REVIEWS Archives - Page 12 of 406

Malvolio’s Fantasy – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

23Aug

By Marcelina KruczyńskaNo Comments

Scotland

Malvolio’s Fantasy – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Malvolio’s Fantasy is a Shakespearian play with a modern twist. This funny, frivolous and energetic script was written by the Zuzabella duo or more precisely Zuza Sołtykowska and Isabella Olsen-Barone. The show was a feast for all the senses. Containing some truly eye catching make-up and hair most (notably Carmen Acoster’s pinktastic look) all these head turning designs were created by Ashley McIntosh. If that wasn’t enough the play contained some originally written music by Claire Wang and Magda Olech. Some other much loved classics were also thrown into the mix, that really managed to hype up and engage the audience even more. The play followed several characters’ stories that were all in one way or another connected to Malvolio. Overall, there was ten actors on stage, this in...

23Aug

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

Lost Soul 2 – Liverpool’s Royal Court

Although the title might make some presume this to be a connected sequel to a show they should watch first, they needn’t worry. I was five when the first Lost Soul took to the same stage in 2007 and so there was no chance of me having any accurate grounds for comparison, but, from what I have read, that show was electric with scouse humour, a laugh-a-minute kind of affair and I took those expectations with me into Lost Soul 2. You’re never far away from a laugh in the Royal Court and this show was no different. Straight away it’s adult content and unapologetic farce gives you a flavour of the rest of the evening and that doesn’t let up, I was pleasantly surprised to see. The comedy was well-balanced and well-timed. Though sometimes predictable, it genuinely had people rolling around ...

23Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Ring That Bell! – theSpace on The Mile

Fallen angels Lucy (Grace Baker) and Bubs (Eleanor Tate) are here to direct you, dead person so in denial you think you might be at a Fringe show, to your assigned circle of Hell, which might be the ring of (actual) fire, the billionaire ball pit, the circle jerk or the cone of shame. But as the presentation unfolds, Lucy and Bubs' mutual resentment bub-bles (geddit) to the surface as they confront their conflicting views on the events of their fall, not to mention the soul that they let turn into goo that they almost definitely shouldn't have. Part of playwright Kira Mason's inspiration for the show was about responding to heteronormative models of paradise and about the focus on punishing and excluding those we categorise as unworthy, and the play definitely has a Miltonian ...

Take Me to Your Leader – theSpace on the Mile

23Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Take Me to Your Leader – theSpace on the Mile

Deep in the basement of Nebula Inc, a team of intrepid astrogeologists spot some weird rock markings on an alien world. Could this be evidence of life beyond our planet – or is it just another hoax? The interns are on strike, and they are torn between fighting for better pay and conditions and researching the discovery of a lifetime. Student Mae (Kikelomo Hassan) isn’t being paid at all, and she is really struggling to make ends meet. Billionaire man-baby Armie (Ewan Little) sends his assistant, the meticulous Johnson (Emily Mahi’ai) to bust the strike by any means necessary. Lex Davies’s script is lighthearted and very funny. It’s packed with references to sci-fi favourites like War of the Worlds and the works of Douglas Adams. The performers have a whale of a time playing the l...

Things Between Heaven and Earth – Underbelly Bristo Square

23Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Things Between Heaven and Earth – Underbelly Bristo Square

Eric (Jun Noh) has changed since May (Marina Hata) last saw him. He’s a successful author, dressed in a snazzy suit at the suggestion of his publisher. His books seem to describe people and events from May and Eric’s real lives, including the death of May’s husband. But does Eric know more about the accident than he is letting on? Billed as a psychological thriller, the staging echoes film noir, with asymmetrical composition and lots of pacing. But this production – which I would describe as a melodrama – takes itself far too seriously. Eric enjoys intellectual discussion, but his philosophical musings distract from the story. I did enjoy Hata’s performance as May, and the references to the Roman Catholic concept of purgatory. The idea has potential, and the visuals provide added...

In Conversation with Gary Younge – The Stand Comedy Club

23Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

In Conversation with Gary Younge – The Stand Comedy Club

This was a fascinating and illuminating hour with Gary Younge, writer and academic, who is an outstanding speaker. Whatever questions were asked by the interviewer or the audience, he answered calmly and lucidly. Young was the Guardian’s US correspondent from 2003-15, then became the paper’s editor-at-large, and is still a regular columnist. He’s an editorial board member of The Nation, and has also written for, amongst others, The Financial Times and The New Statesman. His six books include, most recently, ‘Dispatches from the Diaspora’. He’s made several radio and tv documentaries on subjects ranging from Brexit to equal marriage. His many awards include the Orwell Prize for journalism. And Younge is now a Professor of Sociology at Manchester University. Asked by the inte...

What The F*ck Happened to Love and Hope? – theSpace on the Mile

23Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

What The F*ck Happened to Love and Hope? – theSpace on the Mile

Nina (Olivia McGeachy) is trying to play it cool. She’s on the school bus, finding the courage to ask out a boy she fancies. Finally, she blurts it out, laughing off her nerves with her quirky persona. Nina and Faye (Heidi Steel) are in the classroom, giggling at explicit pictures sent by a boy they know. They’re both sixteen. Faye, a young carer, comes across as self-assured, but she is hiding a world inside. The friends go out clubbing, and the atmosphere is lively as they drink and dance together. Then Nina starts to feel woozy. Her drink has been spiked. Meanwhile, Faye has sex with a boy who removes his condom without her consent. Both girls describe their rapes and the aftermath, still in shock but determined to tell their stories. This is an astonishing debut from ei...

Shakespeare’s Mothello and Other Parodies – theSpace on the Mile

23Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Shakespeare’s Mothello and Other Parodies – theSpace on the Mile

The stars of this hilarious show are sixth-formers from King Edward VI School in Stratford - otherwise known as Shakespeare’s School after its most famous alumnus. The performance, devised by the company, features a series of sketches reimagining Shakespeare’s characters in different situations. Conceited Lady Macbeth (Ella McGovern) is a hot-shot influencer, flogging makeup on You Tube with the assistance of the hapless Macbeth (Eilis Biden). Ophelia (Elizabeth Muldoon) celebrates her one-week dead anniversary, while Hamlet (Cameron Spruce) treats us to a hilarious rendition of his most famous monologue, accompanied by a creepy doll he stole from Macbeth. Romeo (Jay Ballinger) and Juliet (Esme Cornish) take off their rose-tinted glasses and fight about coffee on live TV. Mothell...

23Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Trial By Jury – Paradise at Augustines

Trial By Jury is a wacky 40 minute long operatic musical that centres around a bride being jilted at aisle by her cheating fiancé and the legal battle for compensation. The 1875 Gilbert and Sullivan musical is fast paced, fun and overall bizarre in parts with a twist in the end that had a handful of the audience audibly gasp “wait what?”, although I shall not spoilt it for you. Theatre company Cat Like Tread have produced their own production of the show well, giving us a bonny little cast and some very impressive vocals. Their vocals as a group hold well together and you can easily pickup on each of the individual harmonies without anyone taking over completely. There are some nice visuals throughout as the cast use the entire stage space and have simple but effective choreog...

23Aug

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Scotland

Pippin – Paradise in Augustines

A fantastic trip to the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival concluded for me with the Edinburgh University Footlights production of ‘Pippin’, Stephen Schwartz and Bob Fosse’s groundbreaking 1972 fantasy musical. Unfortunately, this production had none of the soul, wit and energy required to carry the audience, and with a couple of notable exceptions, the performance lacked magic. Pippin’s odyssey of self discovery takes him from naivety to self awareness, watched by the mysterious Leading Player (Gemma Iseka Bekano), controlling the narrative and his development, Bekano gives good value with a strong vocal which is dominant when onstage. Dan Bryant as Pippin looks the part and acted well but is limited vocally and struggles to fully realise the beauty of the score, especially during ‘...