Louise Balaguer, Author at North West End UK

5May

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

Scotland

Swan Lake – Festival Theatre

David Dawson, who has created this new interpretation for Scottish Ballet, sees Swan Lake as the dance equivalent of the Mona Lisa’. This statement from the souvenir programme is one that stood out to me – it speaks to the monument of ballet that Swan Lake is. But unlike the Mona Lisa, it presents the advantage of being a form of art that is live, constantly in motion, with endless possibilities of reinterpretation. With the aim of creating a show for a modern audience, Dawson stripped back the layers of the story to reach its essence: passion and betrayed trust. There are no elaborate palace and lakeside decors, or costumes adorned with tutus. The costumes, designed by Yumiko Takeshima, are for simplicity, elegancy, and showing off the physicality of the dance. No Baron von Rothbart ei...

Dada Masilo’s The Sacrifice – Festival Theatre

11Mar

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

Scotland

Dada Masilo’s The Sacrifice – Festival Theatre

Award-winning South African choreographer Dada Masilo has embarked on a UK tour of The Sacrifice, and it is not one that you want to miss – with its last date in Newcastle on 12th April 2023, it will fly by as quickly as this performance did. Revisiting Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and inspired by Pina Bausch’s performance of the same name, the amount of influences that Dada draws upon make for a deeply compelling piece of storytelling: with a mixture of classical and contemporary dance forms, and drawing on her own cultural heritage, incorporating ‘Tswana’, the traditional dance of Botswana, into the movement, The Sacrifice is a beautiful piece about ritual, sacrifice, and healing. Featuring its own original score, performed live on stage (with the spellbinding voice of Ann ...

Love Beyond (Act of Remembrance) – Traverse Theatre

12Feb

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

Scotland

Love Beyond (Act of Remembrance) – Traverse Theatre

Love Beyond is a moving and deeply poetic piece of theatre. Part of MANIPULATE Festival 2023, and presented by Raw Material and Vanishing Point, the two performances at the Traverse Theatre on Friday 10th February and Saturday 11th February mark its UK Premiere. And what a successful premiere it was. With a sold-out performance and bustling bar filled with excitement both before and after the show, the awe felt by the audience was palpable. Written by Glasgow-based Singaporean theatre maker Ramesh Meyyappan and directed by Matthew Lenton, the story follows Harry (played by Meyyappan himself), an elderly man with dementia and sign language user, as he moves into a new home, and is subsequently flooded with memories of past times spent with his wife. His first interaction with his carer, ...

Saturday Night Fever – Edinburgh Playhouse

2Nov

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

Scotland

Saturday Night Fever – Edinburgh Playhouse

Adapted from the acclaimed 1977 film of the same title, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ is a show that, regardless of whether you are familiar with the original film or not, will hit you with an urge to dance as soon as you hear the Bee Gees soundtrack, an absolute delight for the ears all the way through. Greeting its audience with a very satisfying opening, sounds of electric guitars echoing loudly as the music smoothly morphs into ‘Stayin’ Alive’, our three Bee Gees singers (Aj Jenks, Drew Ferry and Oliver Thompson, nailing every single one of the songs) are ready to go, a full cast on stage dancing energetically to the classic hit, disco balls turning the theatre into a giant discothèque. Our hero in this colourful Bee Gees infused landscape is Tony Manero, interpreted by Jack Wilcox, a y...

15Aug

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

Scotland

Speed Dial – Pleasance Dome

Vibrant colours, retro telephones and upbeat music, this show screams 70s – and dare I add Scooby Doo, in the best possible way. There is mystery, characters chasing after each other frantically (yet in a wonderfully choreographed manner), riddles, lurking figures and even stage fog, just to add that little extra bit of spookiness. Yes, this show is one that sucks you in from the very beginning. When a university Professor’s daily routine is disturbed by the ominous ringing of telephones following them at every turn, they are plunged into a spiral of puzzles to find their missing daughter. Making up this vibrant comedy-thriller that is Speed Dial, we find, alongside The Professor (Hamish Lloyd Barnes), The Dean (Tullio Campanale), Flora, the daughter (Genevieve Sabherwal), The Groundske...

14Aug

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

Scotland

Mary, Chris, Mars – Summerhall

If you’re in search of a family friendly show this Fringe, or even if you just want to enjoy a heart-warming and playful performance by yourself, look no further – Mary, Chris, Mars has you covered. And if you happen to be a Korean learner, you can take in the delight of experiencing a performance in both Korean and English (with English captioning) – and if you’re not, the same statement still applies. I reckon it only adds to the enjoyment of the play. Part of the Korean Showcase – presented by the Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) – Trunk Theatre Project’s Mary, Chris, Mars (played respectively by Cho Yeeun, Ryu Wonjun, and Park Hyeon) takes us on a colourful journey through space, as Mary and Chris are brought together by chance and spend a rather unusual Christmas Day on Mars. Punc...

13Jun

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

Scotland

Beneath the Surface – Traverse Theatre

Originally halted by lockdown in 2020 before the play had even had its initial run, Beneath the Surface will have had to remain just so for a little while longer. From tonight’s performance, I like to think that the extra lapse of time (and come on, when do you ever get that really?) will have only given the cast and crew the opportunity to hopefully make this show the best it could be. True to its name, the play explores what lurks beneath, what feeds the pressures that young people might feel today. As 5 friends are drawn to venture into a cave as a storm hits them and they are looking for a bit of adventure during the holidays, they find themselves pushed to confront their shadows. You know, those parts of ourselves that we don’t want to dig too deep for and would rather leave buried...

Though This Be Madness – The Studio, Edinburgh

23May

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

North West

Though This Be Madness – The Studio, Edinburgh

Have you ever been welcomed into and auditorium with cushions and soft toys tucked here and there into the seats, bean bags in the front row, and actively encouraged by the ushers to grab hold of any you may like and hold it throughout (or discreetly displace it to a nearby seat if that’s not for you)? No? Well, this was definitely a first for me too – and a welcome one. There I sat, ready to enjoy the show, a small koala bear on my lap, and a lion peering over the seat in front of me. Quite the cosy setting I must say. This is exactly the sort of atmosphere that the stage set reflects: baby toys, blankets, Pilates balls and a range of other items strewn across the stage (maybe messy is a more accurate term than cosy at this point), Skye Loneragan, playing a heavily sleep-deprived mum, ...