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Edinburgh Days – St. Brides Community Centre

21Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Edinburgh Days – St. Brides Community Centre

There is something stirring at the heart of Edinburgh Days, a new sung-through musical that plants its feet in 19th-century Scotland and tries to tell a story of love, loss and survival against the hardships of the city. It has ambition and flashes of real quality. It also has problems. The creative team is a serious one, Edinburgh-born composer Brian Spence, director Bob Tomson (Blood Brothers), and choreographer Caroline Inglis. That pedigree shows in places: the Celtic-rock inflected score gives the show its own colour, and some of the cast deliver performances of real power. Debbie McKenna, as Mary, is outstanding, a husky-voiced presence who can belt with thrilling intensity. She grounds her character with emotional truth, and her songs are some of the evening’s highlights. Col...

20Aug

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

War Horse – Leeds Grand Theatre

For most of us in this country our first exposure to puppets are Mr and Mrs Punch going at it hammer and tongs on a seafront, but War Horse is a reminder that puppetry is an art form that challenges both the practitioners and the audience. There is something incredibly special watching a team of puppeteers moving in perfect synchronicity asking us to believe we are watching a thoroughbred horse in full flow. All theatre is to an extent a suspension of disbelief, but puppetry makes special demands of any audience’s imagination as we are constantly asked to make the inanimate real in our minds. Michael Morpurgo who wrote the novel said the producers ‘must be mad’ to try and stage a story about a horse who is transported from the idyllic Devon countryside to the horrors of the Great War...

20Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Derby Day – theSpace Triplex

Following the success of their returning production Wish You Were Here, Without Compromise Theatre brings its second show to the Edinburgh Fringe with the gritty and gut-wrenching Derby Day. Set in Fife, the play examines the aftermath of a fatal stabbing through the eyes of friends Danny (Xander Cowan) and Harris (Kieran Lee-Hamilton). As the investigation unfolds, the two attempt to distance themselves from any connection to the deceased. Yet the harder they try to conceal the truth, the more it inevitably seeps through the cracks. Written by Michael Johnson, Derby Day explores themes of cyclical violence and abuse within the framework of a Scottish community. In doing so, it remains true to Without Compromise Theatre’s mission: to advocate for the Scottish working class while exp...

20Aug

By Al CarrettaNo Comments

Scotland

Unravel – theSpaceUK @ Surgeons’ Hall

All Arya wants to do is eat her chips. Dressed in dungarees, her hair is messily piled on top of her head. A single chair and a table are present on the stage. The lighting is basic and neutral. A baby cries and so begins an involved character study of postpartum depression and paranoia. The representation of the child is a small bundle of wool and cloth. The bundle isn’t particularly well cared for. This action, deliberate or not, offers a useful metaphor for the piece. Arya reads The Eddas to her baby in the belief that intellectual nurture will give him the life she never had. The early beats of the monologue run through a traditional pattern. Exhaustion is ever present and Solene Capaldi’s performance as the mother begins to intrigue and come alive. And then the disembodied voic...

SLUGS – Summerhall (Red Lecture Theatre)

20Aug

By Charles PipeNo Comments

Scotland

SLUGS – Summerhall (Red Lecture Theatre)

At its outset, SLUGS boldly claims to be a show about “NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING”. Inspired by garden slugs – seemingly formless, mindless, useless creatures – the characters set out to create a show that completely avoids touching on any serious or thought-provoking topics. The show should supposedly be pure escapism, akin to scrolling through cute videos of puppies on Instagram. However, serious topics inevitably creep in. The characters – fictionalised versions of the performer S.E. Grummett and Sam Kruger themselves – can’t help but bring up gun violence, transphobia, sexual harassment in the comedy industry, and so on. The result is an hour of nonstop, unhinged, manic, perfectly executed comedy, as the characters desperately attempt to avoid these topics. The show is b...

KC Shornima: Detachment Style – Bunker One

20Aug

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

Scotland

KC Shornima: Detachment Style – Bunker One

Shornima born in Nepal raised in Georgia America is a comedienne with a twist. She draws on her personal experiences from childhood trauma living in a boarding school during a civil war in Nepal, to relationships with friends, boyfriends and rejection from her parents. Her ability to conceptualise these personal challenges and reverse the psychology into comedy is impressive. Quick firing one liners and layers of storytelling packed full of realism of a life most would find deeply debilitating. The relevance of the ‘Me To’ movement, rape and therapy are part of what she deconstructs through her comedy hour. Shornima is a writer for Saturday Night live, she has an extraordinary way of explanation that is unique and at times difficult to absorb, but this is her style, and it gets a la...

Scenes with Black Folk – Camden People Theatre

20Aug

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Scenes with Black Folk – Camden People Theatre

Scenes with Black Folk sets out with a bold and important premise: to ask, what are the rules of being Black? Who decides, and who enforces them? And what happens when those questions are asked aloud? On paper, it promises to be thought-provoking and powerful, a piece that could explore the complexities, contradictions, and lived realities of Black identity across time. Unfortunately, the production falls short of that promise. While it gestures toward weighty themes, it lacks the substance and cohesion needed to make them resonate. Instead of offering sharp insight or meaningful reflection, the play leans heavily on clever-sounding wordplay and poetic fragments that ultimately feel hollow. Symbolism is suggested but rarely lands with clarity or impact, leaving the audience with mor...

Dragging your Heels – Camden People’s Theatre

20Aug

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Dragging your Heels – Camden People’s Theatre

Dragging Your Heels, part of Camden Fringe, is a charming little play about a recently divorced builder, Ben, who dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian. By the end of the show, he manages to face his stage fright by embracing a whole new persona by stepping into drag as a way to perform with confidence. The central message is thoughtful: drag can be many things: a character, a persona, an art form, even a political statement. Here, it becomes a means for someone to follow their dreams and step onto a stage. It’s a touching idea, and the play pays tribute to the transformative power of drag in a warm and accessible way. The production itself is minimal, with a cast of three who keep the story moving through jokes and small musical numbers. There were moments of genuine laughter, ...

ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show – Gilded Balloon

20Aug

By Juliette PepinNo Comments

Scotland

ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show – Gilded Balloon

With spontaneous sharp wit, wild rhymes and surprise pop culture references, Shake It Up Shakespeare pokes fun at the classic tragedies in this unpredictable and boisterous romp. We are confronted with our first choice of a comedy, tragedy or history – after a resounding chant for tragedy, we are told to expect that everyone will, in true Shakespearean fashion, die. As we walk to our seats, we are given the option to write phrases and prompts for the cast to select at random throughout the play, with the power to change the entire course of the story. The result is hilarious chaos, with a murder being committed in Aisle 4 of an ASDA, Hamilton lines being freestyled for a 16th century audience ('methinks I am not throwing away my shot’) and Auld Lang Syne celebrations thrown in. The ...

20Aug

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

The Diana Mixtape – The Lowry

Succeeding a world premiere in London, The Diana Mixtape makes a Royal Visit to the North for a limited, three-day run. This concert-style jukebox of a Di-opic declares a need “to set the record straight”, centring on the People’s Princess’ turbulent relationship with Charles the Third. Five drag queens share the titular role as they blast through a contemporary pop playlist of female anthems. Photo: Harry Elletson It starts out strong with the queens delivering fast-paced, irreverent comedy as a lovestruck Lady Di meets her future husband for the first time. Well-chosen songs promptly introduce the audience to other characters: Elizabeth II- played by Keala Settle- rules the stage with Commander. Meanwhile, the sensational Lucinda Lawrence demands undivided attention as Camilla s...