REVIEWS Archives - Page 158 of 548

20Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

A History of Paper – Traverse Theatre

World Premier Set in a different time, on the eve of the millennium, before the dawn of the paperless office, Oliver Emanuel’s, A History of Paper, started life as a radio drama. Then in 2016, song writer and composer Gareth Williams contacted the playwright to suggest that it might make a ‘good musical’. Tragically, Emanuel passed away from brain cancer in December 2023, aged just 43, so sadly never got to see the finished product. Which is a real shame, because it is a sweet thing. Emma Mullen, and Christopher Jordan-Marshall play journalist and would-be writer as an unnamed couple who sing their relationship into existence. Whilst he is a hoarder of paper memories, she couldn’t care less. He has a boxful of tickets and lists and menus and plane tickets, and a half finish...

Suhani Shah: Spellbound 2.0: Underbelly Bristo Square

20Aug

By Saira KunjuvalappilNo Comments

Scotland

Suhani Shah: Spellbound 2.0: Underbelly Bristo Square

Spellbound 2.0: Suhani Shah's Astonishing Mind-Reading Mastery What can I say about this show? Suhani Shah, the world’s most subscribed mentalist, delivers an experience that truly lives up to her reputation. Going into the show, I was sceptical about how anyone could possibly achieve what she does, but by the end, I was utterly convinced and utterly amazed. Spellbound 2.0 is not just a performance; it’s an interactive journey into the seemingly impossible. Suhani’s ability to guess what people are thinking, down to their exact thoughts and even their date of birth, left the audience in awe. The entire show is a testament to her incredible skill in mentalism, blending psychological insight with showmanship. One of the most astonishing aspects of the show was the level of audie...

20Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Piskie – Summerhall, Edinburgh

One of my favourite posters of this years’ Fringe, and a one word title that hints at something….interesting. Couple this with one of my fav performance spaces, a little hidden gem of a venue, a beautifully proportioned theatre, just ten seats wide with a central aisle, focused but friendly, raking back into the darkness, a surprisingly long way…. And at the business end a very nice performance area, about an acre of black cloth enfolds it and damps voices down to a pleasant whisper, but with plenty of tech if you need amplification. Basically, a black box in which magic can happen. Lights duly killed, lecturer Ouida Bert (Lucy Roslyn) employs the torch under the chin (it always works!) to relate a spooky tale of two male friends, a policeman and a barrister, lost on the moor who ta...

20Aug

By Saira KunjuvalappilNo Comments

Scotland

Best Man – Underbelly Bristo Square

The Best Man, written by Mikey Fleming and Colman Hayes, and directed by Mikey Fleming, is a masterclass in comedic performance. Before attending, I knew little about the show, but it quickly proved to be a delightful surprise. The blend of acting and comedy was spot-on, and Colman Hayes, who performed solo, delivered a hilarious and engaging experience. The premise of the show is simple yet effective: Hayes plays a 30-year-old, single, and somewhat desperate best man, chosen for his best friend John's wedding to Rebecca. Hayes's character is clueless about what to say in his speech, leading to a series of side-splitting anecdotes and observations. His portrayal of a man grappling with the pressure of delivering a perfect best man speech was both relatable and uproarious. One of ...

The Marriage of Figaro – Festival Theatre

20Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Marriage of Figaro – Festival Theatre

At a lengthy 3 and a half hours, performed in Italian with English subtitles, this was, to be honest, a somewhat daunting proposition. More used to one hour long bite-sized Fringe morsels, an opera definitely requires a long-distance mentality rather than a sprint approach. On reflection, Kirill Serebrenbbnikov’s take on Mozart’s comic opera, The Marriage of Figaro, would have been better as a half-marathon. The joy, humour and accessibility of the first act is worth five stars, but what follows is, frankly, incomprehensible, confused and humourless that seemingly almost forgets that there is an audience, drenching itself in opulence and superficial appearance to the point of self-destruction. The weirdly lavish mirrored art and the butchery of most of the cast in the second act is like...

20Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Conspiracy – Hill Street Theatre

Conspiracy is the story of the 1942 Wannsee Conference, the secret 90 minute-meeting chaired by the SS which put in place the Final Solution, responsible for the deaths of at least 6 million Jews (as well as some other groups). This stage version by Strawmoddie and RFT, a remount of their 2018 production, was adapted from the 2001 TV film of the same name, itself adapting the authentic script taken from the only surviving transcript from the meeting. Following in the steps of the HBO film is no mean feat. Its cast included Colin Firth, David Threlfall, Kenneth Branagh, and Stanley Tucci, the latter two of which won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award respectively. However the point of the story is to put you into the room of the most evil "this could have been an email" ...

20Aug

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

North West

Diary of a Magician – C Arts, C Aquila

In my years on this planet, I have discovered people fall into two categories - those who love magic and those who loathe it. Magic at the Edinburgh festival falls into two categories - vibrant, exciting and interesting and pretty poor. I was delighted to find out this production at C Arts Aquila falls into the former category. It is an intriguing, exciting mix of magic some parts have never been seen before. I've been watching magic for a long time now and I continue to be beguiled and enchanted but there were tricks and turns in this piece, which I've never encountered before, which I'd never known of so was delighted to see. It’s certainly not the best venue at Edinburgh. It’s a rather damp, dark day, but the sun shines as soon as our magician comes onto stage and intrigues us...

Sisyphean Quick Fix – Pleasance Courtyard

20Aug

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

Scotland

Sisyphean Quick Fix – Pleasance Courtyard

Sisyphean Quick Fix is an intriguing, beguiling and enchanting story of addictive and alcoholic father cared for by his two children, Krista and Pip. Bettina Paris play perfectly captures the family rivalry within the group and finely demonstrates the dangers of addiction. Bettina Paris appears as Krista with Tina Rizzo. Both provide impressive and intriguing performances as the family finds its way through the trauma of their predicament. The characters and writing unfold and display something perceptive and intelligent and the production is finely executed and mounted and would certainly would benefit from a substantially larger audience. It’s undoubtedly a funny, comic thought-provoking play about the pressure and impact of alcoholism on a family and the almost insurmountable Sis...

We Forgive You, Patina Pataznik – Gilded Balloon Patter House

19Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

We Forgive You, Patina Pataznik – Gilded Balloon Patter House

Jake (Jake Glanc) and Liv (Olivia McLeod) go to their High School Reunion maybe partly, totally not entirely, because of Patina Pataznik, the popular, totally gorgeous girl from their year who totally ruined their lives by doing one socially embarrassing thing when they were 13. So when they time travel back to that day, it's obvious what they have to do: get a gun and kill Patina Pataznik. While this may seem a camp time-travel horror-comedy, the plot is really a roadmap the show has no issue detouring from for various wacky sketches. While this might seem a waste of a good (albeit more filmic than theatrical) premise, McLeod and Jake's campy delivery and absurd sense of humour (as well as some handy and inventive props, the over-the-top sound and lighting design) keep this a ...

19Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Tartan Tat – theSpace @ Niddry Street

Having gone into this show with a vague idea of the plot, I could have never predicted what was to come. While I knew it was about the employees of a tourist shop in Edinburgh, I did not know it would be the sardonic, LGBTQIA+, pop culture spoof that it was. It is always refreshing to see local theatre in the sea of Fringe, and Shark Bait Theatre executed this piece with an in-touch, tongue-in-cheek attitude that all Scottish folk can resonate with. The writers, Lex Joyce and Isla Campbell, have produced something that is both hilarious yet compelling in today’s political climate. Each character had a strong personality that was communicated well by the cast. The line delivery left me in stitches – the actors played off each other excellently, further addi...