Scotland Archives - North West End UK

21Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

The Ladykillers – Church Hill Theatre

The Ladykillers, based on the 1955 film, is a kitchen-sink meets gangster comedy play written by Graham Linehan in 2011. While this adaptation is surprisingly a contemporary work, Edinburgh People’s Theatre captures all the dry, yet subtly slapstick, and indisputably British charm of the original film. Performing at the Church Hill Theatre this week, The Ladykillers showcases the typical domestic dramedy style that Edinburgh People’s Theatre seem to gravitate towards. And it’s no wonder why they often choose this style of play, as it certainly compliments their cast. Val Lennie plays the very proper, yet slightly befuddled Mrs Wilberforce, who has somehow managed to house and aid a gang of vicious criminals with no knowledge of it. Lennie is a strong lead, pla...

21Mar

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Saint Joan – Traverse Theatre

George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan is reimagined by writer/director Stewart Laing in a risky new version influenced heavily by an unproduced screenplay by Shaw. While this decision offers a unique take on theatrical adaptation, one must question whether this is the right form for a stage production. This version places Joan firmly at the center of the action during the Hundred Years War, showcasing her rise and eventual downfall as a soldier turned saint. With a strong focus on gender and the power of youth, Saint Joan aims to remind us that anyone is capable of making change. However, the play's structure, which moves away from familiar theatrical conventions, feels disjointed. Narrative is spoken as though direction in a screenplay, with reference to close ups and camera tracki...

A Play, a Pie, and a Pint: The Swansong – Traverse Theatre

20Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

A Play, a Pie, and a Pint: The Swansong – Traverse Theatre

In a continuation of this year’s Spring season of A Play, A Pie, And A Pint, The Swansong made its way to The Traverse theatre this week. This is a musical play that sees a young woman on the brink (Lydia played by Julia Murray) take to her local duck pond with a plan to end her life. As she washes her sorrows away with a bottle of gin, she finds company in an unlikely companion - a beautiful swan (Paul McArthur). The Swan tells her he has the power to end her life as soon as she snaps her fingers and truly means it. Hesitant to let her go ahead with her plan, The Swan takes Lydia on one last night of adventure, and on this night, Lydia seems to regain the hope she had lost. Set against the beautiful compositions of Finn Parker, we are taken along to piano bars, ...

18Mar

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Meursault – Traverse Theatre

There is something slightly incongruous about seeing Meursault at the Traverse Theatre. The venue is best known for drama rather than indie music, and that theatrical context inevitably shapes the experience. What might feel like a raw, emotional gig elsewhere becomes something closer to a performance piece here, with an audience inclined to listen politely rather than react. The evening opens with a generous half-hour set from Stefan Honig, the Cologne-based singer-songwriter. Performing solo with guitar, Honig delivers an intimate and understated opening to the night. His songs, which he admits he isn’t always entirely sure how to explain, lean towards reflective folk, delivered with quiet confidence. One highlight is For Those Lost at Sea (2012), which stands out for its...

The Legend of Davie McKenzie – Traverse Theatre

14Mar

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

The Legend of Davie McKenzie – Traverse Theatre

From the duo who brought us Dancing Shoes at this venue before Christmas (and The Scaff prior to that) comes another play providing a comic, tragic and moving portrait of life on the ‘other’ side of the tracks. In their latest offering Stephen Christopher & Graeme Smith bring us Sean and Davie who meet as kids on a housing scheme and, both father-less, hang out together escaping their drab surroundings via their favourite films. Their perspectives on life are betrayed as they frequently play characters set against the world whether it’s Butch and Sundance or Tony Montana. Davie is clearly the more gallus of the two, claiming to have seen every single film ever made. Unsurprisingly his vibrant, imaginative approach to life knows few boundaries. The two end up in prison for ...

One Day: The Musical – The Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

13Mar

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

One Day: The Musical – The Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

When a beloved novel arrives on stage, the question is always the same, what can theatre add that the page or the screen cannot? With One Day, The Musical, adapted from the best-selling novel by David Nicholls with book by David Greig and music and lyrics by Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez, the answer lies not only in performance but in space itself. When I go to see a musical, I am essentially judging three things, the story, the staging, and the performances. In other words, what is said, how the piece is physically realised, and how convincingly the cast bring it all to life. In this case, all three come remarkably close to full marks. David Greig’s script adaptation works remarkably well, keeping the structure of the original story while translating its episodic nature to...

11Mar

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Bacchae – The Studio

The latest touring production of The Bacchae by Euripides, presented by Company of Wolves at The Studio at Festival Theatre in Edinburgh under the umbrella of Capital Theatres, is a bold and strikingly modern interpretation of a play that is already more than 2,400 years old. Written and performed by Ewan Downie and originally directed by the late Ian Spink, this stripped back solo performance attempts something rather daring, to compress one of Greek tragedy’s most disturbing and philosophically rich stories into a highly physical, ritualistic piece of theatre. At its best, the production is undeniably compelling. Downie’s performance is intense and committed, shifting rapidly between narration, character and movement in a way that suggests an actor channelling a whole chorus...

8Mar

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Medea – Traverse Theatre

Eurpides’ Greek tragedy, Medea, is revived once more by Kathy McKean, arguably bringing more life to the title role, putting Medea front and centre in her own story. This adaptation stays true to its source material while also modernising to fit with today’s usual audience. Her husband, Jason (Jonny Panchaud), gained the golden fleece while Medea (Nicole Cooper) has largely been forgotten. Left at home to look after her two sons, assisted by the Nurse (Isabelle Joss), Medea begins to play a dangerous game of revenge after Jason falls in love with the Princess and daughter of King Creon (Alan Steele). Cooper’s performance as Medea is truly incredible. From the moment she enters the stage, she commands attention, bringing a great sense of naturalism to this well-known Greek tragedy. Sh...

Rozencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead – Assembly Roxy Upstairs

5Mar

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Rozencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead – Assembly Roxy Upstairs

Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a play that wears its cleverness cheerfully on its sleeve and occasionally waves it about like a philosophical flag. Absurd, witty and quietly unnerving, it takes two minor characters from Hamlet and places them centre stage in a universe where the rules of narrative appear only partially understood. For any company, let alone one mounting its very first production, it is a formidable undertaking. Yet Gutter Theatre of Edinburgh, present the play at The Roxy Upstairs, approach the challenge with a pleasing mixture of ambition and good humour. The play famously opens with a coin tossing sequence in which probability appears to abandon the building entirely. From that moment onward Stoppard’s world of existential ...

Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts – Festival Theatre

5Mar

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts – Festival Theatre

With the first stage appearance of the famed detective, Inspector Morse - House of Ghosts is an original story inspired by Colin Dexter’s well-known character, this time penned by Alma Cullen and directed by Anthony Banks. A murder mystery staged live, this show intends to keep audiences thrown with red herrings and guessing the culprit until the last minute. In this new story, set in 1987, Rebecca (Eliza Tealer), dies suddenly during a performance of Hamlet. Thankfully for her, and the play’s plot, Inspector Morse (Tom Chambers) just so happens to be in the audience and quickly launches an investigation. What at first seems like a standard murder case quickly becomes a story of secret and deceit spanning Morse’s own life 25 years ago. Assisted by DS Lewis (Tachia Newall), Morse is left...