Scotland Archives - Page 66 of 93

A Streetcar Named Desire – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

4May

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

A Streetcar Named Desire – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Since its debut in 2012, the Scottish Ballet’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” has been proved to be a stunning interpretation of Tennessee Williams’ classic play. It is a faithful adaptation of the original story that feels completely fresh and innovative in its ballet form. The choreography and music perfectly capture the emotion of the story and the performances are outstanding. This production is a beautiful expression of the themes of love, loss, and desire, and it is easy to see why it has won so many accolades. Every movement is deliberate, emotional, and perfectly timed to convey the psychology and inner battles of the characters. The dancing is both sensual and powerful, effortlessly capturing the passion and intensity of the story. In particular, the pas de deux be...

27Apr

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

The Mousetrap – Edinburgh Playhouse

Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” is most famous for being the longest continually running show in the world. Still being performed in the West End, it is now celebrating its 70th year with this anniversary tour. There is one original cast member still performing to this day! That is the voice of Derek Guyler, playing the radio announcer. Set in the early 1950s at a remote countryside guest house, five guests and the newlywed owners of Monkswell Manor are snowed in, with phone lines out of action and roads closed. Then a detective sergeant arrives on skis, with news that a killer is amongst them. The play was originally written for radio with the title “Three Blind Mice” and the somewhat eerie refrain of that nursery rhyme provides a suitably atmospheric th...

The Shawshank Redemption – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

25Apr

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

The Shawshank Redemption – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Ben Onwuke, playing Ellis ‘Red’ Redding, carries this story beautifully. He tops and tails it with a mellow voice and a story-telling style to captivate. No wonder he has numerous audio books to his credit. However, the first half is a bombardment of aggression with little remission. No doubt, prison is like that, yet, undoubtedly, there is plenty of subtle menace and understated tension simmering. A mood of depression must prevail in some corners - hence the high rate of suicide. Here we find a storm of high-pitched savagery. As a result, the director (David Esbjornson) offers the cast little scope to build tension and create climactic power. A little more ebb and flow, a smidgen of the off button in the volume would help build and release tension. Even in the supposed searing heat,...

Rock, Paper, Scissors – Traverse Theatre

25Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Rock, Paper, Scissors – Traverse Theatre

Established in 2016, Tandem Writing Collective comprising of three young(ish) writers Mhairi Quinn, Jennifer Adam and Amy Hawes, gave us a sneaky peek of a trio of (in workshop) new plays to a rapt and enthusiastic audience at the subterranean Traverse 2 tonight, for one night only. And with the juicy promise that all three will become fully developed plays later this year. Accompanied very nicely by musos, Celloist Jessica Kerr and keyboard player Aaron McGregor on stage, actors Kim Allen, Natalie Arle-Toyne and Betty Valencia, with scripts in hand bring the three workshop pieces to beautiful and dynamic animated life, to the obvious delight of the writers sitting in the front row with beaming smiles. And why not, all three pieces sounded and looked great and the actors, to a woman,...

Pass Out: Utter Filth – Traverse Theatre

19Apr

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Pass Out: Utter Filth – Traverse Theatre

For their HND showcase, the emerging performers from PASS at Edinburgh College devised and performed two pieces of theatre, both inspired by the provocative theme of “Utter Filth”. In the first performance, “Utter Filth” is a nightclub. The kind of place young people go to when they want to test their boundaries, with illicit substances aplenty. There are some nice group scenes, with collective movement and chit chat between the clubbers. We are introduced to “Josh” (Joshua Thomson), a likeably awkward young man. He is introduced to a group of friends by a mutual pal (Dan Webb) and there is some amusing dialogue between the two as Dan asks Josh to tone down his geekiness with these, clearly judgemental, new friends. The group discuss what to do on their big night out.&...

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Festival Theatre

19Apr

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Festival Theatre

If it’s the Stranger Things style poster that caught your attention or simply the usual high standard that comes with productions by the National Theatre one thing is to be sure you will not be disappointed when going to see the spooky phenomena that is The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Based on the best-selling novel by Neil Gaiman (also known for Coraline, Stardust, Good Omens and many more), you are bound to expect to be taken on a journey through the strange and wonderful but at times frightening. The National Theatre have managed to take Gaiman’s story of a young lad both coming to terms with the suicide of their family lodger due to money as well as learning to deal with the monsters (or should I say flees) he had no idea where lurking at the edges of his world and stamp it onto t...

Hal Cruttenden: It’s Best You Hear It From Me – The Stand, Edinburgh

19Apr

By Ella CatherallNo Comments

Scotland

Hal Cruttenden: It’s Best You Hear It From Me – The Stand, Edinburgh

Hal Cruttenden, a regular feature on the UK comedy circuit, returns with his new show centred around his recent divorce which is currently touring the UK. I saw posters for Cruttenden’s show around Edinburgh during last year’s Fringe and was very close to buying tickets but didn’t end up going. It was for this reason that I was so excited to get another chance to see it. This show walks a number of fine lines with ease. For example, ample audience interaction meant that the show never felt over-scripted or over-rehearsed, but it was also always apparent that Cruttenden was decidedly in charge of the narrative. Tangents that seemed off-the-cuff at the time ended up being worked seamlessly into overarching throughlines, giving a sense of both spontaneity and well-thought-out craft. Crutte...

Sean and Daro Flake It ‘til They Make It – Traverse Theatre

18Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Sean and Daro Flake It ‘til They Make It – Traverse Theatre

Director, Robert Softly Gale shows that disability is no impediment at all for making great theatre and scoring a five-star hit. The current artistic Director of Glasgow based, disability centred, Birds of Paradise theatre, teams up with The Traverse theatre to bring the gallus patter of Glasgow to the more refined East coast for this World premier of a show which could easily become a classic of the Scottish theatre circuit for many years to come. Fearless acting talent, Sean Connor as Sean (handy) and Cameron Fulton as Daro give truth to Laurie Motherwell’s brilliantly hilarious script which follows the fortunes of the two likely lads as they double-handedly take on the world from behind the ice cream van counter. As if to make even more room, in what is a packed theatre, the stage...

We Were Promised Honey! – Traverse Theatre

13Apr

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

We Were Promised Honey! – Traverse Theatre

In We Were Promised Honey! members of the audience become travellers on a prophetic tour of our own futures. We are not merely observers. We are participants within the world of the story. In 2018 Richard Russell, an airport baggage handler, stole an empty passenger plane and flew it for over an hour. He had learnt to fly by playing video games. Unfortunately, Russell had never practiced landing. Russel conducted some astonishing aerial manoeuvres, experiencing and sharing moments of pure joy – but hearing his story, our delight is tempered by our awareness of how the story must end. Writer and performer, Sam Ward, tells stories about the future lives of the people in the audience. Stories that will unfold over the next few centuries. (He is optimistic a...

The Multiverse is Gay – Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

13Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Multiverse is Gay – Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

The Multiverse is Gay is a brand-new play performed by Lyceum Young Company. You can only imagine the nerves and courage it took to pull this off for the teens and young adults on stage. It was my pleasure to attend their opening night at the 100-seater Lyceum small theatre, a ‘black box’ cube space with seating set up in L-shape formation for this performance. A surprisingly moving piece which undoubtedly brought a tear to many an eye at the conclusion of the opening night this evening. At the heart of ‘The Multiverse is Gay’, is the common thread of ‘otherness’ which binds the raggle-taggle group of friends on stage. Others may have branded them as the outsiders, the geeks, the queer kids or the school dropouts, but they know they are a community, a family. This is certainly an amb...