Edinburgh Fringe Archives - North West End UK

Aarian Mehrabani: How’s your Head? – The Lowry

1Aug

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Aarian Mehrabani: How’s your Head? – The Lowry

The comedian Aarian Mehrabani premieres ‘How’s Your Head?’ at the Lowry Theatre this week. Directed by Dec Munro and commissioned by The Lowry, with support from the Arts Council England, this performance was the perfect preparation for Mehrabani’s upcoming Edinburgh Fringe Performance later this year. Having had previous success with his company ‘FlawBored’, he won awards for his debut show, ‘It’s a motherf***ing pleasure’ that completed with a three week run on Broadway. Describing himself as a ‘triple threat’: Brown, Bisexual and Blind, Mehrabani is certainly one interesting guy. He relays funny tales including his experiences of having an STI, his thoughts on the children’s story ‘Elemer the Elephant’ and in dramatic contrast to much of his tales, he bravely discusses having sur...

12Jul

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Princess Sparkles – Museum of Comedy

If Disney ever collided with a psychological breakdown, the result might look something like ‘Princess Sparkles’. Lily Maryon's debut solo show is gloriously unhinged, unapologetically absurd, and one of the most confidently bonkers princess character comedies I've seen in quite some time. The premise is deceptively simple, Princess Sparkles is a princess-for-hire expecting a room full of excited five-year-olds. Instead, the audience becomes those children, willingly swept into an increasingly chaotic birthday party as reality slowly unravels beneath the glitter. Her repeated insistence that she is "definitely not a Disney princess", something that is totally believable, only makes the comparison even funnier. Maryon demonstrates remarkable command of the room throughout the hour...

9Jun

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Shantify – Underbelly Boulevard Soho

Some theatre productions are clever; others are musically impressive. The truly special ones manage to be both, while embracing an utterly absurd premise with complete confidence. ‘Shantify’ [jazz hands essential] is one of those rare productions. It is utterly joyous, inventive and irresistibly entertaining, and will leave you grinning long after the curtain falls, with its brilliantly reimagined sea shanties still playing on repeat in your head for days afterwards! The premise alone sounds improbable: take chart-topping pop hits, musical theatre favourites and traditional sea shanties, throw them together aboard a nautical adventure, and somehow make it all work. Yet against all odds, it works brilliantly, from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift, from the Spice Girls to Hamilton and Six, familia...

Lorna Rose Treen: 24 Hour Diner People – Soho Theatre

10Sep

By Eleanor HallNo Comments

London

Lorna Rose Treen: 24 Hour Diner People – Soho Theatre

Fresh from a run at Edinburgh Fringe at Pleasance, Lorna Rose Treen is an agile one-woman show, consistently humorous and wonderfully well-rounded. Belly laughs are a guarantee at this Diner! Opening with an original song, akin to a Studio Ghibli tune, Treen takes us on a masterclass in audience interaction, perfectly integrated within the show and the narrative. Even where playing with the audience was at its riskiest (with one audience member being asked to read lines for several scenes) Treen did not drop the ball once. The spirit of madness is infused into this show, from a poem underscored by ratatouille soundtrack, to the ridiculously long-limbed trucker, to the pre-show mock menu offering a taste of what’s to come. Each character inhabiting the diner is joined up to the ne...

27Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Sweeney Todd – The Famous Spiegeltent

As part of their nine-show lineup at this year's Edinburgh Fringe, Captivate Theatre brings their rendition of Sondheim’s magnum opus Sweeney Todd to The Famous Spiegeltent in St Andrews Square. Humorous and gritty, the in-the-round set-up of The Spiegeltent added a voyeuristic, sinister energy to the production as the cast prowled through the audience, spying on as the action played out. Captivate’s prominence in the Edinburgh amateur theatre scene guarantees a production of consistency and talent, with Sweeney Todd certainly keeping in line with this expectation. Unfortunately for me, I was rather distracted throughout the performance as having arrived later than the general audience, I found myself dejected to a stool rather than a seat - a stool with a mirrored pilla...

Uncle Barry’s Birthday Party – Muse at Braw Venues @ Hill Street

12Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Uncle Barry’s Birthday Party – Muse at Braw Venues @ Hill Street

It’s Uncle Barry’s birthday this week at the Edinburgh Fringe, but please don’t tell him - it’s a surprise! Everyone is invited to Braw Venues where the scene is set with party hats, a DJ, and a mandatory conga line. This immersive experience is probably the introvert’s worst nightmare as the whole night we make small talk - the more we talk, the more everyone realises Barry is not who he seems… Some people I spoke extensively to, and some people I didn’t speak to at all. But the strange thing is, each person had a wildly different take on Barry’s life and his character, leading to rising tensions and gossip amongst the group - does anyone really know Barry? As I entered the party I was greeted by Mimi (Mia Foster) who promptly offered me a shot, proceeding t...

Betty Grumble’s Enemies of Grooviness Eat Sh!t – Assembly Roxy

10Aug

By Torya HughesNo Comments

Scotland

Betty Grumble’s Enemies of Grooviness Eat Sh!t – Assembly Roxy

Performance artist, sex clown and ecosexual Emma Maye Gibson returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a new show which she describes as a "composting" of herself. Merging dance, live music and bold physicality, Gibson explores themes of domestic violence, justice and grief with a characteristic intensity and humour. Gibson's previous Fringe performances have been in character as her drag alter ego Betty Grumble. This time, Betty is a mask and an outlandish mutant wig that can be donned by Gibson or her assistant Craig, an outward display of bravado that hides the human vulnerability within. However, Gibson becomes truly vulnerable on the stage tonight, literally baring all in a physical sense, but also emotionally. She relates her experience of taking an abuser to court, and being dismi...

8Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Inertia – Dovecot Studios

Ragana Productions paints us a picture of one woman’s post-Soviet life in Inertia at the Edinburgh Fringe. Having lived her life under the thumb of male domination, we see the ways in which Frida (played by Ola Olsinova) is haunted by her traumas, and how they reflect on those around her following the suicide of her abusive husband. Written and directed by Trudy Kalvynaité, this is a dreamy and wistful play filled with generational rage and sadness. Olsinova delivers a strong and complex character, showing us both the gentle, caring side of Frida, but also the unpredictable, wounded woman who is stuck in her past. Supporting Frida is Marta (played by Daiva Malina) — Frida’s best friend and confidante, who stays by her side even in Frida’s most vicious moments. Malina’s performance is an...

Bare: A Pop Opera – Alba Theatre at Braw Venues @ Hill Street

2Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Bare: A Pop Opera – Alba Theatre at Braw Venues @ Hill Street

As part of their stacked lineup of shows for the Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh Little Theatre presents Bare: A Pop Opera. Set in Catholic boarding school St Cecilia’s, the musical follows the journey of the school’s pupils as they grapple with the complexities of relationships, sexuality, and faith. At its core is the secret relationship between Jason (played by Josh McPherson) and Peter (played by Callan Paterson). Peter is ready to be open about their love, while Jason wants to keep it hidden—thus sparking the central conflict. The musical itself is a rollercoaster, complete with surreal and striking moments like Mother Mary appearing in a fever dream as Dolly Parton, simulated sex on stage, and a subplot involving teenage pregnancy. While Bare tackles extremely heavy themes, includ...

A Cold Day in Hell – Greenside @ George Street

2Aug

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

A Cold Day in Hell – Greenside @ George Street

A Cold Day in Hell is brought to Edinburgh from Armenia by the Armenian State Song Theatre. Written by Jan Quackenbush and directed by Hrach Keshisyan, this emotional one-man show tells the story of Charlie, whose wife was involved in a car accident, placing her into a coma. The story picks up 6 months after the event as we see Charlie navigate his grief and anger at the world. He turns on a video camera, intending to confess to a final act - switching off his wife’s life support machine and then ending his own life. However, with so many thoughts and complications in his head, will he ever go through with it? Nerses Avetisyan plays Charlie with fantastic, never-failing energy throughout the play’s entirety. From a powerful movement sequence at the show’s opening to gritty text, del...