REVIEWS Archives - Page 160 of 548

Sisters Three – Summerhall Anatomy Lecture Theatre

18Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

Scotland

Sisters Three – Summerhall Anatomy Lecture Theatre

TheatreGoose’s Sisters Three is a highly accomplished piece of theatre that takes the audience on an enchanting, funny and often moving journey. The premise is relatively simple; the titular sisters from Chekov’s masterpiece, Irina, Masha and Olaga, are aware that they are in a play (don’t worry you don’t need to have read it). But when Irina wishes for the lives of any other sisters, in any other medium, the three are taken on a whirlwind journey ranging from Greek tragedy and Shakespeare to historical figures and the Sugababes. Writer and director Emma Howlett’s script manages to discuss a range of philosophical and academic questions, including the nature of happiness and freedom, and the place of women within literature, whilst remaining endlessly entertaining. Frequent movement...

18Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

#NoFilter – Greenside @ George Street

Based on real stories gathered from conversations and social media, new musical #NoFilter follows three duos and the effects social media has on their lives and relationships. One pair are friends, Sina (Jamie Douglas-Turner), who runs an OnlyFans, and Ember (Vincenzo Dipasquale), who links us with the next two couples, Pandora (Eva-Marie Blaire) & Candor (Sirus Desnoes), and Savannah (Natalie Gray) & King (Aaron Andrews). The former's relationship is defined by social media, having started on Tinder and seemingly fallen apart through Instagram, while the latter's was formed in person. Dipasquale's Ember is the glue of the show, linking not only the characters but also stories and numbers through his narration, and Dipasquale's likable performance helps paper over some narra...

18Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

A Knock On The Roof – Traverse Theatre

World Premier A Knock On The Roof, a brand new, and very current, one-person play written by and starring Khawla Ibraheem, which takes us to Gaza as young mother, Mariam, prepares for war along with her mother and 6-year-old son, Noor. The title refers to the, so-called, humanitarian practice of dropping small warning bombs on residential buildings in Gaza, giving civilian tenants five to fifteen minutes to evacuate before a much bigger rocket hits. Whether this happens in reality is anyone’s guess. The family live at the top of a seven-storey tower block, which is good and bad. Good because they will hear the knock on the roof first, but bad because they will have a long way to run to escape the carnage that is coming. Mariam decides to train for the possibility of this Knock...

Anthony and Cleopatra – Shakespeare North Playhouse

18Aug

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

Anthony and Cleopatra – Shakespeare North Playhouse

‘Anthony and Cleopatra’ is not an easy play to get right. William Shakespeare took the story of political intrigue, family jealousy, and blinding love right from the pages of ancient history, and wove a tale that is dramatic, tragic and loving in equal measure. It is an even harder play to get right when you are a company of only seven players, each permitted to learn only your own lines and cues, thrust onto an unfamiliar stage with no rehearsal. That said, the talented company from Shake-Scene Shakespeare did just that… performing Anthony and Cleopatra as the second play in their mini repertory residency at the Shakespeare North Playhouse this week with resounding success. Opening with ‘As You Like It’ yesterday (the review of that show can be found here: https://northwestend.c...

17Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Keep Watching It – theSpace on The Mile

The new, independent company Kestrel Eye Productions brings their psycho-thriller to Edinburgh. With the scene set (it being close to eleven o’clock at night) I creeped my way into the black box theatre. The concept of the play was intriguing – a shunned celebrity scientist presents her latest experiment which she hopes will bring about her acceptance back into society. The experiment being the control of human emotions by taking Matrix-like red and blue pills - the scientist making a human-like, winged creature to test these pills. While in theory this piece could have made some very current and relevant observations and commentaries, it unfortunately missed the mark. It did do as it intended to – we saw the effects the pills had on the creature, but with a ...

Ariana vs Chomsky – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

17Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

Ariana vs Chomsky – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

On 22nd May 2017 a terrorist bomb ripped through the Manchester Arena after a concert by the American pop singer, Ariana Grande. 22 people were killed, ten of them aged under 20. The youngest victim was an 8-year-old girl. More than a thousand were injured. ‘Ariana vs Chomsky’ is set against this tragic background. The play covers the relationship of Chloe and Mark over several years. In May 2017 they relocated from London to Manchester. They’re left wing and admire the works of Noam Chomsky, the American linguist, philosopher and political thinker. When Obama was President, Chomsky condemned Washington’s “global assassination campaign..the drone campaign” as “by far the worst terrorist campaign in the world”. He added: “And when you bomb a village in Yemen, say, and you kill somebod...

Murder at the Fringe – Hill Street Theatre

17Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Murder at the Fringe – Hill Street Theatre

Following up on their first instalment at this year’s Fringe (The Court), Edinburgh Little Theatre brings us another audience-forward crime puzzler. After introducing the murder case, we were given the evidence, suspects, and their testimonies. Having seen the cast perform in The Court it was wonderful to see the dynamic range of every actor – each person’s character was on the completely opposite side of the spectrum compared to their last – even if you had not seen The Court, the conviction of each actor is undeniable. I was particularly impressed by the “floozy” mistress, the bumbling butler, and the seedy financial advisor – all round authenticity. Delivering their alibis in a verbatim-esque style, the audience jotted down notes as each suspect spoke, then late...

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical – Pleasance Courtyard

17Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical – Pleasance Courtyard

Every night, the Showstoppers improvise a brand-new musical, based on a suggestion from the audience. It’s different every time. Tonight’s title is Blood Is Thicker Than Oil, and it is the story of a family-run oil rig. The opening number introduces the characters. The cast creates a catchy chorus that will be repeated later on and provide each other with backing vocals. The oil rig characters are in the middle of the stage: to one side is the band, and on the other, The Writer, who introduces the show and occasionally shakes things up if the rest of the cast are getting a bit comfortable. The Writer, the band, and the technician form a triangle, with clear lines of sight allowing nonverbal communication. Job ads often ask for candidates who can work individually and as part of a...

17Aug

By Coral MourantNo Comments

North West

Bring It On – Liverpool Empire Youth

It's all happening as the Liverpool Empire Youth Theatre return with another triumphant musical offering. Inspired by the noughties film which then went on to more success with multiple sequels, this Broadway hit takes the usual trope of high school romances and rivalries and adds a lot of cheer. The show focuses on Campbell, a seventeen-year-old cheerleader, who's world turns upside down as she changes school after finally achieving her dream of becoming captain. Not only is this school completely different, but it also doesn’t have a cheer squad! High- energy and relevant, this musical feels like a great choice for this talented group of youngsters. How refreshing to see teenagers actually playing teenagers! From the get-go, the show relies on its leading lady to guide it onwards. ...

17Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

South East

The Marlowe Sessions – Marlowe Theatre

Two years ago, I went along to watch the recording of Tamburlaine II, intrigued by this ambitious plan to record all seven of Christopher Marlowe’s plays in quick succession, here is the link to my interview with one of the cast members Alan Cox - https://northwestend.com/spotlight-on-actor-alan-cox-and-the-marlowe-sessions-at-the-malthouse-theatre-canterbury/, which sheds some light on this project. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) the poet/playwright, was controversial to say the least, his open homosexuality during a period of gay sex being outlawed, atheism, and his involvement as a spy for Sir Francis Walsingham, are evidence enough of his unorthodox thinking. This spilled over into his plays, the blood thirsty Tamburlaine, the gay Edward II, and the ambitious necromancer, Doc...