Scotland Archives - Page 40 of 91

Good and Gaslit – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

29Aug

By Anna ChiariNo Comments

Scotland

Good and Gaslit – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

Inspired by the film Gaslight starring Ingrid Bergman, Good and Gaslit delves into the concept of gaslighting – the more or less indirect manipulation perpetrated on women by a society that neither wants to see them in control nor to achieve success, a society deeply misogynistic that seems to harbour disdain for women. Good and Gaslit explores the perspective is that of a woman who has lived through a significant portion of her life's most meaningful events and looks back at them with disillusionment and newfound awareness. She revisits and reevaluates these events in the light of a rekindled feminism and the concept of gaslighting, something she wasn't familiar with in her youth. Written by Deborah Cincotta, an experienced TV producer and first-time theatre performer, and direc...

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – Festival Theatre

29Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – Festival Theatre

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Programme 2 toilet talk: “It wouldn’t have been my choice, but it was good. I liked the last piece best.” For me, it was all an excellent choice. The dancing was supreme from this group of inclusive and artistic athletes. Their strength and supple limbs pleased me no end. Additionally, I really enjoyed the retro music. The beat and rhythm were retro because this programme hails from 1960 onwards. It was all choreographed by the company’s founder, Alvin Ailey and it still part of their international repertoire. This company is founded on the ethics of inclusivity, mutual support and opportunity for all. With this in their back pocket, the team at Alvin Ailey routinely invite local aspiring dancers to be part of their performances. The youngsters (...

29Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Life is a Dream – Lyceum Theatre

Co-produced by Cheek by Jowl, Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico (CNTC Madrid) and LAZONA; in collaboration with the Barbican, London and Scène Nationale d’ALBI-Tarn, France The only time I saw a production by Cheek by Jowl was in 1981, when the company was an infant. I don’t remember the play I saw, but I remember the company because the production was jaw-droppingly good. For this reason, I chose to review, decades later, Life is a Dream. In this classic Spanish tale, a prince is released from imprisonment to test whether the prophesy that he will be a tyrant, will, in fact, come true. The play is listed as one of the forty greatest plays of all time. It was performed in Spanish with English surtitles. First published in 1636, you could be forgiven for wondering if it might...

Tannhäuser: Deutsche Oper Berlin – Usher Hall

29Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Tannhäuser: Deutsche Oper Berlin – Usher Hall

Sitting from 6 pm - 10 pm is a big ask for an audience. It’s an even bigger ask for an orchestra and singers. Below me, from my balcony, I could see a sea of white heads. I think it takes maturity to know this will be worth it. The majority down there are probably Munro climbers - folk who know it is worth the trek. Sitting through a Wagner opera (on stage or in concert) is a statement of love. Wagner is bold. He’s brassy. He’s massively dramatic - employing harps and I’m a bit of a lover of those things. I am a novice to Tannhäuser, and it did not disappoint. I was truly impressed with all the performers. Together, they comprised: chorus and orchestra of the Deutch Oper Berlin and musicians from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Sir Donald Runnicles conducted while Jeremy Bines...

The Beatles Were a Boy Band – The Gilded Balloon, Patter Hoose

29Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

The Beatles Were a Boy Band – The Gilded Balloon, Patter Hoose

In this 70-minute play, cleverly entitled The Beatles Were a Boy Band to appeal to a wide age range and both sexes, a network of social issues are explored: sexual predation mainly, but it is couched within the context of young people’s addiction to social media and trashy reality TV and the values it disseminates. It highlights those opportunistic young men who hide themselves within the cloak of anonymous tweets and memes and then torment and intimidate naïve young women, encouraged by this titillating diet of overtly sexualised media. There is an example of real-life intimidation: a woman comedian being heckled by the crowd. Unlike a male comedian’s experience, the drunken heckler was laser focused on the performer's physical attributes. As a woman, I know this to be true and somethi...

The Kids With Nae Hame – C Arts, C Venues

29Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

The Kids With Nae Hame – C Arts, C Venues

This new play gives a voice to children who have been taken into ‘care’. They are ‘The Kids With Nae Hame’. The script, written by Geraldine Smith, is based on the personal experiences of the care system by some of the cast members. The company formed to present this play is called ‘It’s About Time (Scotland)’. That title encapsulates the campaigning spirit of this play. Children in care have, for a variety of reasons, been taken away from their parental homes. But sadly, in the care system they’re not necessarily getting the care and attention they need. In this play we see acts of emotional ill-treatment, even cruelty, by care workers. There seems to be a continuous battle being waged between the staff and the teenagers. The ongoing Scottish Child Abuse enquiry has hear...

007 Voices of Bond – theSpace @ Symposium Hall

28Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

Scotland

007 Voices of Bond – theSpace @ Symposium Hall

007 Voices of Bond is any James Bond fan’s dream. Brought to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by Night Owl Shows, this hour-long concert takes the audience on a journey through the title tracks of Bond. Other than the opening number, Diamonds are Forever, the songs are performed in chronological order of release date, charting the evolving style of the music through the decades. Between each song either Maia Elsey, the truly phenomenal lead singer, or a pre-recorded video of ‘Mike’ (a hilarious yet informative M stand in), provide the audience with the context of each track. How they came to be made, what the meaning behind the song is, and its place within the wider world of music. These brief interludes were fascinating, and enhanced the experience from beyond just spectacle, to a genuine e...

Yippe Ki Yay – Gilded Balloon at the Museum

28Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Yippe Ki Yay – Gilded Balloon at the Museum

The phrase “Yippe Ki Yay” originated in the 19th-century Western United States, making its way into the 1988 film Die Hard entirely within the context of old Westerns: it closes a scene in which Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber accuses Bruce Willis's John McClane of having seen to many John Wayne films and the latter answers he always preferred Roy Rogers. Though the show adds the words “the Die Hard parody” in brackets at the end of its title just to be sure, I wouldn't imagine there is a soul on Earth that went into a show named Yippe Ki Yay looking for a musical about the Old West, such is the hold Die Hard now has over the phrase. It has since been said in every sequel (and a poster) without even an attempt at another cowboy reference, the franchise itself providing its context now. ...

A Night With Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda – theSpace @ Symposium Hall

27Aug

By Amy HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

A Night With Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda – theSpace @ Symposium Hall

Bipolar UK ambassador Natasha Rea performed solo in this emotive and raw show which was part autobiographical drama and part persuasive monologue. Natasha is a talented actress who cares deeply about how her performance represents and advocates for the bipolar community. The show detailed the ups and downs of bipolar disorder (BPD) and everything in-between without romanticising the mental health condition. Personal antidote was interlaced with shocking statistics such as people with bipolar disorder are 20 times more likely to commit suicide. As the end approached Natasha made an emotionally driven plea for the audience to help make systemic changes to the Mental Health system through political action. She also urged us to do more for friends and family struggling with their menta...

Grown Up Orphan Annie – Gilded Balloon, Patter Hoose

27Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Grown Up Orphan Annie – Gilded Balloon, Patter Hoose

Little Orphan Annie (Katherine Bourne-Taylor) has grown up into a lovable, but insecure, girl-woman with a serious Ovaltine habit. Her happy ending with Daddy Warbucks was a sham: he took all her money, he controls the rights to all her hit songs, and he even stole her dog. Life has been cruel to Annie, but she bustles on with her characteristic optimism infused with desperation. We like her, but she is hard work. This is a one-woman show, but Annie longs for connection and Bourne-Taylor interacts with the audience, and the tech guy, throughout. She asks us if she can go to our “hang” after the show, enlists an audience member to help her onstage, and calls us all her “Fannies”. (I am now the proud owner of a sticker that says “#1 Fannie”.) We catch up with Annie after the ...