theSpace @ Surgeons Hall Archives

Collateral Damage – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

3Sep

By Al CarrettaNo Comments

Scotland

Collateral Damage – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

This week I’ve spent sixteen hours on buses commuting in and out of Edinburgh. You might not immediately appreciate the relevance of this fact, but the bus is a focal point of social interactions and a microcosm of society. Theatre gets interesting when it holds a mirror to dysfunction and reflects it. Listen to any given conversation on an Edinburgh bus and you will begin to hear what sets this play apart; realistic dialogue and a wholly naturalistic approach. The play has thematic structures that are highly topical and relevant. The driving trope in this piece is the effect of alcoholism on a tight knit family and the subsequent resolution and healing needed to progress. Human interest stories work when we are invested in the characters and in the circumstances presented, reasons,...

My Beautiful Brain – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

25Aug

By Al CarrettaNo Comments

Scotland

My Beautiful Brain – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

“Believe in yourself, Hannah.” This is the show’s mantra and over fifty energetic minutes Hannah Rose Curtis exemplifies exactly what an autobiographical play should be, giving us unhinged access into her world. The examination of invisible disabilities in theatre is usually led by personal experience. This might sound obvious, but the performer’s challenge is striking a careful balance of what to share. Too much information and we’re in the territory of hubris. Too little and modesty guards exposure. In the case of Brain, or should we say Brian, the difficulties of living and achieving with dyslexia are revealed in layers of undeniable quality, fragility and vulnerability. Curtis lays out her insecurities on a highly effective and simply designed set, taking us through a potted his...

17Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Swan Song – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

Swan Song, produced by Irish theatre company Jilted Bride Productions, is a camp melodrama providing commentary on the hypocrisy, corruption and egos of the entertainment industry. Big Media, and their subsidiary Big Film, are the biggest conglomerate around. Headed by the evil Big Media Boss, she is on a mission to shut down anyone who disagrees with her. In an attempt to return to the spotlight, director Oswald recruits bygone diva Heidi Hole to star in his new play. When Big Media Boss fires journalist Samira Plath for her support of liberal activism, her father and renowned critic Skandar Plath returns to confront Big Media Boss, rehashing age-old secrets and scandals. After her father is murdered, Samira makes it her mission to take down Big Media Boss f...

Nearlyweds the Musical – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

19Aug

By Juliette PepinNo Comments

Scotland

Nearlyweds the Musical – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

We are cordially welcomed to the wedding of an eager bride-to-be, talking our seats at a wedding reception that never actually happens. Settling in for a light-hearted romcom, we receive just that - Jasmine Alice's new musical Nearlyweds is vibrant and upbeat, packed with quirky characters and excessive puns. Nearlyweds follows bride-to-be Lily who gets cold feet and jet sets to escape her wedding, while another husband-to-be Jake deals with repercussions of his fiancé baring his cheating habits for all his family to see. As both navigate new independence and impending fatherhood respectively, they meet through Lily's friend and Jake's brother Brian. Sarah Alexandra Brown as Lily is a compelling lead – we empathise with her as she confronts her disconnected relationship wi...

Poe – Theatre 2 theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

16Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Poe – Theatre 2 theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Edgar Allan Poe's death remains mysterious to this day. He was found delirious and ill in a tavern on 3rd October 1849 and was dead 4 days of later, of what has been suggested to have been anything from illness, suicide, murder, or even non-consensual electoral fraud gone wrong. Devised by Leon Witcomb, (who also plays Shape 2 / Fortunato / Old Man / Doctor) Michael Ward (Shape 1/Servant/Policeman/Dr Moran) and Chris Bedford (Poe) uses Poe's unusual final moments as a starting point, interspersing his final moments in with adaptations of several of his most famous tales. Versions of The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, Murders In The Rue Morge and The Pit and the Pendulum become a collage of delirious memories, augmented by lights (strobe warning to the photosens...

14Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

The Oberons – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

This is a show showcasing the talents of a couple called The Oberons – Marc, described as a master illusionist and Emily, described as a mind reader who also happens to be a classical singer. The show opens gently and fairly classically with the use of magic trick props, which I must confess seem all too familiar, but it soon starts to reach breakneck speed attempting to display an almost bewildering array of magic and mind reading in the time given, using song in its presentation. There is no doubt that there are elements of this show which are highly entertaining – particularly at the level of competence displayed by the charismatic Marc and Emily. Individually, they are charming. They engage the audience with olde worlde ease and experience, inviting them into thei...

The Naked Neds – theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall

11Aug

By Torya HughesNo Comments

Scotland

The Naked Neds – theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall

The Naked Neds - theSpace @ Surgeon's Hall Tackling themes of suicide, cancer and male friendship, "The Naked Neds" deals with serious topics with typical Scottish humour. The play has already toured venues across Scotland in a 90min version, and HI! Productions have brought a slightly truncated adaptation to the Fringe. Four friends meet in the pub for a few beers, overseen by cynical barmaid Bev. Paul's girlfriend is pregnant, and he can't believe the price of a pram. His older friend Tony is looking on the bright side - having a child gives you lots of benefits, literally. Joined by their friends Harry and Jamie, they're all aware of the empty chair at the table. Paul is the only one to voice his feelings over the loss of their friend Cammy, asking if they should have seen the...

After Shakespeare – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

10Aug

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Scotland

After Shakespeare – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

An hour-long monologue from Lexi Wolfe giving a 21st-century spin on the motivations for, and reactions to, the fates that Bard wrote them. First up - Henry V (or Prince Hal as he’s known to his drinking friends), clearly suffering from PTSD following the Battle of Azincourt) and haunted by the ghosts of civilians and soldiers he had seen massacred. Then came Hamlet, marooned in Purgatory and still procrastinating whilst pulling apart the piratical plot holes in Shakespeare’s masterpiece, and adding a gay subtext with Laertes for good measure. Portia arrived swiftly to confess her cross-dressing. Balthazar had given her a taste for it, and she carried on after Shylock’s trial. And finally, a sinister Lady Macbeth who confesses her real motivation for Duncan’s death and her subseq...

Shirley: A Ghost Story – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

5Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Shirley: A Ghost Story – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Inspired by the life of Shirley Jackson and the ghost stories of M.R. James, Shirley: A Ghost Story is a one-person play performed by Jasmin Gleeson and written by Josh King, together as Moon Rabbit Theatre. The play jumps between two settings, one past and one present, both equally haunted: in the past there is a young girl version of Shirley and a story her older self is desperate to tell, and in the present there is a husband profiting from her writing and trying to tell his own, rather cliched, ghost story. Unlike Shirley's husband's story, this is an atypical ghost-story, and Gleeson jumps ably between the two time-lines, juggling not just different settings and ages but also characters (including the buffonish and controlling husband) with humour and subtlety, aided by King's ...

How to Become a Movie Star – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

3Aug

By Saira KunjuvalappilNo Comments

Scotland

How to Become a Movie Star – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Stardom and Struggle: Maria Sara’s Honest Journey to the Spotlight In her energetic one-person show How to Become a Movie Star, Maria Sara takes the audience through a deeply personal, often humorous, and touching ride through the decades of her life — from childhood dreams to the tough-knocks realities of chasing stardom. Within 50 minutes, Maria's energy and sincerity own the stage as she glides easily through the decades of her life to demonstrate how each decade impacted her resolve and tenacity. The show is not just one of celebrity; it's a tribute to perseverance. Maria unveils the challenges, setbacks, and emotional price of chasing a dream, providing an insight into the unseen strife behind every victory. Her admiration for her hero, Gabriel Burns, is a unifying thread th...