REVIEWS Archives - Page 54 of 548

8Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Paldem – Summerhall

Written and created by BAFTA winner, David Jonsson, Paldem is a daring and provocative Fringe debut that boldly ventures into the world of amateur pornography, digital fame, and performative intimacy. Premiering at Summerhall, the play unfolds as an “anti‑romantic comedy” exploring themes of race, desire, artistic ego, and online commodification.The story centres on Kevin (Michael Workeye) and Megan (Tash Cowley), former lovers, who reconnect one night and end up having sex. What neither expects is that they’ve accidentally recorded the whole thing. But when they watch the footage back, they’re surprised: it’s hot, they look great, and the dynamic works. From there, an idea is born. In today’s society—where everything is monetisable and nothing is too intimate for content—they realise they...

8Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Shitbag – Summerhall

There’s something fitting – perhaps even poetic – about staging a show called Shitbag in the Anatomy Theatre at Summerhall. Once a site of anatomical demonstration, now turned intimate performance space, it adds a certain weight to what is already a deeply bodily piece of theatre. The semi-circular layout draws the audience into close communion with the performer, reinforcing the sense that what we’re witnessing isn’t performance so much as confession. Hayley Edwards, an engaging and fearless Antipodean performer, commands the space well. She navigates the tricky terrain of living with Crohn’s Disease – not with self-pity, but with humour, insight, and an unflinching willingness to discuss things most people would euphemise or avoid entirely. Her rapport with the audience is imme...

Who the hell is Robert Wayne? – Etcetera Theatre

8Aug

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Who the hell is Robert Wayne? – Etcetera Theatre

The Li Zhuolangly’s one-woman, one-act play packs more than a one-two punch. Following a day in the life of aspiring “Ratman” actor Lily Cheng Wangshuo, the action unfolds in a sort of Ariel’s cave of commercial treasures. Nestled amongst the Funko POP, plushies, and posters that line her bedchamber’s walls, Lily Cheng Wangshuo’s diminutive presence is entirely at odds with her super personality. A Chinese import herself, she dreams of incorporating herself into the canon of her favorite hero — a character whose mask she imagines might free her from the tokenization and objectification she faces at every turn. Zhuolangly is a bold stage presence who cuts her audience little slack in the free solo she drags us along on, forcing us to confront our better angels and unmask our egos. Who...

The Beautiful Future Is Coming – Traverse Theatre

8Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

The Beautiful Future Is Coming – Traverse Theatre

This is an ambitious, well-crafted and very watchable play about the climate crisis. Flora Wilson Brown has written an intriguing drama which covers a period of 246 years. In 1856 we are in New York with Eunice and her husband, John. This part of the story was inspired by the American scientist, Eunice Foote, who discovered the greenhouse effect: that higher carbon dioxide levels lead to a hotter planet. Phoebe Thomas (Eunice) gives a captivating performance as the brilliant scientist who is increasingly frustrated by the fact that men won’t take her seriously because she is a woman. Eunice has apocalyptic nightmares about the fate facing the world if people won’t listen to her warnings. Matt Whitchurch is impressive as her husband, John, who tells his wife she can be ‘difficult’...

8Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

Hamlet & Co – Barons Court Theatre

Anais Marchand’s, Hamlet & Co. is a modern, interactive retelling of Hamlet, which imagines Shakespeare’s tragedy in the ruthless world of modern business. We, the audience, have been invited to the wedding of Gertrude, widow of Hamlet Senior, the founder of Elsinore Tower, and Claude, Hamlet Senior’s brother and acting CEO. But when Amel, Hamlet Jr, crashes the memorial in frenzied grief over his father’s mysterious death, tensions run high, loyalties are tested, and all is to play for in the corporate ‘game’. It's certainly an interesting, ambitious, and topical idea. A modern retelling of Hamlet exploring the morality of big business, and the devastating consequences of viewing people as numbers, could have been fascinating. Unfortunately, the script falls far short. Marchand...

8Aug

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

War Horse – New Wimbledon Theatre

Based on the acclaimed novel by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse is the enchanting tale of Albert and his extraordinary horse, Joey, who, at the outbreak of the First World War is shipped to France, sold to the Cavalry, and finds himself fighting for both sides. Albert, from rural Devon whose life is his beloved horse, though not old enough to enlist, embarks on a treacherous journey to find and save Joey and bring him home. The most notable aspect of this show is the puppetry and the effortless artistry that goes into directing the animals. Joey and Topthorn are the two stars of the show, puppeteered by Rianna Ash, Chris Milford and Samuel Parker and Tom Quinn, Michael Jean-Marain and Michael Larcombe respectively. The transitions are smooth, and the horses’ movements are detailed so that e...

8Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

LPO: Holst The Planets – Usher Hall

Edinburgh’s stately Usher Hall, hosts a stirring evening with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Edward Gardner. The programme offers up some delicious delights, a Rachmaninoff favourite and Holst’s undisputed masterpiece.The concert opens though with Judith Weir’s Forest, a brief, fairytale‑tinged overture. But it’s the second work - Rachmaninoff’s 24‑variation Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - featuring pianist Beatrice Rana, that deeply moves me. From her first notes, Rana brings thoughtful nuance to each variation—gracefully shifting between melancholy and exuberance, tenderness and tempest. Key moments, like the haunting counterpoint of Variation XVIII and the sweeping climax at XIX, resonate with crystalline control and deep emotional weight. Her playing is both virtuosic and vu...

8Aug

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Saving Mozart – The Other Palace

Do we really know the story of Mozart, or his genre of music from symphonies, opera. concertos to chamber music. Through his classical period from (1756-1791) his body of work continues to enchant generations, and audiences today. Twenty-Five-year-old Charli Eglinton has been moved by Mozart as a composer and has brought to the stage Saving Mozart a musicaldepicting the life span of Mozart’s, gruelling childhood rituals to his breakthrough and recognition of being an esteemed composer, to his untimely death at the age of 35yrs. What strikes you from the beginning, the stage is small, the set is carved out as a letter M, with reflecting mirrors positioned to enhance the illusion of optimal space for all the characters to dance, act creating movement from a horse’s carriage to a boarding ...

100% Scouse Comedy – Laughing Horse@West Nic Records

8Aug

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

100% Scouse Comedy – Laughing Horse@West Nic Records

For something so foul-mouthed and filthy, this has to be described as a breath of fresh air. Not for the faint-hearted, it’s unhinged, off the hook, unmanaged and uncensored. Never the same two nights running. And just the right side of offensive. Depending on one’s perspective, obvs. Probably the only show to survive a wrong - Hitler-related - turn. It’s a bit like stumbling into the Late & Live of yesteryear, except it’s only 8.30pm. Kyle Legacy and Dean Coughlin are our hosts and anyone who’s followed the goings-on at Liverpool’s Hot Water Club these last few years will be familiar with these two already. From the get-in to some jumping hip-hop, feelgood reigns supreme and these lads don’t allow things to flag. The language is industrial but with a scouse accent it’s almos...

8Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Troubled – Summerhall

Troubled unfolds in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre, a space that retains its old-world charm with curved tiers and a sense of stillness that feels well-suited to intimate solo work. The architecture holds the performer in an elegant kind of embrace, lending a solemn dignity to a story that’s both fragile and fragmented. Suzy Crothers brings us into the inner world of Alice – a woman navigating a complex relationship with her past, her mental health, and the ghosts of Belfast’s troubles, whilst seeking love in the debris. What elevates the piece is Crothers’ vocal dexterity. She moves fluidly between characters, especially the internal voices of Big Red and Little Red - echoes of Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams - whose interventions veer from humorous to unsettling. Various other demons voi...