The Space @ Niddry Street Archives

A Letter to Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads it First – theSpace @ Niddry Street

16Aug

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Scotland

A Letter to Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads it First – theSpace @ Niddry Street

Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland are bringing their award-winning comedy back to Edinburgh this year with a reprise of ‘A Letter to LBJ….’ which is playing to sold-out houses on Niddry St this month. This is the first opportunity for me to witness their Absurdist clowning in the flesh, and I confess I was completely charmed and blown away by this moving take on the idealised 1960s American childhood. Ace and Grasshopper are two young Scouts, covered in mud and badges and on a self-proclaimed mission to see President LBJ’s train as it whistles through their town. Ostensibly this is a simple tale of boyhood, camaraderie and adventure but the setting of the timeframe in early 1960s America foreshadows the boys' later involvement in the Vietnam War and the horrors of Southeast Asia for the...

Lads of the Flies – The Space @ Niddry Street

8Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Lads of the Flies – The Space @ Niddry Street

STAG (Student Theatre at Glasgow), takes the Fringe by storm with their latest production written and directed by Grace Donaldson. This quick-witted, fast-paced show tells the story of four “lads” lost on their Duke of Edinburgh expedition - two of whom, are coming to terms with their sexuality. Throughout the play we see them accept that they are in love, and they do in fact fit the rugby lad stereotype – they’re as gay as gay can be. Donaldson’s writing is incredibly sharp, with well-thought, quick-witted remarks from each character. The actors were steadfast in their roles – so sure of themselves that I really did see them as lads (even the one with pigtails). The group played off of each other wonderfully, really giving the audience a good chuckle. The...

8Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

Eleanor – the Space @ Niddry Street

Eleanor, the youngest daughter of Karl Marx, was a socialist and feminist activist. But this play concentrates mainly on her relationships with her lover and friends. All of the characters in this well written drama by Agnes Perry-Robinson were real people, intellectuals who lived in late nineteen century England. The play is based on research. But Perry-Robinsion has used her imagination to recreate some of the interactions between Eleanor and her friends. We see laughter-filled soirées full of stimulating conversations, charades and acting. The group shares a love of Shakespeare and even play the mechanicals performing ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’ from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. It’s all great fun - at first. Eleanor (nicknamed ‘Tussy’) has a particularly close friendship with ...

6Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

Antigone – the Space @ Niddry Street

Written by Sophocles, and first performed at the Festival of Dionysus in 414 BC, Antigone is a popular Ancient Greek play and is one of the favourites of the ancient cannon to be performed and studied in schools and universities. Performed by Crook and Ivy, the show has an all-female cast, and is staged in the round. The story is set in Thebes, a city in Ancient Greece, and the new King, Creon (Martha Barratt) is imposing new laws, which will affect Antigone (Isabella Williamson) and her sister, Ismene (Ella Searl). Antigone and Ismene are the only members of her family to survive a battle for the throne of Thebes. The sister’s two brothers who fought over the throne and were both killed. Eteocles was granted a normal burial with all funeral rights, but King ...

Something Educational – The Space @ Niddry Street

7Aug

By Christina SchmidtNo Comments

Scotland

Something Educational – The Space @ Niddry Street

Playing Bingo in church? That’s what got five boarding school kids in trouble on their last day of school in the new comedy ‘Something Educational’, written and directed by Rosie MacKay. After this intriguing opening scene, the characters are sent to detention for writing task, which they procrastinate doing, and drama unfolds as they reveal their true thoughts about each other. The script is witty and light-hearted, with lots of little jokes and nods to the audience – a try at creating a fleabag-style relationship between actors and spectators - Samuel Bergson, playing Robbie, is particularly skilled at code switching between interacting with the other characters and addressing the audience, making his character likable from the beginning. Set and costume design is very minimal, wi...