Edinburgh Fringe Archives - Page 6 of 15

Wee Seals and Selkies – Scottish Storytelling Centre

5Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Wee Seals and Selkies – Scottish Storytelling Centre

Wee Seals and Selkies is a magical warm hug from children’s author, Janis Mackay. Her velvet voice and adept physicality captures young imaginations from the outset. As we enter, she sits on the edge of the simple set while her musician companion, Donald Scott, warms the atmosphere with this fiddle. In this delightful family show, storytelling and music combine to create an enchanting performance, evoking the Scottish northern seashores. The Wee Seal is the true tale of a seal born in the storyteller’s garden, while The Selkie Girl is a retelling for children of the much-loved magical selkie myth. Based on two of Janis Mackay’s much-loved books; The Wee Seal, and The Selkie Girl (Floris Books), the sea and the seals are evoked both on stage and by the audience. The lighting, ...

5Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

RENT – Paradise in Augustine’s

Theatre joins us together in a shared experience to marvel at talent, commitment, application and teamwork. And to ponder the writer’s message. Edinburgh-based Bare Productions drew a rowdy standing ovation for this 1990s tale of fear and solidarity in AIDS riddled Bohemian Manhattan. My neighbour for the evening, a transgender Dane called Daniel, informed me that RENT is very popular in the queer community. He enjoyed the show, saying he likes slice-of-life style theatre and that, while this particular musical is no longer contemporary, having been created before he was born, it is still very relevant. Appreciating and understanding the social history of the queer community is important. That’s the magic of Edinburgh Fringe: sharing views and exchanging human warmth with someo...

The Death of Molly Miller – Underbelly Cowgate

5Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Death of Molly Miller – Underbelly Cowgate

Ever wondered if a social media influencer and a thief could get along? Perhaps for the most part just not when the thief has the influencer tied to a chair! The Death of Molly Miller is a dark satire which delves into the stereotypes of reality TV social media stars and desperate thieves, demonstrating that you can’t always judge a book by its cover. When Thomas (Matthew Greenhough), a desperate burglar, breaks into famous social media star Molly Miller’s house, he ends up in deeper water than he’d expected as the star arrives home early. Miller (Esther-Grace Button) is loud, dramatic and overly unlikable, surprisingly putting the audience onto the side of nervous yet humorous thief Thomas. Despite their differences the characters work very well together giving a real back and fort...

Agatha Is Missing – Edinburgh Fringe Online

4Aug

By Angela KellyNo Comments

Scotland

Agatha Is Missing – Edinburgh Fringe Online

Written and performed by Prudence Wright Holmes, ‘Agatha is Missing’ is a single-handed performance about super sleuth ‘Miss Clarissa Marbles’ and her quest to find out about the real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926. This year the show is an online performance and opens to Miss Marbles setting the scene regarding the disappearance of Christie having left her home ‘one dark stormy night...’ With previous sold out shows at Edinburgh Fringe, Holmes is undoubtedly one confident performer. A US based performer and playwright she has had a varied career. From performances in the original cast of the 60s production of ‘Godspell’ to acting alongside Meryl Streep in ‘Happy End’ on Broadway and Whoopi Goldberg in ‘Sister Act’ and ‘Sister Act 2’, Holmes knows her craft well. ...

Murder She Didn’t Write – Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance One

4Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Murder She Didn’t Write – Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance One

Have you ever fancied watching a murder mystery where even the murderer doesn’t know its them until halfway through the show? Well then, this murder mystery improvised phenomena may just be right what you’re looking for. Taking all the classic elements of a typical ‘who done it’ murder mystery but shaking it up with the plot, characters and murder weapon being decided upon by the audience right at the start of the show. It’s a wonder how the Degrees Of Error theatre company manage to come up with a fully-fledged play that still leaves it’s audience gasping with shock when the truth is revealed. With the events of the play being decided upon during the show I feel no fear in revealing the plot of our performance: Donald Trump’s trial and the tiny shark. To even shape such a...

DOM – The Play – Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh

4Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

DOM – The Play – Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh

This is a show which hits the ground running - a fast-paced production, directed by Michael Kingsbury. It’s a comedy about Boris Johnson and his erstwhile Chief Adviser, Dominic Cummings, former Director of Vote Leave, and the architect of the Johnson election victory in 2019. It tells the story of the EU Referendum Campaign and the Boris Johnson premiership from the point of view of Cummings. This show, already seen in London and Windsor, has been shortened and updated for the Festival Fringe. The author, we are told, prefers to remain anonymous prompting speculation that it is the work of a Westminster ‘insider’. The play opens with Dom speaking directly to the audience. He greets us as ‘weirdos and misfits’ - a reference to Cummings’s strange blog post in 2020 when he invit...

3Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Coffee Kid – Underbelly Cowgate

If you have a free afternoon this Fringe ditch the overpriced coffee and indulge in Coffee Kid. Nominated for Best Performer and the Spirit of Wit award at the Dublin Fringe Festival 2022, Coffee Kid is a one-woman play exploring the absurd character Beanie Clooney (Síomha McQuinn) the love child of George Clooney and a Nespresso machine. The show was unsurprisingly whacky but also relatable: the familiar coming-of-age themes of identity, love and belonging were revitalised by the originality of the protagonist. It also brought together classic Fringe comedy and new ideas in a refreshing way: satirical jokes towards Womanhood, Hollywood and patriarchy were complimented by more niche puns about the unique character and plot. Despite moments of depth the storyline was kept light-hearted...

2Aug

By Louise PennNo Comments

Scotland

Gethsemane – Edinburgh Fringe Online

Gethsemane is a new musical by John Richmond which tells the story of Nadi and Chloe, who were contemporaries of Jesus. This piece in currently in development as a full show and so plays out as a visual album in its current 100-minute form, with songs and narration. Although the images are often simply complementary to the narration or songs, they are sometimes set out of their time - I can see why the parallels are being made (for example, with the homeless in a 21st century London). There are no actors and no on-screen performances. The leading characters are Nadi, a carpenter who works with Jesus in the workshop and based on the “naked disciple” referenced in the Gospel of Mark, and Chloe, the daughter of Joseph of Arimathea, a rich merchant. Must Nadi fight the Romans with his b...

Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! Returns to Edinburgh Fringe and on Tour

26Jun

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! Returns to Edinburgh Fringe and on Tour

As rehearsals begin today, Francesca Moody Productions, Kater Gordon, Wessex Grove and Fiery Angel announce the full cast and creative team for the new expanded version of Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, the sell-out smash-hit of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022, which returns this summer for a four week run at Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe from 2nd – 27th August before touring to Bristol Old Vic from 13th – 30th September and HOME Manchester from 5th – 21st October. The acclaimed original cast will reprise their roles in the hilarious murder mystery musical including Bronté Barbé (Newsies, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre) as Kathy, Rebekah Hinds (Oklahoma! Young Vic/ West End) as Stella, Jodie Jacobs (Rock of Ages, West End) as Felicia, TJ Lloyd (Guys and Dolls, Sheffie...

23May

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

We need YOU at Edinburgh Fringe

It is that time of year again and Edinburgh Fringe is fast approaching playing across the Scottish capital from the 4th to the 28th August with the promise of 1000’s of shows to see at the most famous celebration of theatre anywhere in the world. Last year our team of reviewers who are based in the city or travelled up from parts of the UK to see shows for us managed to cover an impressive number of shows, but that was a fraction of the 3,334 shows performed. North West End UK are looking to make substantial additions to our team for the 2023 Fringe and it could be you! We are looking for people who love theatre based either in Edinburgh or who are travelling to Fringe this year. Whilst there is no minimum number of fringe shows we ask you to review, we have a minimum of 4 shows we ...