with My Last Two Brain Cells after their run-away success at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe, where Chortle rated them the seventh highest comedy show of the Festival. “It’s a whacky, zany, chaotic hour of madness,” to quote Pike. The protagonists are the last two brain cells of a dying man called Gary Kane. In an effort to save him, the pair try all sorts of crazy shenanigans, drawing in the audience to help them. It is Hysterical. This is theatre of the absurd for the twenty-first century. And it has sold out for three of its five shows so far. Inspired by the pressure to develop a scratch play for their finals and the ever-popular humour of Sponge-Bob Square Pants, Pike ...

Lies where It Falls – Quaker Meeting House

5Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Lies where It Falls – Quaker Meeting House

Written and performed by Ruairi Conaghan, Lies Where it Falls is heartfelt and full of love. Conaghan (an ensemble actor with major shows such as Downton Abbey under his belt) takes us on an autobiographical, topical and socially important journey through the impact of growing up in Derry. It explores the lasting personal reverberations of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. And not in a Derry Girls kind of way. Conaghan’s uncle, the Catholic Judge Rory Conaghan, was shot and killed by the IRA as he held his young daughter’s hand on his own doorstep in 1974. Conaghan was just eight at the time. And, sure, everyone gets on with life as best they can under the circumstances. When Conaghan later took flight from Northern Ireland to study drama in Liverpool, he thought he’d escaped. Bu...

Frankenstein (On a Budget) – Pleasance Dome (Jack Dome)

5Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Frankenstein (On a Budget) – Pleasance Dome (Jack Dome)

Lamphouse Theatre returns to Edinburgh with a variation on its winning theme. Frankenstein (On a Budget) follows hot on the heels of their highly successful War of the Worlds (On a Budget). As the title suggests, there’s no fancy set or fancy props or even fancy costumes. What you will find is oodles of creativity and playfulness galore. Tom Fox and Becky Owen-Fisher clearly enjoy their work and their enthusiasm and silliness transfers to the audience whose shoulders shake with laughter. It is a very happy hour of nonsense with a Becky-fan or two in the audience. Fox is our performer, Owen-Fisher the narrator. The show involves a lot of costume changes at speed and more than a handful of home-made props. Fortunately, Fox is multi-talented and can sing and do voices with ease. Owen-Fi...

5Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Carmen – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Bizet’s Carmen was first performed on March 3rd, 1875 at the Opéra-Comique, Paris. Now the very same company brings a modern, super-sensual version to Edinburgh from 4th – 8th August, co-produced by Opernhaus Zürich. On Opening Night in 1875, several morning papers published vitriolic letters. One claimed: "Carmen presents most unsavory characters, in such bad taste that the work might very well be ill-advised." Yet, go ahead it did, to healthy box office takings. Bizet, unfortunately, died of a heart attack at the very moment the curtain fell on the 32nd performance on June 3, 1875. Soon after it was closed in Paris, but it was soon to be a hit in Vienna and Brussels. When you go to see a world class, flamboyant and colourful opera like Carmen, you expect (and take for granted) that...

3Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Doped – Hill Street Theatre

Debuting at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a brand-new three-hander providing 55-minutes of ultimate Scottish patter. Xander Cowan (Buzz), Keiran Lee-Hamilton (Faolan) and Sam Stuart Fraser (Tinny) invite the audience into the front room for an hour of paranoia, rage and an alternative take on friendship and greed. Written by Sam Stuart Fraser (trained at Glasgow Clyde College and a repeat performer with Reconnect Theatres) and Sean Fullwood, this new perspective on the life of the stoner is hilarious and very Scottish. Fraser tells us: “The story of “Doped” is an idea myself and Sean had for a long time. We show what can happen to young men left on the outskirts of society - left to fend for themselves. Although Doped is a comedy, the emotions and struggles these character...

3Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Legally Blonde – Saint Stephens Theatre

Sound Events Scotland returns to the Fringe for a second year with their successful musical, Legally Blonde. Elle Wood (Taylor Crum, 19) totters her way to authenticity and love as she outsmarts the self-righteous Harvard elite and her ex-boyfriend, Warner (Aaron Hastings), in a high-octane, chirpy tale of a girl coming into her power through her wits and not her tits. Crum is currently in her third year of musical theatre at Hamilton Theatre Arts, Glasgow. She sings and dances, balancing effortlessly on six-inch stilettoes. She has more to offer and will be a fully rounded professional performer when she finds her ultimate groove and dives deep into characterisation. Musical Theatre is a demanding genre, if you can crack the full spectrum and include detailed characterisation, the ...

Eric’s Tales of the Sea: A Submariner’s Yarn – Just The Tonic at The Caves

3Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Eric’s Tales of the Sea: A Submariner’s Yarn – Just The Tonic at The Caves

Eric, a veteran storyteller, began his career as a submarine sailor at the age of sixteen. As you would expect if you’ve ever read The Tale of the Ancient Mariner at school, Eric has a few tall tales to tell. Dressed in a roll-neck sweater, he looks every bit the fisherman and, indeed, he can make even battered fish interesting. The venue is perfect for this low-key show. You walk up stark stairs, along narrow corridors and through several doors before entering a dark, dank, enclosed cavern with a curved roof. The sound effect of a deeply submerged submarine envelops you in sonar pings and silence. A screen where typed statements magically greet you sets the scene. It is intriguing. Eric appears. A mop of curls crowning a cheeky, bearded face, Eric has a way with the audience. He...

27Jun

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Life of Pi – Festival Theatre

Life of Pi at Edinburgh's Festival Theatre is a treat for the senses. Based on Yann Martel's novel of the same name, the action commences in a bleak, bare hospital ward where Pi (Sonya Venugopal) is hiding under the bed. The clever use of projection (Andrzej Goulding) and sound effects (Carolyn Downing) indicate time and place. It is set pre-computerisation, so letters appear on the wall as if from a typewriter with suitable tap, tap, tap reverberations. As soon as recollections flood the stage, this grey, sterile room transforms seamlessly into a verdant, noisy zoo in India; a colourful Bazaar; and a ship’s deck without effort - as if by magic. Before you know it, the transformation has happened: we are adrift upon an ocean with no land in sight and several dangerous animals for compa...

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – Edinburgh Playhouse

29May

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – Edinburgh Playhouse

An amazing spectacle and upbeat tunes (plus the most expensive prop in British theatre history), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, sweeps you along for a few hours of happy distraction with ease and admiration. The lighting, designed by Ben Cracknell and implemented by Ryan Van Delden and deputy head of lighting, Sophie Meredith, is a work of perfection. Gareth Tucker’s set design works seamlessly under the management of Phil Sykes, Lee Harvey and Natasha Wood. The ever-present picture frame and blueprints create a sense of fantasy, innovation and endless possibility. And whatever team designed and created that flying car … not Caractacus Potts himself, I assume … hats off to you. Thanks must go to Kielan Yates and Ellie Holloway for enabling this amazing star in its own right, night after...

Peebles Orchestra – The Leckie Memorial Church, Peebles

20May

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Peebles Orchestra – The Leckie Memorial Church, Peebles

Until recently, the Scottish Borders was the only region in Europe without a rail service. I wonder if this lack of transport infrastructure led to a necessary blossoming of home-grown talent of exceptional quality. Peebles Orchestra, formed in 1976, plays a key role in the town's cultural life. Teamwork is found not just on the rugby pitch in the Borders. This collection of enthusiasts prove that talent has no bounds and a job outside of your musical passion is no obstacle to a desire for excellence. The Orchestra is fortunate to attract such prestigious names as Robert Dick to conduct. Dick’s international reputation has taken him around the globe and seen him collaborate with such distinguished soloists as Nicola Benedetti, Steven Isserlis, Anna-Liise Bezrodny and Murray McLachlan...