The Space @ Venue 45 Archives - North West End UK

13Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

The Hobbit – The Space @ Venue 45

Officially licensed by Middle-Earth Enterprises, Theatre On The Blue does what Warner Brothers could not, telling the story of The Hobbit in an hour with a team of six young actors. The original story is epic on a scale only dwarfed (sorry) by its sequel The Lord Of The Rings, and with multiple kingdoms, races, a dragon and a battle with only one less army than there are actors, cuts were inevitable. Some are seemingly quite drastic, such as the loss of all the dwarves save Thorin (prompting a knowing joke later about Bilbo eating for 13 hobbits and Thorin for 13 dwarves), or the Battle of the 5 armies getting reduced to two paper cutouts repeatedly bodyslaming each other into submission. Never-the-less, this is a very faithful, light-hearted adaptation of the children's story, w...

12Aug

By Gill LewisNo Comments

Scotland

The Black Hole – The Space @ Venue 45

Frisky fun and frolics take a gripping turn as emotions get twisted and past traumas are revealed in this explosive two hander. Presented by Shooting Star Studios, and written, performed, and directed by Vkinn Vats, The Black Hole is an interesting, dramatic piece of theatre which takes its audience through the twists and turns of love, lust and all things in between. Dangerous games are played, heightened by the seemingly lack of control of the two actors as they rough and tumble around the stage. A drunken game of charades quickly takes some dark turns as the whiskey continues to flow and confessions are made. Rosalind Jackson Roe provides a strong scene partner to Vats, who both deliver an interesting and watchable portrayals of two seemingly damaged souls. We flip flop ...

10Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Birdwatching – The Space @ Venue 45

Black Bright Theatre has hit it out of the park once again with their latest fringe production. The company is no stranger to the horror genre – a notoriously difficult style to actualise on stage. However, Black Bright Theatre always manages to hit the nail on the head – this time with a meta twist. Conceptually so well considered - what seems to be a classic coming of age story, becomes a fourth-wall-breaking, psychologically-thrilling powerhouse. The three actors (Ellen Trevaskiss, Maddie Farnhill, and Mimi Millmore) were exceptional – uniting a playful naturality, and a harrowed, tormented feel into their performances. Their ability to cut through to an audience in such a striking way, both comedically and dramatically, has for me, been unmatched at...

16Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Intimacy – The Space @ Venue 45

This new two women play from writer, Sarah Nelson (Letter to Bodda) for Watershed Productions, sees Chloe in search of answers to female sexuality (or more likely her own), for her Masters thesis, and Nel as her more than willing, and highly experienced, respondent. The two actors come with significant credentials and are both excellent, Chloe is played by Caitlin O'Ryan – Lizzie Wemyss in the international TV hit Outlander. Nel is played by Imogen Greenwood, the writer and producer of award-winning film Natural Causes. In something of a cat and mouse performance it is never quite clear where this is going, or how it will end, until the final climax, where it all comes together with a bit of an aha moment of realisation. The linear Q & A structure is initially limiting and...