C Aurora Archives - North West End UK

Shakespeare for Breakfast + Shakespeare for Kids – C aurora

13Aug

By Danielle FarrowNo Comments

Scotland

Shakespeare for Breakfast + Shakespeare for Kids – C aurora

Shakespeare for Breakfast has been a staple of the Fringe since the early ’90s and no show can retain the same extremely high standard through all those years. There had been a decline recently, mostly on the script front, but this year is the strongest S4B has been for some time. Shakespeare’s language is back at the heart of the production and the concept - the more-used-to-presenting-panto Sittingbourne All Stars producing the Bard for the first time - allowed for plenty of fun. This included subtle references to topical news and well-known adverts rather than over-reliance on these for the entertainment that wove through an interestingly / controversially blood-less rendition of Macbeth. The cast, shifting characters with skill, clarity and apt costume throughout, made decent us...

Showtime! – C Venues, C Aurora

EM The Master Productions Showtime! is a tough one. Conceptually, it works, (an exploration of seeking fame at all costs) but there is so much effort that it feels desperate, which is an uncomfortable place to put your audience … which is, no doubt, deliberate. The tale is about extremes of emotion and extremes of effort and, so, it was unremitting and manic. A few moments of calm would have given the audience time to digest and would have counterbalanced the wrecking ball. It is a small venue and yet the performer wears a mic. This may be an artistic choice, as it couldn’t possibly be necessary. Was it to suggest the trappings of performance? One needs the kit to be good? We jump from piano, ego and alter ego and sound bites of angst. Costumes go on and off, hair comes dow...

Sinatra: Raw – C Venues, C Aurora

Richard Shelton is marvelous in his portrayal of that ol’ crooner, Sinatra. Set in 1971, Sinatra: Raw recreates a 2 am show in Palm Springs. Here, Frank is opinionated, open, honest and enjoying Jack Daniels on ice. He is, of course, singing. Shelton is from Wolverhampton originally. He now lives in LA. Seven years ago, this particular Edinburgh Fringe show set him up for life, and he has since performed it in London, New York and Los Angeles to great acclaim. In fact, he is so well-liked that he was gifted one of Sinatra’s own dinner jackets which fits him to a tee. If you are a Sinatra fan, get yourself along to see this recreation of Ol’ Blue Eyes and hear about the Rat Pack, the love affairs, the unfairness of life with its ups and downs. Shelton has cracked Sinatra’s voice a...