H.S. Baker, Author at North West End UK

The Collie’s Shed – Festival Theatre Studio

15May

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

The Collie’s Shed – Festival Theatre Studio

This short and powerful play has made an appearance on Edinburgh fringe for the last two years. The Collie’s Shed now returns for a tour of Scotland’s central belt during the 40th anniversary year of the 1984 miners’ strike. Written and directed by Shelley Middler, the play focuses on four retired coal miners, all of whom lost their jobs when their colliery, Bilston Glen, closed in the 1980s following a bitter and violent strike which pitted miners against each other and against the police. Eight actors play four characters, with the action switching from 1984 to present day. Some of the striking miners of the time were arrested and imprisoned for their part in the violent acts on the picket line, and the narrative begins with news of a review by the Sco...

3Apr

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

Pretty Woman – Edinburgh Playhouse

Most of us are familiar with the 1989 film of Pretty Woman, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, directed by Garry Marshall. For those that aren’t, the narrative is a simple fairy story – millionaire tycoon Edward, visiting Los Angeles on a business trip, stops in Hollywood Boulevard to ask street walker Vivian for directions to the prestigious Beverly Wilshire hotel. She ends up staying the night. The following day she is told to kit herself out with some high-end fashion using Edward’s credit card and asked to remain for the rest of the week and accompany him on his various social enterprises. So far, so Cinderf***ingrella. Pretty Woman the musical, book by Garry Marshall and J.F. Lawton and music and lyrics by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, is a joyous romp which is about as f...

4Nov

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

All, Here & Now – The Studio, Edinburgh

Unearthed Dance Company perform four dances, produced by Oliver James Anwyl for Dance Horizons, directed and choreographed by Hannah Mason. The company of ten dancers comprised nine females and a solitary male. Book Worms was a delightful piece inspired by Roald Dahl’s Matilda. The dancers appear in childlike costumes of shorts and t-shirts each carrying a book in front of their face, the books being cleverly lit to illuminate the faces. They sit cross legged on the floor and individually address the audience with lines from inspirational and fantastic literature, their faces full of wonder. Of course, they’re dancers, but a little voice work in preparation would not have gone amiss because some could barely be heard. The dancing though, was spot on.&...

Sister Act – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

5Oct

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

Sister Act – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Born from the Whoopie Goldberg film of the same name, this musical is a ballsy, rollicking joyride from start to finish. With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater and book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, Sister Act tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier (Landi Oshinowo), a nightclub singer with dreams of fame, fortune and a white fox fur, who goes into hiding after witnessing a gangster killing in Philadelphia. She enlists the help of her old school friend Steady Eddie Souther (Alfie Parker), a Philly cop, who arranges for her to lie low in a local convent until the trial is over. World weary Mother Superior (Lesley Joseph) is less than happy about this arrangement but puts Deloris in charge of the choir, which certainly needs some knocking into shape. ...

Keepers of the Light – The Studio, Edinburgh

12Sep

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

Keepers of the Light – The Studio, Edinburgh

Written and directed by Izzy Gray this tells the intriguing true story of three lighthouse keepers who disappeared without trace from the Flannan Isle Lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides in 1900. When the boat bringing the relief keepers arrives at the rock eleven days later, the light is out, the clocks have stopped and there is no sign of any of the men. The captain of the relief boat searches in vain, growing ever more disturbed by the eerie emptiness. There is a single oilskin coat left hanging in the mess, seeming to indicate that one of the men left in a hurry. What catastrophe could have happened to cause all three keepers to vanish? A freak wave? Or something more sinister? Today there are no lighthouse keepers, all ...

The Stamping Ground – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

24May

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

The Stamping Ground – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

The Stamping Ground is a musical featuring the songs of Scottish Celtic rock band, Runrig. Although little known outside Scotland, Runrig were a hugely popular group with a passionate and loyal fan base from 1973 to 2018. Although the line-up changed a little over the years, Calum and Rory Macdonald remained the constants, having written all the songs featured in this musical, some of which are sung in Gaelic, the native language of their birthplace, The Isle of Skye. Written by Morna Young and directed by Luke Kernaghan, The Stamping Ground tells the story of Euan (Ali Watt) and Annie (Jenny Hulse) who make a decision to return to their highland home when life in London turns sour, and to give their teenage daughter Fiona (Caitlin Forbes) a safer and healthier life. &...

27Apr

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

The Mousetrap – Edinburgh Playhouse

Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” is most famous for being the longest continually running show in the world. Still being performed in the West End, it is now celebrating its 70th year with this anniversary tour. There is one original cast member still performing to this day! That is the voice of Derek Guyler, playing the radio announcer. Set in the early 1950s at a remote countryside guest house, five guests and the newlywed owners of Monkswell Manor are snowed in, with phone lines out of action and roads closed. Then a detective sergeant arrives on skis, with news that a killer is amongst them. The play was originally written for radio with the title “Three Blind Mice” and the somewhat eerie refrain of that nursery rhyme provides a suitably atmospheric th...

Wish You Were Dead – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

6Apr

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

Wish You Were Dead – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Coming less than a week after the final episode of I.T.V.’s “Grace”, this is a timely outing for a play adapted by Shaun McKenna from the Peter James novel featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. The inspiration for the novel stems from a less than comfortable stay James and his wife experienced at a French chambre d’hote while on holiday in the south of France. However, anyone expecting a gritty thriller with D.S. Grace driving the investigations will be sorely disappointed by this play, which is performed mostly for laughs and is more of a comedy horror than serious murder mystery. As with any detective story, it would be unforgivable to give away the entire plot, (not that there are any real surprises), but the crux of it is that the holidaying Grace, played by G...

<strong>The Snow Queen – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh</strong>

25Nov

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

The Snow Queen – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Always leave ‘em wanting more. That seems to be the philosophy behind Scottish Ballet’s latest production, the fairly short but very sweet production of “The Snow Queen”. A festive show for all the family at just 40 minutes for each of the two acts, with a 25-minute interval, this colourful charming fairy tale is perfectly pitched for all ages to enjoy without the wee ones getting too restless. “The Snow Queen” is a Hans Christian Andersen story on which the film “Frozen” is based, but Scottish Ballet brings the original tale to life with choreography by Christopher Hampson and music by Rimsky-Korsakov played by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra conducted by Jean-Claude Picard. It tells the story of two sisters, the Snow Queen, (Constance Devernay-Laurence) and the Summer ...

Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

24Oct

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Les Ballets Trockadero, or “The Trocks”, is a company of professional male dancers who perform a repertoire of classical ballet, taking both male and female roles to great comic effect. Blokes in tutus dancing en pointe is an amusing concept in itself, but the comedy displayed in the slapstick parody of an art form that sometimes takes itself too seriously is a joy and a chuckle-fest from start to finish. The dancing is excellent; these guys are properly trained disciplined ballet dancers, the spoofs would not be so funny if it were otherwise. A shoulder shrug, a jerk of the head and some wonderfully funny facial expressions enhance the more obvious slapstick in the choreography. The dancers all have ballerina character names, with alter egos such as Colette A...