Thursday, August 13

Scotland

Blackbox – Underbelly Cowgate
13Aug By Oliver GigginsNo Comments
Scotland

Blackbox – Underbelly Cowgate

This is the true story of Henry "Box" Brown, the enslaved African-American who, in 1849, mailed himself to freedom in the North in a wooden box measuring just 3 feet by 2.5, in which he had to remain quietly, and not always right side up, for 27 hours. This adaptation by Rickerby Hinds (who also directs) draws on Brown's own autobiographical writings, published as Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown Written by Himself, to tell his story. As such, it is mostly monologue form (performed by Josiah Alpher as Brown, with Jada Evelyn Ramsey as Spirit and chorus) combined with partially live gospel soundscapes and, reflecting Brown's later career, stage magic. Though the play starts and ends with the box which is so central to this show (not to mention the man's name), it is really...
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The Hobbit – The Space @ Venue 45
13Aug By Oliver GigginsNo Comments
Scotland

The Hobbit – The Space @ Venue 45

Officially licensed by Middle-Earth Enterprises, Theatre On The Blue does what Warner Brothers could not, telling the story of The Hobbit in an hour with a team of six young actors. The original story is epic on a scale only dwarfed (sorry) by its sequel The Lord Of The Rings, and with multiple kingdoms, races, a dragon and a battle with only one less army than there are actors, cuts were inevitable. Some are seemingly quite drastic, such as the loss of all the dwarves save Thorin (prompting a knowing joke later about Bilbo eating for 13 hobbits and Thorin for 13 dwarves), or the Battle of the 5 armies getting reduced to two paper cutouts repeatedly bodyslaming each other into submission. Never-the-less, this is a very faithful, light-hearted adaptation of the children's story, w...
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Crudi Dench: Someone Help Her! – Underbelly Cowgate, Iron Belly
13Aug By Beth EltringhamNo Comments
Scotland

Crudi Dench: Someone Help Her! – Underbelly Cowgate, Iron Belly

Tucked away in an old vault cellar within the George The Forth Bridge you will find this wee gem of a show. Crudi Dench takes to the stage with some “celebrity friends” (spoiler, you are the celebrity friends) to run a help line show. Taking in calls from for those looking for a little assistance and somewhat (although this bits up for debate) working to help those callers. Whilst Crudi’s methods may be a little unorthodox and bizarre and absolutely unhelpful to the cause, they do succeed in thoroughly entertaining her audience. Crudi is a huge personality, her laughter is infectious and even as a disembodied voice from time to time, she still has her audience in the palm of her hands. As with most drag performances there is a heavy reliance on sexual and flirty humour however, even ...
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The Knocking – The space@Surgeons Hall
13Aug By Beth EltringhamNo Comments
Scotland

The Knocking – The space@Surgeons Hall

Three sisters come together to clear out the belongings of their deceased mother only to find even in their mother’s absence the house is not empty. Together they must work to unearth the secrets of their house and help put a lost spirit to rest. The premise of the story is interesting and has real potential, however the overall production falls flat. We start the show with a mysterious hooded figure standing by the door, entering the stage space and then retreating to the tech desk to loudly stage whisper to the techie throughout the show. In an intimate space such as Theatre One in Surgeons Hall, this was rather distracting to say the least. Our three sisters are the main focus on the show establishing a nice bond between the three however all emotional reactions to the trauma ...
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Salty Brine: How Strange It Is – Summerhall
13Aug By Greg HolsteadNo Comments
Scotland

Salty Brine: How Strange It Is – Summerhall

Weird, uplifting, heartfelt. Salty Brine does not simply perform an album. He takes it apart, rummages around inside it, follows its obsessions down unexpected rabbit holes, then somehow puts the whole thing back together again in front of us. And this particular concoction is no overnight creation, this one has been marinating in Brine for the best part of a decade, part of Salty’s long-running Living Record Collection, in which numerous albums become the starting point for something altogether more theatrical, personal and peculiar. The album at the heart of this one is Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, released in 1998, a record whose strangeness and relative unfamiliarity turn out to be one of the show’s great strengths. Unless you are already a...
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JLCO Plays Duke Ellington – Usher Hall
13Aug By Jessie MartinNo Comments
Scotland

JLCO Plays Duke Ellington – Usher Hall

The Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra Residency brought us a night of Duke Ellington’s greatest compositions, directed by esteemed trumpeter and founder of JLCO, Wynton Marsalis. Seeing as the theme of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival is ‘All Rise’ – tied to the 250th anniversary of America’s independence – an American ensemble playing the works of one of the most prolific American composers seems only fitting.  Especially when we get to the second act of the performance where the sole focus is on Ellington’s Black, Brown, and Beige, conducted by Chris Crenshaw. This suite tells the story of the hardships of the Black American, from slavery to segregation, and eventually emancipation. Alongside the JLCO, musical guests were invited to perform, including EIF’s dire...
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House of Life – Underbelly, George Square
13Aug By Torya HughesNo Comments
Scotland

House of Life – Underbelly, George Square

Billed as “one part sermon, one part purge, three parts party”, House of Life delivers a joyous immersive experience with plenty of glitter. Led by the RaveRend and his straight-faced sidekick Trev, the audience are encouraged to participate in a multi-level guide to ascension.  The experience starts in the queue outside, where Ben Welch’s RaveRend anoints the waiting audience with glitter. Once in the venue, he hurls multi-coloured egg shakers into the crowd, while Trev (played by Lawrence Cole) awkwardly checks the loop machine and sound equipment in the corner. The two characters are direct opposites, RaveRend clad from head to toe in sparkly vestments, while Trev sports a grey suit and tie. This makes for quite a few comedy moments, and allows Trev to go on the journey of ascen...
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The Global Ideas Stage – Kings Theatre
12Aug By Jessie MartinNo Comments
Scotland

The Global Ideas Stage – Kings Theatre

A trumpet cuts through the audience’s murmuring – Wynston Marsalis stands at the back of the auditorium playing Amazing Grace, and amazing it absolutely was.  The Global Ideas Stage began as it intended to go on.  Featuring Edinburgh International Festival’s Director, Nicola Benedetti as host, alongside Harvard Art and Culture Historian, Sarah Lewis.  Last year’s festival also featured a talk from Sarah Lewis, but this year the structure followed a more interview-based approach.  Six guests were chosen to discuss the connection between Scotland and America and its Declaration of Independence.  As well as discussing how culture and media allows for minds to be changed and hope to be given.  Our panel consisted of Adam Dixon, Amy Goodman, Gordon Brown, Bryan Stevenson, Ken Burns, Lewis and B...
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Allaster McKallaster (An unbiased afternoon with) – Gilded Balloon Museum
12Aug By Roger JacobsNo Comments
Scotland

Allaster McKallaster (An unbiased afternoon with) – Gilded Balloon Museum

If you’re English, this show is a must. Pete Reid’s McKallaster has been purveying his intelligent, keenly-observed - crucially impartial - views on football for years. Specifically, the English variety. However, today Hugh McHugh (Vic Galloway), an Englishman, wishes to contest the neutrality of the self-proclaimed ‘Favourite Unbiased Scottish Commentator’ of Andy Robertson and ‘close personal friend’ of Archie Gemmill. Resplendent in seven types of tartan (six of them visible), McKallaster’s ready to defend his reputation. With a name like McHugh, you might be concerned his opponent qualifies as a Scot, but fear not, he’s from Edinburgh. It’s an opportunity to watch (or re-watch in many cases) the Instagram clips we’ve become so fond of @mckallaster. And they are side-splittingly,...
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Around The World in 80 Toys – Edinburgh Summerhall (Anatomy Lecture Theatre)
12Aug By Roger JacobsNo Comments
Scotland

Around The World in 80 Toys – Edinburgh Summerhall (Anatomy Lecture Theatre)

Wow. Take a breath… prepare to be humbled by a surfeit of inventiveness and ingenuity… in a venue the performer admitted he wasn’t initially happy with! It’s a wonderful tribute to, a celebration of – using many of the same techniques employed by – French cinema pioneer Georges Melies. Born in Paris just before Christmas in 1861, he’s what might today be described as an early adopter of the then burgeoning film technology. He was also a magician, actor and toymaker – in common with today’s creator and performer Thaddeus Phillips. With an understanding of perspective, props, effects and an appreciation of the camera’s possibilities he created hundreds of films, A Trip To The Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904) both having stood the test of time to the extent they inspired – and wer...
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