Paradise in Augustines Archives

23Aug

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Scotland

Pippin – Paradise in Augustines

A fantastic trip to the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival concluded for me with the Edinburgh University Footlights production of ‘Pippin’, Stephen Schwartz and Bob Fosse’s groundbreaking 1972 fantasy musical. Unfortunately, this production had none of the soul, wit and energy required to carry the audience, and with a couple of notable exceptions, the performance lacked magic. Pippin’s odyssey of self discovery takes him from naivety to self awareness, watched by the mysterious Leading Player (Gemma Iseka Bekano), controlling the narrative and his development, Bekano gives good value with a strong vocal which is dominant when onstage. Dan Bryant as Pippin looks the part and acted well but is limited vocally and struggles to fully realise the beauty of the score, especially during ‘...

21Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Must I Cry – Paradise in Augustines

In this artful production, writer and director Bonni Chan soars over Hong Kong, exploring themes of loss and change in the country through the stories of renowned Hong Kong author Xi Xi. Produced by Theatre Du Pif, this show gives a masterful lesson in how to utilise all forms of artistry to create an immersive, cohesive, dreamscape. With projection, light, sound, and movement, Chen takes us on a moving journey from the fullness of childhood to the emptiness that becomes. The creative team behind this show are true visionaries – for me this was a completely refreshing piece – every element was carefully considered and furthered the story’s metaphor. The poetry which inspired this work absolutely comes alive and flourishes on stage – each aspect was crafted to literall...

Three Of A Kind: A New Musical – Paradise in Augustines

14Aug

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Three Of A Kind: A New Musical – Paradise in Augustines

Three Of A Kind is a new contemporary musical that follows the life of waitress Sam as she attempts to navigate work, love and caring for her sick mother. The score is completely original, and the musical has been created from scratch by Gregor Satti and Rebekah Holly Neilson. Story wise this is a rather classic musical theatre tale: girl who works as a waitress but longs for more meets boy and falls in love. In this tale Sam is having to work to care for her sick mother, when she meets Jamie, she begins to re-evaluate her life, but it seems Jamie is not the only man who intends to enter her life and change her world forever. There are many positive aspects to this show: the musical orchestration and composition being one. It is completely fresh and even without words you can fee...

The Last Five Years – Paradise in Augustines

14Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

The Last Five Years – Paradise in Augustines

Never Ending Theatre’s latest production sees Ciaran Walshe and Sarah-Louise Donnely star in the two-man show that is The Last Five Years. Now this show is no easy feat to pull off, having only two actors to tell the story over an hour and a half. It takes a great amount of stamina and energy to sustain the audience’s focus and enjoyment for that long but Donnely and Walshe certainly pulled it off, giving an emotional portrayal of Cathy and Jamie’s marriage. Jason Robert Brown notoriously composes scores that leave the musicians tripping over themselves, but this band handled it smoothly with only very minor slip ups. I enjoyed seeing the band be featured on the stage – the level of musical technicality needed for this show is very much worth appreciating.&nb...

Until The Next Wedding – Paradise in Augustines

9Aug

By Marcelina KruczyńskaNo Comments

Scotland

Until The Next Wedding – Paradise in Augustines

Until The Next Wedding was brought to us by Under the Rug Theatre. This “not so rom com” was written by Allie Willison, directed by Niamh Mcgarvey and executive produced by Bethan Murray. This new and exciting play was first previewed in Glasgow before landing at the Edinburgh Fringe. Until The Next Wedding is a two man show featuring characters Mandy and Eliot. Mandy is performed by actor and playwright Allie Willison. The second character, Eliot, is played by actor James Crutcher. As Willison enters the stage and begins to interact with the furniture and props, and tragically fails at smoking a cigar, it becomes clear that this is some sort of in-house library near the wedding. The whole play takes place in that library creating a link between each wedding the two characters at...

A Show About Tomorrow – Paradise in Augustines

5Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

A Show About Tomorrow – Paradise in Augustines

What happens when a 21st birthday party is interrupted by a Breaking News bulletin that the world is about to end? A lot, it turns out! This is a musical telling a story at breakneck speed, oscillating between impressive ensemble vocal harmony pieces (most definitely the cast pulling together at their best), dramatic vignettes and showcases of individual vocal talents. Everything was thrown at the audience during the performance but in truth, possibly a little less would have offered much more. Undoubtedly, this young company is just bursting with energy and talent. Their chemistry is evident and at times, moving. However, just because you can do everything possibly doesn’t mean that you should. Still, the twist at the beginning of ...

Twelfth Night Lite – Paradise in Augustines

7Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

Scotland

Twelfth Night Lite – Paradise in Augustines

Twelfth Night is my favourite Shakespeare play, so, I was intrigued when I came across Twelfth Night Lite, a three-person, hour long version of the show brought to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by Evoke Productions. How would they tell the at times complicated and weaving plot with so few performers? Overall, I think they did an admirable job at cutting the play so drastically, while still making it easy to follow. The plot was streamlined, focusing on the love triangle between Olivia (Francesca Firman), Viola (Susie Garvey-Williams) and Orsino (Matthew Leigh). Characters including Sir Toby Belch, Feste and Sir Andrew Aguecheek were cut entirely. This, I think, was the weakness of the play. It felt like something was missing. For instance, character arcs were left unresolved, primarily ...