Nicole Cooper Archives - North West End UK

Cinderella: A Fairytale – Royal Lyceum Theatre

2Dec

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Cinderella: A Fairytale – Royal Lyceum Theatre

Deck those halls as it’s Christmas time once again in Edinburgh with Royal Lyceum Theatre’s annual festive show, this year Sally Cookson’s and Adam Peck’s Cinderella: A Fairytale. A classic story known and loved by many, holding on to its original charm alongside modernisation, making this play a stand-out for family festive fun. We follow Ella (Olivia Hemmati), recently orphaned and ‘looked after’ by her stepmother (Nicole Cooper) and tormented by her wicked stepsiblings (Christina Gordon and Matthew Forbes). In this production, Ella has a deep connection with birds and, when finding some needed solace from her awful living conditions, she meets a fellow bird enthusiast (Sam Stopford), who just so happens to be a prince. As the story goes, Ella is invited to a royal ball but will every...

17Sep

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Our Brother – Traverse Theatre

The horrific events that took place in Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) under the Khmer Rouge between 1975 – 79 are well documented, but writer Jack MacGregor has - to good effect -dramatised a true, less well-known incident from 1978. An idealistic Scots professor, simply referred to as ‘Stranger’ (played by Bobby Bradley) managed to grab 15 minutes with Pol Pot, or ‘Brother No 1’ (David Lee-Jones). With him was ‘American’ (Nicole Cooper), armed with enough knowledge of the atrocities to remain somewhat less effusive. This piece explored the (chiefly Marxist) motivation and ambition shared, initially, by Stranger and Brother, the notion that there was a way to create an egalitarian, agrarian utopia. Upon a simple platform covered in white sheets the three actors performed this inten...

7Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Lear – Traverse Theatre

Shakespeare’s infamous tragedy is significantly thinned down and reinterpreted into a one hour wordless anti-war allegory by Ramesh Meyyappan, but retains a raw power and delicate beauty and some rather unexpected humour that make it a thoroughly watchable and thought provoking addition to the Lear genre. This Lear has a worldly feel and international backing, a production by Glasgow based Raw Material in association with National Theatre for Scotland and Singapore National Festival of Arts, it looks made to tour extensively. In the hands of writer and performer Meyyappan and acclaimed director Orla O’Loughlin, we see and feel the effects of war on a father returning from the battlefield and his three daughters. The returning king of the household is welcomed with initial relief and ...

MacBeth (An Undoing) – Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh

16May

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

MacBeth (An Undoing) – Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh

Macbeth is often one of the first Shakespeare stories that we think of, it's known for: its scottish setting, it's themes of betrayal and manipulation and of course for its gory and dramatic ending. The tale is often told in the same manner time and time again, the tale of a man being told by a group of witches that he will be king, a manipulative wife who convinces him to murder the current monarch and the insanity and guilt that rips the married couple apart until ultimately, she commits suicide, and he is slain by a former friend. Whilst the original story exists within Macbeth An Undoing, writer Zinnie Harris has turned the tale on its head, asking what would happen if it were Lady Macbeth who took control? What if she had not gone crazy and instead Macbeth himself was the one takin...