REVIEWS Archives - Page 50 of 548

12Aug

By Torya HughesNo Comments

Scotland

Club Nvrlnd – Assembly Checkpoint

Somewhere between a jukebox musical and a club night, "Club Nvrlnd" is an impressive spectacle but lacks a good storyline. Written by Jack Holden, directed by Steven Kunis, and featuring multiple smash hit millennial anthems, the show features a cast of talented performers. However, the immersive style of the show does not work well with the venue, meaning that their performance is often hidden from the majority of the audience. The show is set twelve years after Peter and Wendy last met. Peter is a nightclub owner who's about to turn thirty, with MC Tiger hosting Club Nvrlnd and Tink as the DJ. Thomas Grant's Peter is still refusing to grow up, hiding his receding hairline and dressing as an emo kid. Meanwhile, Wendy decides not to go through with her impending marriage, and stagge...

12Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Bizet’s Carmen Suite – Usher Hall

Strings, percussion, and a little mountain magic, but no conductor, and sometimes I notice. The NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra from Wrocław brings a conductor-free evening to the Usher Hall tonight, led from the violin by their artistic director Alexander Sitkovetsky. No figure in tails waving a baton tonight, just Sitkovetsky steering the ship from within. Apparently, that’s perfectly normal in the chamber-orchestra world, but for those of us used to the “point and wag” approach, it takes a moment to adjust. The first half gives us Grażyna Bacewicz’s Concerto for String Orchestra, brisk, crisp, and with some feisty edges, followed by Strauss’s Metamorphosen, a more reflective and sombre piece that seems to hang in the air. Both benefit from the precision and democratic energy t...

12Aug

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Scotland

Almost Everything – Alba Theatre

The number of people attending a performance at the Edinburgh Fringe is in no way indicative of the quality of the show—after all, there were only 13 people at The Last Supper. There were fewer than 25 in the audience watching ‘Almost Anything’, a modern love triangle. Despite excellent performances from the young cast, the show felt like it tried too hard to be an amalgamation of every young love story written in the last decade. There was no information available on the writer of this new piece, featuring Becca (Lauren Barrie) and Charlie (Ben McGuinness) as students sharing a flat in modern-day London and the complications that follow the arrival of Becca’s sister Emily (Imogen Eden-Brown) to their nascent romance. I would hazard that this piece was written by someone under the a...

Wakaresaseya or How to End Things – Courtyard Theatre

11Aug

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Wakaresaseya or How to End Things – Courtyard Theatre

Renting in London is not for the squeamish. Trying to find a place to rest your head in a city so inhospitable that its train platforms are plastered with propaganda assuring international transplants that friendship and family are just around the corner if they keep hanging on, is no mean feat. BuildingRockets, a theatrical cohort of three international artists, have created in Wakaresaseya or How to End Things a deceptively and dangerously funny stage thriller as sexy as it is sickening. Director Samuel Topper manipulates the undeveloped domain of the cramped and comfortless Courtyard Theatre into an immersive storytelling environment utilizing a potent combination of projection, light, and erotic audio to enhance the anxiety of claustrophobia common to both flat sharing and black...

11Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Up Late With Kathryn Joseph – The Hub

Kathryn Joseph has never been shy of reinvention, but her late night set at The Hub felt like a decisive step away from the bare boned intimacy of her early work and into something bolder, denser, and more electrically charged. Where her debut once had candle light flickering over piano and breath close vocals, tonight the pars flooded over synths, drum programming, and a lattice of processed keys that turned the room into a too-brightly lit echo chamber.Joseph was joined by longtime collaborator Lomond Campbell, whose fingerprints were everywhere, shadowy textures, pulsing low end, and those slow blooming arrangements that make a small melodic idea feel cathedral sized. The pair leaned into the aesthetic of her new era, stormy, sensual, and frequently punishing, in a way that made the set...

The Naked Neds – theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall

11Aug

By Torya HughesNo Comments

Scotland

The Naked Neds – theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall

The Naked Neds - theSpace @ Surgeon's Hall Tackling themes of suicide, cancer and male friendship, "The Naked Neds" deals with serious topics with typical Scottish humour. The play has already toured venues across Scotland in a 90min version, and HI! Productions have brought a slightly truncated adaptation to the Fringe. Four friends meet in the pub for a few beers, overseen by cynical barmaid Bev. Paul's girlfriend is pregnant, and he can't believe the price of a pram. His older friend Tony is looking on the bright side - having a child gives you lots of benefits, literally. Joined by their friends Harry and Jamie, they're all aware of the empty chair at the table. Paul is the only one to voice his feelings over the loss of their friend Cammy, asking if they should have seen the...

My Name is Rachel Corrie – ZOO Southside

11Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

My Name is Rachel Corrie – ZOO Southside

Rachel Corrie was an American who was killed in 2003 by the Israeli army. She stood in the path of an armoured bulldozer which was about to demolish a Palestinian house in Rafah, Gaza. At the time of her death Rachel, who was 23 years old, was working with other foreign nationals for the International Solidarity Movement. ‘My Name Is Rachel Corrie’ is based on her journals and emails. They were edited by the actor Alan Rickman, and the journalist Katharine Viner. Rickman also directed the premiere of the play at the Royal Court Theatre in 2005. Rachel had youthful ambitions to be a writer, and this play shows that she was immensely talented. Her writing is powerful and moving, crackles with sparkling imagery and is often poetic. She started keeping a journal when she was a child....

11Aug

By Danielle FarrowNo Comments

Scotland

Macbeth @ ZOO Southside

It isn’t really the done thing to start a review by simply quoting from the show’s blurb, but here it is - and why? Because The Barden Party absolutely delivers on what it promises: “A thrilling, saucy rendition of Shakespeare's classic tragedy, Macbeth… with a sassy, sexy bluegrass flair… transforming Macbeth into an unforgettable experience full of music, mischief and magic.” ( Read in full here: www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/macbeth ) The Thane of Fife’s relationship with the throne of Scotland unfolds with all the glorious language, tension and moments of humour that makes “the Scottish play” so popular, augmented by song (something that previous centuries have also seen). Macbeth’s ambition is spurred along by her crown-focused husband and the Wyrd Brothers’ witchcraft - most p...

11Aug

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Girl Kisser – The Lion and Unicorn

Directed by Rose Barwick and Hollie Milne and produced by Izzy Macpherson, Girl Kisser explores three stories of young queer love as they navigate early adulthood under one roof. The six-strong cast blends perfectly together from the beginning, from the artful choreography as they move between one another to their chemistry; each person brings their strengths in creating their distinct characters. The love stories are split into three pairs, each showcasing a different form of relationship; from possibly unrequited love, two lifelong friends turned lovers, to a budding new romance. Writer Emily Alice Ambrose does a beautiful job of tying the stories together, giving each pair a chance to shine and delve into their relationships, whilst bringing the group together as a reminder th...

Frank Sanazi: Songs for Swinging Leaders – Le Monde

11Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Scotland

Frank Sanazi: Songs for Swinging Leaders – Le Monde

If you like your swing music served with a side order of political incorrectness and a heavy pour of dark satire, Frank Sanazi is the man for you. Back at the Fringe with his full entourage of dubious dignitaries and crooning comrades, he’s once again proving that nothing is sacred when there’s a gag to be had.The conceit is as daft as it is inspired, take the Rat Pack, swap Vegas for the Reichstag, sprinkle in a few dictators, despots, and dubious dinner guests, then belt out swing standards with new, far too on the nose lyrics. The results range from groan worthy puns to moments of comedy gold. This year’s line up of chums includes Sadami Davis Jr., a gloriously deadpan presence with a twinkle in his eye, Dino Stalin (think Dean Martin but with more gulags), and Osama Bing Crosby, a beam...