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Raintown and Bumnotes – Scottish Storytelling Centre

23Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Raintown and Bumnotes – Scottish Storytelling Centre

Never in my life did I expect to see grown men pretending to be raccoons, or see the bible rewritten to be about jelly babies instead of Jesus, but I suppose that’s the fun of the Edinburgh International Improv Festival. In the penultimate double bill of Saturday night at the Scottish Storytelling Centre we saw the Irish musical improv group Bumnotes belt out show tunes completely off the cuff, with Glasgow-based group Raintown performing right afterwards. Musical improv is becoming increasingly popular and after watching Bumnotes’ performance I have no questions as to why. Funnily enough the suggested word was ‘garbageman’ which was a reference to an earlier performance done by The Imposters - clearly the audience are enjoying the improvisation as they are coming back f...

The Lightening Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – The Other Palace

23Mar

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Lightening Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – The Other Palace

This musical began as a 60 minute Off-Broadway production in 2014. It returned to the New York stage in an expanded two-hour version in 2017. It tells the story of the first book in a series of six books written by fantasy novelist Rick Riordan. Joe Tracz and composer and lyricist Rob Rokicki have “chosen to hone into the first book in the series The Lightening Thief “written with a modern-day twist. Centred around a New York teenager ‘Percy Jackson’ played by Morgan Gregory who discovers he is the half-blood son of the Greek god Poseidon. He gets caught up in an unexpected adventure where he starts a journey of self-discovery, and he soon begins to realise that the people around him are not quite who they seem. Knowing the back catalogue of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians se...

ImprompTwo & Nice Things & Hog – Scottish Storytelling Centre

23Mar

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

ImprompTwo & Nice Things & Hog – Scottish Storytelling Centre

Three for the price of one. A busy hour flashed by, we’ll try to remember... First up were ImprompTwo (Kathy and Joe Rinaldi from across the pond) illustrating several comic aspects of a New York apartment block; the Deli on the ground floor where debates on sandwich fillings leads to a customer’s ejection, a couple’s upstairs apartment where debates concerning the title of a podcast (is it Love or Romance?) lead to some testy exchanges, and a further debate about what to do when an unwanted guest threatens a visit. Funny, entertaining, slick, with snappy dialogue, but was it improvised? Next up were Nice Things (Charles Dundas and Steven Millar) who took the audience input and ran with it, kicking off with bus drivers Terry and Terence and the surreal suggestion that a sma...

The Imposters and Funfdollar – Edinburgh International Improv Festival

23Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

The Imposters and Funfdollar – Edinburgh International Improv Festival

Hosted by the Scottish Storytelling centre, the Edinburgh International Improv Festival hit us with three full nights of improv by actors from all across the globe. In this double bill we saw The Imposters from Shetland tell a tale fit for a soap opera, followed by Funfdollar all the way from Berlin who left us in stitches with their dry, quick-witted humour. Kicking things off with The Imposters, this group took the word ‘dragon’ from the audience. How this improvisation transpired from the word dragon I am unsure as the only reference to the source word was a clever remark from one of the players, with him saying “this is dragging on.” Get it? To begin with it did seem that the team was struggling a little for inspiration but once they found the basis of their im...

23Mar

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Buckled – 53two

It’s Wine O’Clock somewhere. Hic-Hic-Hooray. Eat, sleep, Gin, repeat. How many of us can honestly say we haven’t reached the end of a working week and our mind has turned to relaxing with friends or family and a few drinks via an alcohol-themed pun or two. But where is the line when enjoying a bevy becomes a serious problem? Helen Jeffery’s slick and thought provoking one-act play, Buckled, which she also directs, gives us a glimpse in the consequences of out-of-control drinking. A simple set of a table and two chairs is thoughtfully used and, through a mix of mono- and dialogues and ensemble speeches, delivered by three excellent actors, and a cleverly curated Britpop soundtrack, we have the opportunity to consider our own relationship with the ‘demon drink’ (and possibly feel s...

Playhouse Creatures – Orange Tree Theatre

23Mar

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

Playhouse Creatures – Orange Tree Theatre

In the intimate setting of Orange Tree’s theatre-in-the-round, the 1660s came visiting. Charles II is on the throne, theatres have reopened, and there is a new creature on the stage – a female actor. The theatre, we are told, was once a bear pit and people came in to watch dancing bears. Now they come to see the women. Directed by Michael Oakley, April De Angelis’ play about five actresses – who were among the very first women in the profession – brings to life real stories from the period. Some of the themes seem like lasting legacies of showbiz, like the way younger faces edge out the old, and pregnancy becoming a full-stop to vibrant careers. Mrs Betterton and Mrs Marshall rule the roost, playing myriad roles from Amazon warriors to powerful queens, before thickly packed audiences...

23Mar

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Men’s Business – Finborough Theatre

Men’s Business by Tony and Olivier Award winning playwright Simon Stephens has its world premiere this season. This 1972 version of Mannersache by Franz Xaier Kroetz, Simon Stephen’s translation is a love story set in a butcher’s shop with a cast of two and a dog and is the London debut for the acclaimed new production company Glass House Theatre from Dublin. From the opening scene, the backroom of a butcher’s shop Charlie and Rex appear in their work attire to the loud sounds of punk rock music, blasting, flashes of red as they assume their positions into what quickly transpires to be the only place the audience will see throughout this play. A small intimate theatre of benches which the audience can truly see, feel and touch the actors on set. Rex Ryan plays Victor the ‘boyfriend’ ...

Brennan Reece: Me Me Me – Royal Exchange

23Mar

By Kathryn GortonNo Comments

North West

Brennan Reece: Me Me Me – Royal Exchange

Playing to a sold out , home crowd of family , friends and fans of this extremely popular, highly likeable and extremely watchable home grown Manc comedian on a Friday night at the beautiful Royal Exchange was Brennan Reece. What a brilliant venue and I was interested how he’d play to the audience in the round but he absolutely revelled in it and worked every curve as he assessed his audience and fed off their laughter. With three supporting acts to open and warm up the crowd was the ‘ intense eyed ‘ Larry Dean whose manic expressions, quick patter and physical comedy, Norman Wisdomesque face pulling and self analysis of his Autism making him conclude that all his previous relationships were gas lighters had me howling. Next, was Tito Giacotto, an ex-professional Sicilia...

Portable Infinity – Edinburgh Traverse Bar

23Mar

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Portable Infinity – Edinburgh Traverse Bar

Crikey, this was good. Tight. Hot. Funky. At times it even rocked. Four master musicians with CV’s so long you’d need a telescope to finish reading. Accompanying central legend Benjamin Koppel on Alto Sax were Jacob Karlzon on piano, Scott Colley on double bass and Magnus Ostrom on drums and percussion (have a google). Making it work because they love, but more importantly, live, what they do. The setting of the bar at The Traverse lends itself well to these events, allowing just the right ratio of reverence to informality. As Benjamin announces, this will be one long set, no interval, but one is welcome to frequent the bar. The quartet recorded an eponymously titled album in 2023, (available from Cowbell Music, Bandcamp and most of the usual platforms) and this is pretty much what ...

23Mar

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Double Act – Southwark Playhouse

Two clowns enter the stage, their mission: to end their life tonight. We travel with them for the day as they quarrel over the best way to spend this final day. Representing one male, 28 and lost in what purpose his life might have, we meet strangers and exes on the way to the coast. Small gestures of kindness and connection breaks his mission to the cliff, giving him moments of doubt as he continues to question - what is courage? Is it to finally bring it all to an end or is it to keep trying? Written and performed by Nick Hyde, they play one side of the coin along with Oliver Maynard. Each of the pair double as other characters in this man’s life. The nosy neighbour, the ex and the unbearable finance bro from school. Each moment is relatable and hilarious, as we all connect over the j...