Susan Cohen, Author at North West End UK

Blame It On The Bucky – Reconnect Regal Theatre

7Sep

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

Blame It On The Bucky – Reconnect Regal Theatre

This new play has the potential to become one of Scotland’s classics. It’s advertised as ‘an uproarious comedy’ – that, it most certainly is. It’s billed as ‘a hilarious night’ – oh yes, that’s for sure. However, it’s more – it’s a depiction of family dynamics, of fear and frailty, life and death. The balance between its comedic quirkiness and its unexpected depth is what makes this play so exciting. It affords the great spectacle of farce. Two men, hungover from a night on the ‘rambo juice’, have no memory of what on earth they did with Granny’s corpse when they were on the razz. Well, it must’ve seemed like a good idea at the time … but hurry … the funeral’s fast approaching ... there's a baby on the way … … get a move on … tick tick...

Colin Cloud: Consequences – Underbelly, Bristo Square

19Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

Colin Cloud: Consequences – Underbelly, Bristo Square

Colin Cloud's return to the fringe is something to be celebrated, nay, something to be shouted about. HURRAY! The America's Got Talent Las Vegas hotshot appears in what feels like a gothic setting in the McEwan Hall, the perfect venue for his performance which goes l-a-r-g-e and roves around the audience. Since I last saw Colin (yes, I feel as if I know him from way back when the family and I first saw him on stage) he seems to have become more - more steampunk, more fearless. Och, just more. I'm very aware that there are probably those who don't believe in Colin's mentalist powers. Are these audience members planted? How could he possibly know this? How could he possibly know that? Well, I'm here to tell you that several years ago,...

Tales of Haunted Edinburgh: Echoes From Beyond the Grave – Arthur Conan Doyle Centre

19Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

Tales of Haunted Edinburgh: Echoes From Beyond the Grave – Arthur Conan Doyle Centre

Ewan Irvine is a psychic and paranormal medium, tutor and author. He has hosted ghost hunts of ancient buildings, has had his own radio shows and appeared on TV. He has done spiritual readings across the country and has written books and published articles. Also, I must say here and now that Ewan is known to this reviewer as a very dear friend - full disclosure. I have watched Ewan become a powerful speaker, in recent years. This is not his first foray into the Edinburgh Fringe and I'm certain that it won't be his last. Every year, though he seems to bring something very different to the speaking lectern. This year, he spoke about tales of hauntings, of ghosts, of inexplicable phenomena which are particular to the capital city. And he - almos...

19Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

Caroline Criado Perez – Lyceum Theatre

According to Wikipedia, Perez is a feminist (‘radical feminist, if you don’t mind’), author, journalist and activist. What Wiki doesn’t mention is that Perez is also an extraordinary speaker, a punchy communicator. Fuelled by fire, she leans over the lectern and looks the audience right in the eye as she delivers so much content that she couldn’t fail to have made points which were new and surprising, even to the most aware of audience members. Perez was firing on all cylinders in this talk – from the quotation of shocking statistics on female under-representation in popular culture to the unrecognized contribution of unpaid female labour to the national economy, from the gender data gap to the lack of respect and recognition of women who choose moth...

11Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

At Least I’m Not Bald – C Arts, C alto

This is a show by the Ukrainian writer-performer, Valery Reva and it really is quite a show, delivered with considerable force, with real impact. Reva tells her own real life story by the use of a complex, beautifully written narrative, accompanied by subtle, effective sound and the unusually creative use of simple props. She begins to open up about her experience in an understated, matter-of-fact way – should she choose to pay exorbitant dental fees in London or travel 28 hours home to war torn Ukraine to have her teeth tended there? For her, it was a no brainer. She made the decision to undertake the long journey and ultimately headed to downtown Kiev where, after reuniting and partying with friends before having dental treatment, a routine health ...

7Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

Girlhood – Greenside @ Riddles Court

Over the course of a New Year’s Eve, this play portrays how three women confront their ideas and perceptions of motherhood and shows how their relationships with their mothers have defined most of their lives. With sharp use of dialogue, space and movement, three vignettes unfold on stage at the same time and we observe how an unrealistic obsession with a perfect future contrasts with an unplanned single pregnancy and a resistance to being pressurised into motherhood. Tiegan Byrne, a new playwright, has created a complex play here which touches upon manipulation and vulnerability, fear and expectation and raises that all-important question, why do we women feel the way we do? Her answer is clear – we are the daughters of our mothers. Or is it that strai...

I’d Like A Job Please – Paradise at the Vault

6Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

I’d Like A Job Please – Paradise at the Vault

This show follows Sarah Snelson, a recent graduate looking for her first ‘real’ job. Rejected at interview for the position of barista (‘it’s coffee, how hard can it be?’), she teeters on the edge of being drawn into a scam - a wellness cult - by an immediate offer of a ‘job’ (‘you only make money if you sell’ … ‘just read from the script’ … ‘absolutely, it’s all backed by science’ …). She's bombarded with misinformation and prejudice from what sometimes seems like every angle, including a misogynistic get-rich-quick podcast. From the off, it becomes obvious that this is no ordinary comedy sketch show for although it definitely delivers the laughs, it’s also cleverly woven into a coherent, often surprising and thought provoking narrative. Accompanied by live key...

I Am Yours Sincerely – The Space Triplex

6Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

I Am Yours Sincerely – The Space Triplex

It’s quite something when you’re lucky enough to come across that kind of theatrical magic which happens only once in a while – that thing where the audience gets lost in the performance and the story just starts to sing. And what a story! Ed Saunders-Lee is the writer and performer of the life story of his step-grandfather, First Lieutenant John Cox, a member of the Special Operations Executive who was parachuted behind enemy lines in France and Burma during WWII. In this single hander, Saunders-Lee manages to convey a sense of the passage of time and with it, a battled hardened growth of experience – from naïve young student to war hero who witnesses the horrors of war, with all its complexities. The performance takes place in an intimate space in the round, wi...

Phil Hammond and Dame Clare Gerada: Fifty Minutes to Save the NHS – The Space @ Surgeons’ Hall

5Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

Phil Hammond and Dame Clare Gerada: Fifty Minutes to Save the NHS – The Space @ Surgeons’ Hall

Well, this is a show that achieved the impossible! I still can’t quite figure out how discussions of subjects such as assisted dying and addiction seriously informed and engaged the audience, whilst making them properly belly laugh time and time again. This show is an impressive piece of work. No doubt about it. The fast paced banter and sparky chemistry between these two eminent doctors – unmistakably authentic, evidently passionate – was right up there with Morecambe (Phil Hammond, step forward) and Wise (Clare Gerada, you played the straight woman as easy as breathing). The well prepared method of delivery also allowed the voices of fellow members of the NHS to be heard – some serious, some hilarious, some outrageous, all raw, moving and honest. ...

A Show About Tomorrow – Paradise in Augustines

5Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

A Show About Tomorrow – Paradise in Augustines

What happens when a 21st birthday party is interrupted by a Breaking News bulletin that the world is about to end? A lot, it turns out! This is a musical telling a story at breakneck speed, oscillating between impressive ensemble vocal harmony pieces (most definitely the cast pulling together at their best), dramatic vignettes and showcases of individual vocal talents. Everything was thrown at the audience during the performance but in truth, possibly a little less would have offered much more. Undoubtedly, this young company is just bursting with energy and talent. Their chemistry is evident and at times, moving. However, just because you can do everything possibly doesn’t mean that you should. Still, the twist at the beginning of ...