Scotland Archives - Page 11 of 132

VOTE: The Musical – Paradise in Augustines, Studio

23Aug

By Juliette PepinNo Comments

Scotland

VOTE: The Musical – Paradise in Augustines, Studio

1928 marked a landmark turning point for women’s rights, but the bloody and tireless battle of the suffragettes to achieve this milestone tends to be overlooked. Phoebe Perry’s original musical VOTE gives a voice to the suffragette soldiers and their bravery in the face of violent oppression that cannot be overstated, paying homage to the women who battled without bowing down to pave the way for women's rights as we take them for granted today. The cast is incredibly powerful in its entirety. The entire group of suffragettes embody this unwavering sisterhood and connection that lifts them up when fighting for a common goal. Lexi Lott is hauntingly powerful in her portrayal of Elizabeth; in her solo ballad 'Wings' we see the effects of her systematic marital abuse, and her release an...

Bake-Off: The Great British Pantomime – Greenside @ George Street

23Aug

By Triona ScullyNo Comments

Scotland

Bake-Off: The Great British Pantomime – Greenside @ George Street

“Join our crew as they band together to defeat the world’s greatest evil: Ratt Lucas. Using the power of friendship and a predictable parody (or two), will they succeed in the endeavour? Or will there be egg on their faces?” Their publicity promised plenty of bad puns, and this young, vibrant, fun-loving theatre company delivered. What they lacked in experience they more than made up for in enthusiasm and really bad puns. From the get go this musical theatre show was high energy and funny in that dad-joke way pantomime is humorous. Carefully weaving their pantomime plot into the familiar format of the Bake-Off Semi Final – Pastry Week, the cast danced and sung their way through a series of challenges, with familiar tunes and numbers such as "Every cake you bake," "Winner bakes it...

23Aug

By Joe LangNo Comments

Scotland

Fish – Greenside @ George Street

FISH is far more than you might expect from a show promoted as a one-woman clown performance. Without giving too much away, what starts as a flawless piece of slapstick comedy evolves into a question about the human experience, leaving you feeling more connected and hopeful than ever. Funmi gives a sensational performance as a humanoid fish-clown woman who is both enamoured by humanity and seemingly exhausted by it - quite a reflection of how we all feel, I must add. The first 40 minutes are filled with non-stop laughs; Funmi certainly knows how to interact with the audience and is extremely skilled at creating moments that keep you enthralled in both the madness and genius of the comedy. Each second will have you anticipating what direction she’ll take the performance next, creatin...

Cameron Sinclair Harris: PLANETS!!! – Assembly Rooms

23Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Cameron Sinclair Harris: PLANETS!!! – Assembly Rooms

What would a planet say if they could speak? For millennia, we have identified extraterrestrial bodies with gods, but maybe it's time to let them speak for themselves. Fortunately for all of us, Cameron Sinclair Harris has travelled extensively throughout our solar system, and they are here at the fringe to present their findings by embodying each planet in turn. Spoiler alert: all the planets are completely insane. Harris smokes a kazoo and wears a bowler hat with a feather in it. “Do you want to be in my band?” they ask. One audience member is given a rattle. Another is instructed to shout out “Boom” whenever Harris points at him. We all sing along to Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra (a.k.a. the theme tune from 2001: A Space Odyssey), with booming sounds provided by ou...

22Aug

By Al CarrettaNo Comments

Scotland

Frat – theSpaceUK @ Surgeon’s Hall

A pledge is ushered into the initiation process of a college fraternity. ‘Scrotal Recall’ is labelled and subjected to intense humiliation and objectification. The process is repeated and its ceremony furthered at various points throughout the production. As dark vignettes these are noisy, brutal and unnerving moments but they serve the system. There is authority, there is violence and there is threat. There is also the necessity for absolute submission. Without completing the tasks presented to them, the pledge has no chance of becoming a ‘brother’ - a fully fledged member of the fraternity. Frat’s dissection of American college life is informed. National Lampoon gave us Animal House decades ago, but this examined college life in the 1960s. In 2000, The Skulls exaggerated the...

22Aug

By Al CarrettaNo Comments

Scotland

Lost Paws – theSpaceUK @ Surgeon’s Hall

Arlan taunts his cat Jefferbelle with a cucumber and a cellphone. Jeffers is quite the star on Tik-Tok and just one more video of his cuteness will satisfy Arlan’s lust for social media likes. He pets him, tickles him and generally adores him; he is after all his best friend. The scene switches. Shira plays the accordion and reads to her feline friend, Iris but ‘Rissy’ is a different beast; she’s a house cat. Iris is an athletic female. She cartwheels, leaps and bounces through the stage proving herself to be adept at all things physical. Jeffers is a little less robust but infinitely more streetwise. Except, Arlan doesn’t understand the poor creature is lactose intolerant. He can happily lap up milk to amuse his owner, but he can’t control the effects. It should now be obvious that...

As You Like It: A Radical Retelling – Church Hill Theatre

22Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

As You Like It: A Radical Retelling – Church Hill Theatre

Crow’s Theatre presents the Scottish premiere of the aptly named As You Like It: A Radical Retelling at the Edinburgh International Festival; written by Indigenous Canadian playwright Cliff Cardinal, this is a work that is confrontational, provocative and polarising in the most spectacular way. This piece highlights the marginalisation and injustices the Indigenous people have faced and still face today. Demanding our attention, we are forced to interrogate the authenticity, intentionality, and effects of our allyship - the pointed delivery is shocking and bold, but completely imperative to the message of the show. The audience is largely involved with a great usage of direct address - the lead performer often stopped the show to chastise audience members for being...

Missed Connections – theSpace @ Niddry St

22Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Missed Connections – theSpace @ Niddry St

Inspired by the rich musical style of the Appalachian mountains, Los Angeles Theatre Initiative presents Missed Connections, a newly written musical by Rachel Arianna and Eric Powers of Northwestern University. Missed Connections opens in 1997 on the last night at the Southside Bar after its owner Maggie (Camryn Helgeland) receives a notice of foreclosure. With one night left to celebrate and nothing left to lose, we see the townsfolk come together with old loves, first dates, family and friends to lay everything out on the table. With cast members on stage playing guitar and bass, there is a real folk feel to the musical reminiscent of the likes of Hadestown - Eric Powers’ composition is lilting and bright - I need a cast recording! The brunt of the story sp...

Royal Pigeon Mail – theSpaceUK @ Surgeon’s Hall

22Aug

By Al CarrettaNo Comments

Scotland

Royal Pigeon Mail – theSpaceUK @ Surgeon’s Hall

Soon to be 22-year-old Kit is a clerk in a post office. She might be busy with administrative tasks and phone calls, but this is no ordinary office. This is the hub of the pigeon postal service at Dovecoat Parva. There’s a reminder board telling her to ‘Keep Coo…’ - the village debate on the future of the service is 10 days away and from here the avian jokes pile up thick and fast. Royal Pigeon Mail is student theatre in its purest form. It’s naive, wholly accessible and has a beautifully playful tone. Likeable characters and witty use of puns make it a universal and easily relatable watch with the added bonus; it’s really funny and doesn’t try hard to be so. Kit is the impartial referee in the office. Timid and softly spoken, she is a perfect foil to her colleagues and does her ...

22Aug

By Al CarrettaNo Comments

Scotland

Yellow – theSpaceUK @ Surgeon’s Hall

Some shows are born great, some shows achieve greatness, and some shows have greatness thrust upon them. Ponder the classic quote then ask yourself if you’re a fan of Coldplay? Do you know their classic song, Yellow? Not to say it’s overused but if not, you’re going to know it by the end of this show. There’s a yellow tie, a yellow clipboard, some yellow tracksuit trousers and potentially more other yellow objects that I missed buried away in the corner of the theatre and practically watching this show from the wings. Yellow is a snapshot of office life in ‘Hathaways’ law firm. Various characters populate the environment. We’re lectured on moralistic principles and told tales of the fraudsters they defend. All of the performers work competently and efficiently with each other. The e...