Scotland Archives - Page 44 of 93

Dee Christopher The Psychic Vampire – Frankenstein & Bier Keller

24Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Dee Christopher The Psychic Vampire – Frankenstein & Bier Keller

In the dark depths of the spookiest pub in Edinburgh you can find yourself a magic act like non other. Dee Christopher takes you on a journey to prove both his legitimacy as a real life vampire and his skill as a magician using the mediums of storytelling, humour and some seriously impressive tricks. The best way to describe Dee Christopher as a performer would be a man with the essence of an old Hollywood rock star, he is like Johnny Depp if they had let him play a cool vampire instead of the strange thing from Dark Shadows. His voice is somewhat calming but at the same time you feel as though you’re watching some mysterious stranger in a bar who’s stories you could listen to all night. Not only are we given magic, but through audience choices we are told stories of this vampire...

24Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Jake Bugg – Edinburgh Playhouse

Bringing my Edinburgh Fringe reviewing to an end for another year (with review number 63!), an absolute belter, five-star performance by Nottingham lad, singer-songwriter and supreme musician, Jake Bugg, at the Edinburgh Playhouse. An artist that I have known of and heard snippets of over the last ten years, this concert came as a very pleasant surprise, and reminded me that I actually do know loads of his songs, albeit not the names of them! Luckily, I was sitting next to fellow reviewer and big Bugg fan, Eilidh Tuckett from Artmag, who was able to lean over and tell me the names of the songs as they came thick and fast. Thanks Eilidh! From the very Oasis sounding, Kingpin, from Bugg’s second album to the much softer and more lyrical Hold Tight, his favourite from his fifth album, y...

23Aug

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

Scotland

Algo-Rhythm – The Bill Murray

Algo- Rhythm by the ‘Useless group’ is a dynamic trio with memorable and relatable Musical comedy. They serve it with a twist as fresh and delicious as mint chocolate chip gelato. They burst with enthusiasm on stage. Leoni Amandin, Sinead Hegarty and Rebeka Dio have wicked sorcery under their wings. They dig deep into their experiences of being queer, creative and navigating the world around us. With some adorable use of sock puppets and cardboard cutouts, their audience interaction game is strong, confident and sassy! It is delightful to hear the clarinet, piano and ukulele being played through the show by the talented performers, seamlessly changing roles and pitches. They combine the whimsical of ‘where do eels come from?’ with matter-of-fact sharing of trade secrets that they...

The Music of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie – The Jazz Bar

23Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Music of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie – The Jazz Bar

The Colin Steele quintet, featuring the brilliant saxophone of Martin Kershaw, cooked it up a storm at The Jazz Bar tonight. A young lady in the front row (who couldn’t have been more than 11 years-old!) was back for the second night in a row. And why not, when you have musicianship of this quality on your doorstep. The superlatives list would be long for the saxophone playing of Martin Kershaw who was the stand-out on stage, a truly world-class performer. Beautifully supported by Colin Steele on trumpet, Pete Johnstone on keys, Brian Shiels on Bass and Max Popp on the skins. It was great to see the level of respect and love for their fellow players and the space they all received to show off their individual skills on the various instruments, all of which was heartily applaud...

23Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Kyiv City Ballet – Assembly Hall

Hopeful, playful and bright. Those are the adjectives I’d use to describe the show performed by the homeless Kyiv City Ballet this evening. The company was on tour in France when hostilities broke out in Ukraine. There was no going home. The company has been living by touring ever since: recycling costumes and shows, inventing new shows and making beautiful art as a means of making a living and a way of distracting themselves from their terrible exiled predicament. Creative dance is a wonderful means of expression and this company has kept itself afloat through its own endeavors. Their new piece is an expression of love, humanity, sharing and caring. It is utterly charming. There is no wiff of bitterness nor an aside to the black nature of mankind. It is simply a celebration of h...

Cults, Startups and Pornstars: How I (almost) Won My Dad’s Approval – Zoo Playground

23Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Cults, Startups and Pornstars: How I (almost) Won My Dad’s Approval – Zoo Playground

This humorous confessional makes light of child abuse in order to win over the audience. The subject matter is made palatable and, therefore, people listen. In response to a traumatic childhood, Cheyenne claims to have developed an App to protect children online. It was removed from use. If true, this should concern us all. But I only have one side of the story. Cheyenne’s. What goes on behind closed doors is rarely revealed easily and then there’s the difficulty of building a case. But, online exploitation, now that’s a public thing and a dirty thing and an underground thing that needs policing. I would have thought any efforts in this field would be welcomed with open arms. This was the part of the show that hit me. And it was meant to. The other parts, are there to pull ...

The 7 Fingers: Duel Reality – Underbelly Circus Hub

23Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The 7 Fingers: Duel Reality – Underbelly Circus Hub

Now, here is an oddity, a show I have seen twice, once on preview night at the start of the Fringe, and again tonight, and I can immediately see improvements! The first thing to say, is that this show is best viewed from the central seating area (where I was tonight), if you can. Duel reality starts with a beautifully choreographed fight scene between the two ‘sides’ of the ten-strong troupe, pitting the blues against the reds. To add to the audience experience you are given a wrist band of blue or red as you enter the circus tent and ‘requested’ to support your team. There is whooping, clapping, screaming from the audience – this idea sounds like it is working well! Raising the stakes of the team struggle, we soon come to realise that Blue is Capulet and Red is Montague and the ...

The Last Show Before We Die – Summerhall Roundabout

23Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

The Last Show Before We Die – Summerhall Roundabout

The Last Show Before We Die was created, written and performed by Mary Higgins and Ell Potter, or Ell and Mary as we know the versions of themselves they present on-stage. They are former lovers, and current (still) best friends, housemates and work partners, whose previous collaborations include FITTER and HOTTER. The latter was the last piece of live theatre this reviewer saw before the first lock-down of the pandemic, which was already making its mark when audience members were encouraged to jump up and dance at the end of the show, but to do it without moving around the theatre or coming into contact with anyone. The history the two performers share (with each other, not with Covid, or me) is central to this show, and obvious whether you know about their previous projects or not,...

Beats on Pointe: Masters of Choreography – Assembly George Square

23Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Beats on Pointe: Masters of Choreography – Assembly George Square

In this extravaganza of fabulousness, the outrageously skilled members of the Australian dance company, Masters of Choreography, seamlessly combine a boundless range of dance and performance disciplines including hip hop, ballet, commercial, breakdancing, and more. Sometimes they synchronise with each other’s moves in different styles, with the ballerinas adapting newer dance styles to perform en pointe. A particularly exciting moment involves a break dancer spinning on his head while, behind him, three ballerinas pirouette in unison. The athleticism of the performers is astounding, with gymnastic backflips, leaps, and lifts galore. The ballet team enters a dance showdown with the hip-hop team, and the hip-hop group seems to win, though I’m not sure why. Even seemingly casual movements ...

A Mirrored Monet – Greenside @ Nicholson Square

23Aug

By Marcelina KruczyńskaNo Comments

Scotland

A Mirrored Monet – Greenside @ Nicholson Square

A marvelous performance. With excellent acting and the intricate staging and visual effects being a feast for the eyes, this performance is certainly one for the books. A Mirrored Monet written by Carmel Owen, directed by Fraser Grant and music directed by Neil Metcalfe is certainly one to be remembered. The show focuses on the life of Monet. Drawing on inspiration from sources like letters, paintings and more, the performance focuses on all aspects of the artist's life covering the ups just as much as the downs. In a series of flashbacks Monet’s life is unraveled. Within these flashbacks we meet Camille (Monet’s first wife) who in this run was played by the understudy Kim Shepherd. We also meet other artists Monet associated himself with such as the likes of Renoir (played by Chris Dod...