Scotland Archives - Page 70 of 93

<strong>Once Upon a Snowstorm – Traverse Theatre</strong>

12Dec

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Once Upon a Snowstorm – Traverse Theatre

This gentle rendition of Richard Johnson’s wordless picture book, adapted and directed by Jo Timmins, produced by Lyra and with support from Catherine Wheels, is a surprisingly effective Christmas gift, very nicely wrapped and presented on the modified stage, turned grotto of the subterranean Traverse 2. A delicate piece of theatre from talented duo, Adam Tompa and Fay Guiffo, who work closely together to recreate the touching relationship between father and son, and their desperation when they become separated during a snowstorm in the deep woods. Guiffo’s particular gift for electric violin is very nicely integrated into the piece to recreate through sound the snowy textures and dulled stillness of their crystalised world and the animals which inhabit it. The set design by Sophie G...

<strong>The Memories Will Mostly Be Bright – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh</strong>

5Dec

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

The Memories Will Mostly Be Bright – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Creating and crafting theatre from scratch is a brave endeavour. Part of you is being measured, assessed and critiqued and it takes guts to put your ideas and interests out there for the public to judge. And so, I applaud this young writer and director, Conçalo Gois. Napier University Drama Society is clearly a very active group with 27 members of cast in this production about the nature of memory and significant moments in time remembered differently by different people. It didn’t quite hit the mark but was admirable in concept. Some things that needed attention include sound effects - ease them up, ease them down. Here it was a sudden assault on the senses and just as a surprise when they stopped - bam; lighting - use it to enhance the atmosphere/mood or concept. As this was about ...

<strong>The Commitments – Edinburgh Playhouse</strong>

29Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Commitments – Edinburgh Playhouse

Two months in to a nine-month tour of the UK, The Commitments lands in Edinburgh Playhouse. The lines are delivered crisply, the music is tight, and the vocals are on point, and from the look of the almost capacity audience, dancing, singing and whooping by the finale, all is well, or is it? It is hard for this not to be a hit, based on Roddy Doyle’s 1987 book set in Dublin and the subsequent 1991 BAFTA Award-winning film classic. The hit ingredients keep coming in the form of over 20 soul classics performed live on stage by a group of committed and talented actor / musicians. If you think there is a but coming, you would be right. Sometimes all of the right ingredients is just not enough, which is …well, disappointing. The story follows James Killeen as Jimmy Rabbitte, a young worki...

<strong>An Edinburgh Christmas Carol – Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh</strong>

27Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

An Edinburgh Christmas Carol – Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

Last performed here in 2019, the Lyceums’ Artistic Director David Greig gives this Edinburgh take on the Dickens classic a well-deserved re-run. And why not, it is an absolute joy to the eyes and ears and will surely be a big hit with audiences old and young alike. The well drilled and very talented cast play out the well-known tale of Scrooge on the cobbles of the old town against one of the undoubted stars of the show, the set; a series of finely painted backdrops of side screens from Edinburgh’s old town, featuring great stone quoins and air scraping tenements, with the castle looming like a constant dark presence overall. The set cleverly mirrors Mr Scrooge’s oppressive domination over the lower elements of Edinburgh, the underpaid clerks, like Bob Cratchit, or poor evicted tenan...

<strong>The Snow Queen – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh</strong>

25Nov

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

The Snow Queen – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Always leave ‘em wanting more. That seems to be the philosophy behind Scottish Ballet’s latest production, the fairly short but very sweet production of “The Snow Queen”. A festive show for all the family at just 40 minutes for each of the two acts, with a 25-minute interval, this colourful charming fairy tale is perfectly pitched for all ages to enjoy without the wee ones getting too restless. “The Snow Queen” is a Hans Christian Andersen story on which the film “Frozen” is based, but Scottish Ballet brings the original tale to life with choreography by Christopher Hampson and music by Rimsky-Korsakov played by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra conducted by Jean-Claude Picard. It tells the story of two sisters, the Snow Queen, (Constance Devernay-Laurence) and the Summer ...

<strong>Cell Outs – Traverse Theatre</strong>

25Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Cell Outs – Traverse Theatre

Two ex-screws take to intimate interior of the thrust stage of Traverse 2 to provide a thought-provoking insight into the British prison system. Glasshouse Theatre Company’s, Harriet Troup and Ella Church play themselves as graduates cajoled into the prison system on the promise of putting their arts backgrounds to good use in rehabilitation, only to find that barely six weeks later they are ‘lambs to the slaughter’ as fully qualified Prison Officers. In a comedic twist the two friends are posted to prisons within waving distance, one to a male prison, the other a female, covering both bases as it were, and provided rich material for this production. Set against a period of government cut-backs and lay-offs, the play takes us from initial recruitment through the ‘breakthrough grad...

<strong>Redcoat – Traverse Theatre</strong>

20Nov

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Redcoat – Traverse Theatre

Lewis Jobson treats us to some extra sparkle, joy, and magic in this exuberantly light-hearted one-man show. He celebrates his youthful adventures as a Redcoat in Bognor Regis, a world where you are never fully dressed without a smile, and a public altercation with Barney the dinosaur can earn you a verbal warning. If you like singing and clapping along to unashamedly cheesy music, you will certainly love this show. A group karaoke rendition of I Will Survive is a delightfully guilty pleasure, and there are plenty more of your favourite songs included. This is a tale of a young adult living away from home for the first time, and Redcoat Lewis reminisces about his crush on The Slushy Guy, cooking pizza on a George Foreman grill, and cheerfully entertaining children at b...

<strong>Vanity Fair – Church Hill Theatre</strong>

17Nov

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Vanity Fair – Church Hill Theatre

Vanity Fair is, when it's not inspiring magazine titles, a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, first published serially between 1847 and 1848. It was memorably subtitled "a novel without a hero" due to its protagonist, Becky Sharp, spending its entire duration trying to better her position in life with little care for the repercussions on supposed friends, (richer) husbands or even her own child. Because of this, the story isn't "just" a period costume drama, and any adaptation has to contend with a cynical protagonist doing unlikeable things while still keeping the audience engaged, and possibly even rooting for her. This aspect, which was previously managed so masterfully by a British TV adaptation, was something the twenty-year-old Reese Witherspoon vehicle film (which cast the TV ...

<strong>Witch Hunt – Traverse Theatre</strong>

17Nov

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Witch Hunt – Traverse Theatre

One could happily have stayed seated and watched this show all over again. Straight away, not tomorrow night (the second and last night in Edinburgh and, sadly, of the entire tour). It had almost everything; music, dance, poetry, slapstick, puppetry, magic, limericks, puns, double-entendre, songs, nudity, but above all… laughter. Abigail Dooley & Emma Edwards did not name their company ‘A & E Comedy’ half-heartedly. There was even some of the most genuine audience participation yet witnessed though in this day and age it’s pretty cathartic to join in with the refrain ‘It’s a shitshow, an asshole rodeo’. A one-woman show with a twist this Ricket and Rattled along from the opening scene - featuring some ill-fitting dentures and malfunctioning hands - through to the last. There’s H...

<strong>Ainadamar – Edinburgh Festival Theatre</strong>

15Nov

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Ainadamar – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Ainadamar (The Fountain of Tears) is a fusion of dance, visual technology, voices and orchestra, knitted together in bold, beautiful, installation-style art. The opening, a monochrome projection of a bull, is instantly intriguing and the intermittent visual representations cast to the shimmering circular curtain continue throughout the opera, lending depth and coherence not afforded by the libretto (David Henry Hwang). The curtain is easily penetrated and moved aside, suggesting power and vulnerability at one and the same time. The chainmail bullring conceals scene changes and reveals the action with the cast free to move between the interior and the exterior. This metaphor translates to traditional Andalucia and its gypsy customs of Flamenco and bullfighting, which Lorca endeavoured to...