Scotland Archives - North West End UK

19Apr

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Chicken – Traverse Theatre

Having nearly died in the egg, rescued and raised by a kindly Kerry couple, narrowly avoiding being whisked into an omelette and living ‘claw to beak’ in New York, Don Murphy gets his break. His bird-break. Into the business we call show, following a monumental orgy of Jameson with Michael Fassbender (That Don Murphy? No, he’s a human). Keep up now, we’re talking one of the most determined, resourceful cocks to ever grace the cinematic wests of Ireland and the United States, but fame and success can have a downside. Three exhausting years of 16-hour day shoots leads to the inevitable glitch, a ketamine addiction resulting from a party hosted by evil LA-based Colin Farrell. That Colin Farrell? Enjoyably surreal, entertainingly disarming, this was a true k-hole of a show, so quite...

The Girls of Slender Means – Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

18Apr

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

The Girls of Slender Means – Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

Directed by Roxana Silbert, "The Girls of Slender Means" follows the lives of five young women living in the May of Teck Club in London during the summer of 1945. Adapted by Gabriel Quigley from Muriel Spark's novel, the play explores the post-war hopes and struggles of the characters as they navigate love, work, and survival in a society torn by war. Romance, fashion, and politics intersect as the girls grapple with uncertainty and cling to their dreams amidst the rubble of the past. The fragmented structure adds depth to the storytelling, inviting audiences to piece together the narrative while reflecting on themes of resilience and the lasting power of hope. Under Silbert's direction, the production shines with its immaculate production design, drawing the audience into a world wher...

James V: Katherine – The Studio, Edinburgh

15Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

James V: Katherine – The Studio, Edinburgh

How do you make a play about the Scottish reformation, set in 1527-28; playful, thought-provoking and above all very funny. Writer Rona Munro provides a master class in character writing, and humour in a fascinating historical setting in this superbly watchable addition to her James Plays. Many will already be aware of Munro’s epic historical series comprising of seven works in total, six staged to date, which span two centuries of the house of Stuart between 1406 and 1603. This is part 5 of the series, but unlike all the others which have been grand in scale and staging, Katherine is a much more intimate four-hander chamber piece, which seeks to delve into the very minutiae of life, love and death. The play is set in a time when the Catholic Church’s grip on Scotland is loosening, ...

13Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

90 Days – Traverse Theatre

There are few things that raise an actor’s energy and commitment (and fear!) more than playing a character who is sitting barely a few feet away from them. Tonight, in Traverse 1, all five actors on stage faced this particular challenge and all rose as a powerful team, bonded by music, to face their namesakes in the audience and to tell the unlikely story of what happened in dressing room and rugby pitch exactly thirty years ago. In an emotion-packed evening there are tears, laughter, singing and a real buzz of camaraderie. On stage Dani Heron, Caitlin Forbes, Yang Harris and Ava MacKinnon play some of the key players of the 1994 Scotland rugby team, Sue (Subo) Brodie, Sandra (gnomie) Colamartino, Kim (headgirl) Littlejohn and Annie (Fannie) Freitas, with John Kielty as their (do...

3Apr

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

Pretty Woman – Edinburgh Playhouse

Most of us are familiar with the 1989 film of Pretty Woman, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, directed by Garry Marshall. For those that aren’t, the narrative is a simple fairy story – millionaire tycoon Edward, visiting Los Angeles on a business trip, stops in Hollywood Boulevard to ask street walker Vivian for directions to the prestigious Beverly Wilshire hotel. She ends up staying the night. The following day she is told to kit herself out with some high-end fashion using Edward’s credit card and asked to remain for the rest of the week and accompany him on his various social enterprises. So far, so Cinderf***ingrella. Pretty Woman the musical, book by Garry Marshall and J.F. Lawton and music and lyrics by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, is a joyous romp which is about as ...

Introverts The Musical – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

3Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Introverts The Musical – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Writer Amy Hawes, one third of Tandem Writing Collective, teams up with keyboard player Aaron McGregor to present a brand-new musical about Introverts. Still at workshop stage we are treated to a sneaky peek by a trio of fine actors: Kim Allen, Natalie Arle-Toyne and Betty Valencia, with scripts in hand. Toyne stands out as the neurotic, protective mother, trying to protect her anxiety filled, introvert daughter, Angela, played by Valencia, with Allen never far away as the side-kick imaginary friend. When Angela is given the chance of a free a course at the Introvert Conversion Centre (ICC) which has recently opened in Livingston, and her mum the commission to write about it, they both jump at the chance. It’s not long before Angela is transformed into an online celebrity with a hos...

Brief Encounter – Church Hill Theatre Edinburgh

1Apr

By Melissa JonesNo Comments

Scotland

Brief Encounter – Church Hill Theatre Edinburgh

Brief Encounter started as a play called Still Life before Noel Coward translated it to the stage with his immortal screenplay. Emma Rice’s highly rated re-adaptation of Brief Encounter for the stage meets both mediums somewhere in the middle. The original screenplay is pastiched beyond belief- even if you’ve never seen it, you will have seen at least one comedy skit. Married suburban mother Laura Jesson is passing through the train station when a piece of grit gets in her eye. Saved from potential blindness by fellow train traveler, the married Dr Alec Harvey, passions are ignited. The trouble is, it’s the late 1930s, and their burning love for each other is ruinous, so here their love story pans out against a motley crew of other travelers, clientele and servers in the train station ...

The Addams Family – Memorial Hall, Innerleithen

27Mar

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

The Addams Family – Memorial Hall, Innerleithen

The Addams Family, a musical comedy, promises ghoulish jokes and familiar characters. These were dished with aplomb by a society with 123 years of productions under its belt. Innerleithen and District Amateur Operatic Society served its apprenticeship many years ago and, while the name Amateur sticks and the commitment to community involvement is at the very heart of each performance, this circle of talented singers, dancers and actors are anything if not professional in their commitment and style. The main characters are spot on: Morticia, played by Angela Duncan, oozes sensuality and confidence; Gomez (Douglas Russell) has a wonderful voice, fabulous delivery and great comic timing; Erin Thompson as Wednesday is suitably grumpy and very likeable as the crazy love-sick teenager and Ro...

23Mar

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Don’t. Make. Tea. – Traverse Theatre

In a near future in which government attitudes to disability have supposedly been revolutionised, Chris (Gillian Dean), a former police detective now facing a deteriorating condition, receives a visit from Ralph (Neil John Gibson) to “check” whether she is indeed entitled to benefits. But their competing agendas are clearly mutually exclusive: if displays and white lies are not enough, then how far must Chris go to get what she needs? A dark comedy written by Rob Drummond and directed by Robert Softley Gale, Don't. Make. Tea. tackles many of the issues of current attitudes towards disability. As with many stories set in the future, the applicability is clearly in the here and now rather than the impossible. Many of Ralph's slogans, repetitions and little tricks clearly struck a chor...

17Mar

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Escaped Alone – Traverse Theatre

A play by Caryl Churchill (written in 2016), at age 86 arguably Britain’s greatest living poet and playwright. Known for her dramatisations of the abuse of power, for her support of Palestine, and for her exploration of sexual politics and feminist themes. Also central to most Churchill plays is a fascination with surreal deconstruction and non-naturalistic techniques which puts her firmly in the uncompromising postmodernist camp. Anyone coming to see a Churchill play will leave this one with a knowing smile, for those of us just coming to see a play, less so. The structure of the short 50-minute piece is simple enough; two storylines run side by side, in the first four post-menopausal women sit in comfortable chairs chatting in broken sentences and half-words in a sunny garden, in ...