C Venues Archives - North West End UK

16Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

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...

The Kids With Nae Hame – C Arts, C Venues

This new play gives a voice to children who have been taken into ‘care’. They are ‘The Kids With Nae Hame’. The script, written by Geraldine Smith, is based on the personal experiences of the care system by some of the cast members. The company formed to present this play is called ‘It’s About Time (Scotland)’. That title encapsulates the campaigning spirit of this play. Children in care have, for a variety of reasons, been taken away from their parental homes. But sadly, in the care system they’re not necessarily getting the care and attention they need. In this play we see acts of emotional ill-treatment, even cruelty, by care workers. There seems to be a continuous battle being waged between the staff and the teenagers. The ongoing Scottish Child Abuse enquiry has hear...