theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall Archives

27Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Bad Habit – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Dionne (Molly Geddes) and Eilidh (Molly Jayne-Graham) want to take a selfie in front of the Hollywood sign, so they go on a retreat in a California convent. But the nuns won’t let them leave the building. On their last night, the resourceful teens make one last attempt to escape and go clubbing. Instead, they get trapped in the basement with cantankerous Sister Stacey (Emma Gray) and accident-prone Sister Grace (Olaya Ciccarelli-Bermudez). Meanwhile, the second coming is imminent, and cringingly cool Father James (James Crutcher) is skateboarding along the freeway in search of the baby Jesus. The script, by Emma Gray and Molly Geddes, is light-hearted and full of surprises. The cast dance to a techno “remix” of “Let There Be Light”, with the Voice of God supplied by Peter McCormi...

Salomé, Tragedy of the Femme Fatale – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

24Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Salomé, Tragedy of the Femme Fatale – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Harrowing, dark, and honest, this one-woman monologue shows our femme fatale Salomé, giving her confession to a detective who is working on the murder case of Salomé’s husband. Based on Oscar Wilde’s Salome, this piece, performed and produced by Maryam S. Holleman, brings a new light to the classic tale. A beautifully written, thoughtful adaptation, Holleman uses the story to give power and understanding to Salomé – a typically scorned character, who has faced a barrage of misogyny over time is given grace. Holleman’s performance is striking and powerful, including raw subject matter discussing the abuse and turmoil of Salomé’s childhood. With discussion too around the South African apartheid as well as other violence in the countries in which Salomé had l...

Ariana vs Chomsky – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

17Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

Ariana vs Chomsky – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

On 22nd May 2017 a terrorist bomb ripped through the Manchester Arena after a concert by the American pop singer, Ariana Grande. 22 people were killed, ten of them aged under 20. The youngest victim was an 8-year-old girl. More than a thousand were injured. ‘Ariana vs Chomsky’ is set against this tragic background. The play covers the relationship of Chloe and Mark over several years. In May 2017 they relocated from London to Manchester. They’re left wing and admire the works of Noam Chomsky, the American linguist, philosopher and political thinker. When Obama was President, Chomsky condemned Washington’s “global assassination campaign..the drone campaign” as “by far the worst terrorist campaign in the world”. He added: “And when you bomb a village in Yemen, say, and you kill somebod...

One Sugar, Stirred to the Left – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

16Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

One Sugar, Stirred to the Left – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

World Premier Based on his own lived experience, following the death of his father, award-winning composer Jon Lawrence, turns playwright in a quirky, bittersweet tale, which may have a sad ending built-in but leaves a pleasant aftertaste, nonetheless. Hamish and Henry lie in hospice beds. They know they are dying, but they have not lost their sense of humour, or their need for human contact. They still have their dignity, and for one of them they find a reason for living, at least a little longer, in a final task to be completed. Like a final episode of Still Game much of the best writing here comes in the pitch-black gallows humour, but also the life truths, shared between coffin-dodgers Stephen Corrall (Henry) and Duncan Airlie-James (Hamish). A pair of old curmudgeons, rea...

The Kate Bush Story – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

15Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Kate Bush Story – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

I took my seat at this one slightly concerned for the welfare of the singer. Would she try to be like Bush and fail, or try to be like Bush, but just be a parody or mimic, affecting a false voice (the worst of all options!), or just try not to be like Bush at all? The whole premise of the show seems like a bear-trap. After all, who can compare to the incomparable Bush, sing the unsingable songs, or be the unbearable complexity that is Kate. The first two intro songs of Hounds of Love and Wuthering Heights do nothing to quell my concerns. Thank God therefore for The Man With the Child In His Eyes, which sees Richards sitting down on keyboard, calm the hell down, and channel the essence of Kate for the first time with a sensitive and beautiful interpretation. Brilliant! The wonderf...

15Aug

By Marcelina KruczyńskaNo Comments

Scotland

Malion – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

The play was a sensational mix of modern and ancient theatre, transcending time and language that connects modern audiences and Greek theatre buffs alike. Speeches of Gods and Goddesses were spoken in verse. The use of verse displayed the play’s connections to traditional Greek theater. However, this was broken up with modern conversations and ideas that the everyday viewer could understand and connect with in one way or another. This in turn made the play more accessible to a wider audience. Created by Tired Horses Theatre, written by Joseph Meardon, directed by Mikael Phillips and assistant directed by Hannah MacMillan. The stage was transformed into an art studio that looked like it belonged in today’s society just as much as an ancient one. The play seemed to be along the lines ...

Complete works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

15Aug

By Saira KunjuvalappilNo Comments

Scotland

Complete works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), performed by the talented trio from 3 Witty fools—Sam Milner, Barnaby, and Henry Williams—delivered a whirlwind of laughter and sheer entertainment. Based on the book with the same title, this show is a condensed and comedic take on all of Shakespeare’s plays, and the team did a fantastic job bringing it to life on stage. The show kicked off with a hilarious rendition of Romeo and Juliet, setting the tone for an evening filled with clever humour and lively performances. Juliet’s exaggerated reactions to Romeo’s declarations of love were side-splitting, and her over-the-top manner of ending her life was a highlight, leaving the audience roaring with laughter. The chemistry between the performers was undeniable, and their ability t...

Elizabeth I: In Her Own Words – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

14Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Elizabeth I: In Her Own Words – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Created with Elizabeth I writer/scholar, Doctor Carole Levin and starring Tammy Meneghini as the titular queen, this show invites you into a private evening audience with Queen Elizabeth I. Near the end of her reign, she reflects upon its major events and the people she was closest to, told through "her own words", from documented letters, speeches, passages from her own hand, though these are very much augmented by others' words, including letters from Mary Queen of Scots and the Spanish Ambassador, and multiple speeches from the plays of William Shakespeare. This makes sense in the context of the creation of the piece, ie to accompany a visiting exhibit of Shakespeare's First Folio to the campus of the University of Colorado Boulder, though it might lead the casual viewer to...