REVIEWS Archives - Page 374 of 429

The Day the Devil Came to Tea – Edinburgh Fringe

24Aug

By Nicky LambertNo Comments

Scotland

The Day the Devil Came to Tea – Edinburgh Fringe

Presented by Mermaids, ‘The Day the Devil Came to Tea’ (written by Charles Vivian) is a clever play with just enough darkness to be chilling but well balanced with an occasional light touch of humour. Three flatmates are in the aftermath of bereavement as the fourth flatmate, Phil, died two months ago. His death has triggered changes in each person’s life. One day, the Devil arrives, ingratiates himself into their flat and demands an Earl Grey with five sugars. He announces that by the time he has finished his drink, one of the three will be coming with him....and if they can’t decide which one, he will make the decision. (Rather an extreme version of the parachute debate!) Sarah (Molly Luckhurst), Tanya (Isabella Zeff) and Caroline (Catriona Ferguson) are initially adamant that n...

Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies – Edinburgh Fringe

24Aug

By Donna M DayNo Comments

Scotland

Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies – Edinburgh Fringe

Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies, written and performed by Jessica Sherr, and directed by Karen Carpenter relates the turbulent career of Bette Davis against the background of her relationship with her parents, her four marriages and numerous affairs, and bitter feuds with other actresses in Hollywood. The set is busy, filled with pictures, memorabilia, dresses and a half drunk bottle of whisky. From the moment Sherr bursts onto the stage she embodies Davis and her vibrant personality through a series of flashbacks and flashforwards which loop around to relate her entire life in miniature. It is the night of Vivian Leigh’s Oscar win for Gone with the Wind, and Bette Davis has left the ceremony in a temper. Using the excuse of needing to be up early to begin filming for Juarez in order t...

Friend (The One With Gunther) – Edinburgh Fringe

23Aug

By Melissa JonesNo Comments

Scotland

Friend (The One With Gunther) – Edinburgh Fringe

70 minutes to recap Friends? Starting with Rachel’s wedding day catastrophe and then ending with the one where they all leave? Everyone’s favourite coffee shop manager, Gunther (Brendan Murphy) gives it his best shot. There’s absolutely no stone unturned, from Janice to Joey (yes, *that* spin off). Murphy is a tour de force, leaping back and forth over the famous sofa, changing from Richard Burke to Janice quicker than you can say ‘we were on a break’, and spitting quote after quote with hilarious impressions at lightning speed. The stamina and versatility on show from Murphy is remarkable. Supported by impressive lights and sound cues, it’s only the setting of the venue that leaves it feeling slightly amateurish. Is it a homage, a critique, a satire, a celebration? We’re not sur...

A Night at the Opera – St Mary’s Church Eastham

23Aug

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

A Night at the Opera – St Mary’s Church Eastham

Just over three years ago a friend asked a favour of me to review a young company performing an English libretto version of Così fan tutte in the backroom of a pub in Liverpool: it proved to be one of the best things I ever did as it introduced me to Flat Pack Music. Having had the pleasure of watching many of their productions since, and with the challenges and travails of a pandemic almost out of the way, it was a delight to see their return with A Night at the Opera at St Mary’s Church in Eastham, where it all began for them four years ago. Four professional soloists – Soprano Sarah Helsby Hughes, Soprano Heather Buckmaster, Tenor Joseph Buckmaster and Baritone Peter Lidbetter – were joined by Accompanist Jonathan Ellis to serve up some of operas most famous works as they performe...

23Aug

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

Scotland

The Nobodies – Edinburgh Fringe

Amy Guyler’s cleverly constructed political drama is set against the backdrop of cuts in the NHS and the ominous shadow of privatisation. Three young friends - Aaron (David Angland), Curtis (Joseph Reed) and Rhea (Lucy Simpson) are brought together by their shared passion to save their local NHS hospital and heal the fractured community that they are a part of. A piece of vital information is disclosed to the three friends and this in turn sparks a buzz of palpable revolution in the air - events start to dramatically overtake all three characters and their shared story. Directed with finesse by Sam Edmunds and Vikesh Godhwani, this is a powerful piece of theatre that says a lot about society and how people can make themselves heard and understood. It is also a play about change, whether...

Alex – Or, What Happened on the Train to London – Edinburgh Fringe

23Aug

By Donna M DayNo Comments

Scotland

Alex – Or, What Happened on the Train to London – Edinburgh Fringe

Alex – Or, What Happened on the Train to London - Edinburgh Fringe Alex – Or, What Happened on the Train to London, is a new musical about an encounter a group of strangers have on a train to London. Dave is a student on his way to university in London, Alex is a fed-up student whose future career in childcare has become uninspiring, Marc has recently been jilted by his fiancée, Kate is a nervous young mother, and Emma is making her first major journey. Together with Rob, the train conductor, and an abandoned briefcase, these strangers battle with their own uncertainty in a fun musical set entirely in a single train carriage. The set consists of six chairs with the small band of musicians set off to the side. When the musical opens the abandoned briefcase sits ominously on one of the...

Madame Modjeska’s Fairytale – Edinburgh Fringe

23Aug

By Donna M DayNo Comments

Scotland

Madame Modjeska’s Fairytale – Edinburgh Fringe

Madame’s Modjeska’s Fairytale, co-produced by Counter Balance Theater and Helena Modjeska Foundation, is a beautiful piece of art, combining beautiful illustration, hypnotic narration, and original physical theatre and expressive dance. Adapted and directed by Annie Loui, and based on the original text and illustrations from Titi, Nunu, Klemobolo or the Adventures of Two Lilac Boys and a Six-legged dog, by Madame Helena Modjeska, this is a pretty and unique adaption. The piece opens with an embroidered book cover creaking open, and hand drawn illustrations dated 1896. A dedication to a grandchild is the opening to the magical and strange world of the fairytale, narrated in the dulcet tones of Ellen Dubin. Beautiful art and stunning footage are bordered by the page edges of the book t...

AngloViking Invasion Before Naptime – Edinburgh Fringe Festival

20Aug

By Melissa JonesNo Comments

Scotland

AngloViking Invasion Before Naptime – Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Thor and Joshua were right. No one saw an invasion quite like this one. As Joshua Mason Wood waited on a boat with his bohemian parents, Thor Stenhaug stopped by the job centre and stumbled into comedy. The result? For the cost of nothing, you can see them for free. Yes, the Edinburgh Fringe is notorious for being hit and miss with it’s coming and goings of rising stars, especially amongst the free arm of the festival. But these guys stand out amongst what can be tawdry offerings of festival’s past and find themselves somewhere on the journey to paid tickets. While this may not be the gem of the Fringe (yet), they are the gem of the Free Fringe. Appreciating Stand Up is based on taste, and while I thought Stenhaug at times a little safe and Mason-Wood a little too crude, it’s undenia...

20Aug

By Donna M DayNo Comments

London

Murmur – Camden Fringe

Magpie’s Murmur, written and directed by Susanne Colleary, is a surreal fairy tale audio play, which explores trust and confidence against a backdrop of rich and intricate sound effects and a bizarre and original story of friendship and encounters with strangers. Ren (Orla McSharry) is the expectant mother of Baba who lives in a ramshackle dwelling in the woods. Mag (Isabel Claffey) spots her and points her out to Bee (Sandra O’Malley) who then invades Ren’s home and mind with talk of health and safety, responsibility and welfare, before offering a number of solutions. But this Emperor’s New Clothes style tale teaches Ren that not everything or everyone is as they seem, and the best person to keep her and Baba safe, is probably Ren herself. Haunting singing throughout the piece pairs...

The Complications of Being Ernest – Edinburgh Fringe Festival

20Aug

By Nicky LambertNo Comments

Scotland

The Complications of Being Ernest – Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Take a famous Oscar Wilde play, throw in some actors with personal problems, questionable acting ability and over-large egos, perform the whole thing via Zoom and what do you have? An absolutely hilarious hour of entertainment written by Kieron Rees and brought to you by The Unknown Theatre Company. The entire play is done live via Zoom and you watch it via Zoom but with your own camera turned off and the sound muted. We join the actors a few minutes before the play starts and unbeknown to them, we have all been let in out of the Zoom waiting room so we see and hear all their issues with each other. Jen and Ren (Vicky Davies and Michelle Kay) are scrapping over Ben (Harri Herniman) and Shaun, the Director (David Millard) is a man on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Rebecca (Kimber...