REVIEWS Archives - Page 91 of 580

3Aug

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Romeo & Juliet – Courtyard Theatre

My last brush with Romeo and Juliet was at Wilton’s Music Hall 3 years ago for Rachel Garnet’s excellent Starcrossed, which focussed on the fractious relationship between Mercutio and Tybalt, but added an erotic queer twist to their violent passions. It was an audacious, yet clever spin on Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy and a prime example of the Romeo and Juliet Industrial Complex. From Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 blockbusting film (Romeo + Juliet) to Arthur Laurents’ musical, West Side Story, audiences are highly familiar with twists, takes and remixes of the most pop play from in the Bard’s canon. Adding another layer to this theatrical mille-feuille is Romeo and Juliet: Out of Pocket, devised by Argentinian playwright Emiliano Dionisi and directed by Alonso Íñiguez. This boldly inventiv...

Hamlet – Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden, Shakespeare North Playhouse

2Aug

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Hamlet – Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden, Shakespeare North Playhouse

Director Steve Purcell is to be praised for his heavily abridged adaptation which, coming in at less than half the length of the full text, focuses on the family drama at the heart of the play, bringing a humanity to its protagonist that is rarely seen. Prince Hamlet (Richard Lessen), accompanied by his good friend Horatio (Laura Cooper-Jones), is consumed by grief and anger following the death of his father and his mother Gertrude’s (Tamsin Lynes) hasty marriage to his uncle, Claudius (Martin Gibbons), who then becomes king. He encounters the ghost of his father who reveals he was murdered by Claudius and demands revenge. Hamlet feigns madness to investigate the claim and plan his revenge which causes consternation at the court, whilst his relationship with Ophelia (Lynes), daughter of...

Standing In the Shadows of Giants – Traverse Theatre

2Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Standing In the Shadows of Giants – Traverse Theatre

You get the feeling that the substantial metal frames, the chunky lighting rig and mirror -walled set surrounding Lucie Barât on her oh-so-shiny red stage are all compensating for the flimsy mental scaffolding that supports her own psych, It teeters like a five-storey bamboo structure. The show begins with Lucie launching into a song, she has a clear and powerful voice, before signing cut to the sound desk. She interrupts herself to talk directly to the audience and give us a bit of personal history. Lucie always wanted to be an actor. But, from Drama School golden girl to dole queue drop out she fell, to call-centre fill-in, to failed STD advert auditionee and the very occasional paid acting job. A low point occurs in the earlie naughties when she throws up on the open-toed sandals ...

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying – Traverse Theatre

2Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying – Traverse Theatre

Well, no surprises, it’s brilliant! The endlessly Gallus (dictionary definition – Bold, daring, cheeky person bordering on arrogant. Derived from the Latin word for cockerel or rooster) Gary McNair does it again. The wee big yin puts a smile on everyone’s face with a masterclass in storytelling, and makes it all look incredibly, infuriatingly, easy. But, having loved his five star ‘Dear Billy’ tribute last year at The Assembly Rooms, I had rather been primed to expect excellence. This year, the globe-trotting Scotsman serves up a tale of a young boy and his gambling-obsessed grandad in his attempt, against the odds to reach the year 2000 and win a fortune off the bookies. Like a kilted, David Walliams creation, if you can overlook the odd sweary word, this is Roy-of-the-rovers...

2Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

Make It Happen – Festival Theatre

It was a privilege to be in the packed audience at the Festival Theatre for this stunning production of James Graham’s exquisite new play. The 2025 Edinburgh International Festival could not have got off to a better start. This is a co-production by the EIF, the National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep Theatre, brilliantly directed by Andrew Panton. ‘Make It Happen’ was the mantra of the infamous CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Fred Goodwin, who expanded the 300 year old Edinburgh institution at a colossal pace to make it the world’s biggest bank. But in 2008, as global markets tumbled, the RBS faced collapse. Coincidentally both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor in 2008 were Scottish. And the play also reminds us that it was a Scotsman who in effect sparked the growth o...

Bare: A Pop Opera – Alba Theatre at Braw Venues @ Hill Street

2Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Bare: A Pop Opera – Alba Theatre at Braw Venues @ Hill Street

As part of their stacked lineup of shows for the Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh Little Theatre presents Bare: A Pop Opera. Set in Catholic boarding school St Cecilia’s, the musical follows the journey of the school’s pupils as they grapple with the complexities of relationships, sexuality, and faith. At its core is the secret relationship between Jason (played by Josh McPherson) and Peter (played by Callan Paterson). Peter is ready to be open about their love, while Jason wants to keep it hidden—thus sparking the central conflict. The musical itself is a rollercoaster, complete with surreal and striking moments like Mother Mary appearing in a fever dream as Dolly Parton, simulated sex on stage, and a subplot involving teenage pregnancy. While Bare tackles extremely heavy themes, includ...

Float – Gilded Balloon Patter House, Other Yin

2Aug

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Float – Gilded Balloon Patter House, Other Yin

Intelligently immersive and creative from the opening, Float landed into Gilded Balloon’s Patter House but there is certainly nothing alien about this production - it is unbelievably human and full of heart. Co-directed by Cora Bissett and Niloo-Far Khan, created and performed by Indra Wilson, Float explores pregnancy loss and its lasting effect through the metaphor of space travel. With delightful use of props, set, colour and sound, Float is sure to have audiences laughing at one moment and crying the next. In this autobiographical play, Indra Wilson, who plays a version of themself, dreams of becoming an astronaut. When their dream comes true, their life skyrockets to infinity and beyond. Wilson’s entire stage presence is electrifying, carrying the entire show themself is no mean...

A Cold Day in Hell – Greenside @ George Street

2Aug

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

A Cold Day in Hell – Greenside @ George Street

A Cold Day in Hell is brought to Edinburgh from Armenia by the Armenian State Song Theatre. Written by Jan Quackenbush and directed by Hrach Keshisyan, this emotional one-man show tells the story of Charlie, whose wife was involved in a car accident, placing her into a coma. The story picks up 6 months after the event as we see Charlie navigate his grief and anger at the world. He turns on a video camera, intending to confess to a final act - switching off his wife’s life support machine and then ending his own life. However, with so many thoughts and complications in his head, will he ever go through with it? Nerses Avetisyan plays Charlie with fantastic, never-failing energy throughout the play’s entirety. From a powerful movement sequence at the show’s opening to gritty text, del...

2Aug

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Spare Room – Hen & Chickens Theatre

As soon as you step into the Hen & Chickens Theatre, you’re immersed in the sticky world of Spare Room. A drunken girl flippantly tells you to “sit where you like”. Unconscious bodies slump over ratty furniture, grease-soaked pizza boxes line the floor, and dance music hums in the background. It’s an immediately familiar sight (shudder): a shared uni student house. The action kicks off with sweet Jodie (Georgina Housby) turning up at the grotty pad with a suitcase and admirable optimism as she introduces herself as the new occupant of the spare room. She initially thinks she has female company in the house after seeing a ‘Mary’ listed as a housemate in the online ad, only to find out that’s merely a bizarre nickname for a bloke called Richard — making her the only girl in a hous...

Krapp’s Last Tape – Greenside @ George Street

2Aug

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Krapp’s Last Tape – Greenside @ George Street

Samuel Beckett’s one-act play Krapp’s Last Tape is brought to life by Shortcut Productions at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This solo show follows the titular character, Krapp, as he listens to a tape from 30 years ago, reflecting on who he was back then and the man he has become now. His younger self was an idealist, and perhaps somewhat naive, while in the present Krapp is clearly a very troubled and lonely man. Krapp is played by Kevin Short, billed as a Fringe veteran. From the outset, Short does a good job of inhabiting the character. He has implemented an abundance of mannerisms into his performance that showcase his skilled acting technique. This is particularly present through his use of breath, constant and unpredictable, giving the feeling that Krapp is never sett...