Kathleen Mansfield, Author at North West End UK

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – The King’s Theatre, Glasgow

14Sep

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – The King’s Theatre, Glasgow

Everything about Beautiful - The Carole King Musical presented by The Curve Production is top notch. The direction (Nikolai Foster) is superb with seamless transitions on a wonderfully apt set (Frankie Bradshaw) and, of course the cast, every one of them, is talented, exuberant and committed. They are multi-talented actors, singers and instrumentalists. This show is full of life. It is joyful from the very start. Carole King’s story is inspiring. Her music, and that of her contemporaries, has stood the test of time. She is one of the most successful solo acts in pop music history and the quality of this production would make her smile, I am sure. Characters mill around on stage, chatting, setting up mics etc while the audience settle down. Click your fingers and the auditorium ...

31Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Rock of Ages – King’s Theatre, Glasgow

“Amazing!” Blondie exclaimed as she dried her hands in the loo at the end of the night, while “It’s a game of two halves,” might have been uttered by the man watching football on his mobile at half-time. What he actually said was: “It’s not great. I’ve seen it before. It must be understudies.” So, there you have it. The first half was rushed and heartless. The diction was unclear. Less than half the audience were clapping along. For an audience-participation-style show that’s not great. The second half, however, brought a smile to my face and roars of appreciation from a very loyal fan-base. The final number was brilliant and had everyone on their feet. If only there had been more of that. If only they’d played to win from the start. The Page Three depiction of females as sex obje...

Horse Country – Assembly George Square Studios

29Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Horse Country – Assembly George Square Studios

Roll up! Roll up! Let’s talk car sales, magic tricks, Piaget, coercion and bedroom slippers. If you like your theatre slick, then Horse Country, directed by Mark Bell and featuring Daniel Llewelyn-Williams and Michael Edwards of Flying Bridge Theatre Company is for you. Fast paced and jam-packed with allusions to well-kent faces, films, songs and writers (Samuel Beckett, Arthur Miller and F.Scott-Fitzgerald come to mind), this ode to The American Dream with all its frailties is crafted for speed and requires quality performers to do it justice. C J Hopkins has written both character, Sam and Bob, with boundless energy and buzz. They spend their time trying not to address the underlying issues of a macho, capitalist society while constantly talking around the issues of oppression, domina...

Black is the Color of my Voice – Pleasance at EICC

8Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Black is the Color of my Voice – Pleasance at EICC

Amazing. Brilliant. Such an expanse of energy. These are some of the comments I heard on leaving the theatre. For myself the rapture began less than one minute in. The hairs, not just on my arms, but on my scalp, stood on end as our protagonist call “Daddy!” Why? I’m not sure. It must have been the emotional intensity. I knew this was going to press buttons and make me bleed. In a good way. Apphia Campbell has a powerful voice: a fitting tribute to Nina Simone, but, more than that, this woman can act. She knows about pace and tension and pathos and immersion. It is a beautiful piece of theatre. Scripted to perfection by Campbell, this is a don't miss piece for lovers of Nina Simone and all theatre goers who admire true commitment and emotional frankness. For me, I knew little of t...

War of the Worlds (On a Budget) – theSpace@Surgeons Hall (Venue No. 53)

7Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

War of the Worlds (On a Budget) – theSpace@Surgeons Hall (Venue No. 53)

Guffaw. Chortle. Grin. Giggle. Take your pick. You are guaranteed to leave this show with a Cheshire Cat smile. Lamphouse Theatre’s Tom Fox and Becky Owen-Fisher bring contagious joy and silliness to HG Wells’ War of the Worlds (on a Budget) with songs, dance and incredibly silly physical theatre… oh, and there are delightful homemade props. The child inside will love this infectious, playful condensed classic. There’s a nod to Monty Python’s screechy voiced, Eric Idle, a plethora of characters and a bucket-load of improvisation jokes. The sense of immediacy on stage leads to an anticipation of anything could happen at any time. The urgency is brilliantly uplifting. I loved the match an action to every phrase sequence. It’s a bread-and-butter improvisation game. Here it’s jam on t...

Age is a Feeling – Anatomy Lecture Theatre Summerhall Festival

6Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Age is a Feeling – Anatomy Lecture Theatre Summerhall Festival

A gem of storytelling and insight. Haley McGee, writer and performer, delivers tenderness, wit and sensitivity to a captivated audience in the Anatomy Lecture Room at Summerhall. It is an apt setting, since she is dissecting our stages of life. The semi-circular auditorium cradles the simple set which is carefully lit (Don Carter-Brennan) to cast soft shadows as you exit pondering the imprint our lives do or do not leave behind us. Age is a Feeling questions the veracity of Time and how our internal clock fights with chronology. Directed by Adam Brace this very personal piece invites the audience to choose which episodes of life to recount, leaving out others, as happens in life. Nobody really knows us is the premise which the set (Zoë Hurwitz) creatively and cleverly represents. The no...

Love Them To Death – Underbelly Cowgate — Big Belly

6Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Love Them To Death – Underbelly Cowgate — Big Belly

What a joy to witness a two-hander of such quality. What an absolute joy to see a serious psychological disorder handled with such pace, such honesty. Exploring parent/child problems could lead to preaching. We could be judgemental. The text could be burdensomely heavy, but Max Dickins’ writing is sharp, well-informed and sprinkled with humour. Its authenticity speaks loud and clear. Claire-Louise Cordwell (School Attendance Officer, Kelly) and Helena Antoniou (Gemma) perform with unwavering conviction from the start. Director, Hannah Eidinow has a clear handle on human foibles and these two actors do her proud. The initial soundscape (Michael Woods) in the black cave of the Big Belly suggests joy, vitality and safe childish play in contrast to the forthcoming tense exchange between ...

6Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Psychodrama – Traverse Theatre

Emily Bruni knocks your socks off in Psychodrama. Playing a talented actor with middling past success who now works in a boutique while taking acting jobs here and there, she finds herself enmeshed in a murder case. Bruni walks us through the events leading up to the incident and what a walk it is! The audience is taken into her confidence. You are genuinely convinced she is telling you personally. This woman can turn on a sixpence: one minute meek and fragile, the next filled with power, dancing carefree and wild. It is awesome to observe and the standing ovation she received is well deserved. Matt Wilkinson’s script requires a fully-rounded performer. It scopes the entire range of personality traits - a palette of such breadth and depth that we hungrily anticipate what comes next. ...