Traverse Theatre Archives - North West End UK

9Apr

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Sam Newbould Quintet – Traverse Theatre

The Sam Newbould Quintet, based in Amsterdam, arrived in Edinburgh to perform the second night of their week-long Scottish tour. Playing original jazz pieces composed by Sam Newbould, this quintet captivated the Traverse’s audience with their smooth and persistent sound. Combining both simple yet relentless licks and flowing, heavily layered textures, the Sam Newbould Quintet had the audience entranced. Xavi Torres on piano played with beautiful clarity of tone and a delicacy that was refreshing to hear - his solos were incredibly captivating, playing with a heartfeltness that really struck a chord with me (no pun intended). Keeping the pace and groove was Guy Salamon on the drum kit giving us flow and drive. Salamon’s drumming style feels incredibly intuit...

Eliza Carthy and Jennifer Reid – Traverse Theatre

18Mar

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Eliza Carthy and Jennifer Reid – Traverse Theatre

Jennifer Reid performs nineteenth-century Lancashire dialect and Victorian broadside ballads. She comes from Rochdale, “but I admit it”. Reid sings unaccompanied throughout the evening but provides percussion for one of Carthy’s songs in the form of clog dancing. Eliza Carthy describes herself as a “modern English musician”. She sings centuries-old traditional songs, and more modern pieces including her own compositions. She mostly sings unaccompanied and occasionally brings out her fiddle. Carthy hails from Yorkshire, and a few good-natured cross-Pennine insults are exchanged over the course of the evening. Reid is a fantastic storyteller, bringing life to some memorable characters such as “Frolicksome Kay”, a good Lancashire lass who is disappointed by her new boyfriend from Yo...

17Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Chef – Traverse Theatre

Once again, The Traverse champions fresh, accessible writing; this time with Sabrina Mahfouz’s one-woman play Chef. Set in a prison kitchen, the head chef walks us through her dream menu with a story to accompany each dish. We see glimpses of the chef’s life and significant events which led up to her arrest; her troubled relationship with her father, the first kitchen she ran, illegal dealings with her seedy ex-boyfriend, living on a boat. While the chef recounts her memories, her second-in-command in the kitchen acts as a BSL interpreter. This immersive style of interpretation was refreshing to see, giving a character to the interpreter - including her rather than seeing her as a distraction. Without the interpreter this play would somehow not be as poignant ...

10Mar

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Piece of Work – Traverse Theatre

This is a one man show about suicide, but with much wit and good humour and a blizzard of Shakespearean soliloquies you would hardly think it. Till later. Unfolded on the floor are tattered maps of Britain, The World, Greater Manchester and the tiny village where James Rowland paddled in the river. Standing on or hovering over these, master storyteller Rowland unfolds himself, all hands and mouth and sparkling eyes, creased and tattered and a bit ragged at the edges but still intact. His purpose, by way of many a Bard quote is not just to lay out a road map of his own ‘little life’, sustained by chicken burgers, but also to make us seriously consider our own and the sometimes very tenuous line that tethers us all in place. To be or not to be, is indeed the question, but it is one whi...

The Testament of Gideon Mack – Traverse Theatre

7Mar

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

The Testament of Gideon Mack – Traverse Theatre

‘The Testament of Gideon Mack’ tells the story of a Church of Scotland minister who doesn’t believe in God. However, his dismissal of the supernatural is challenged, particularly when his life is saved by someone Gideon believes is the Devil. This is a fascinating play based on James Robertson’s acclaimed novel, published in 2006. Matthew Zajac’s stage adaptation is enthralling: a captivating piece of theatre which is often moving, sometimes funny and occasionally very painful to watch. Moreover, profound questions are asked about faith, belief, the suppression of feelings, love, grief, death, hypocrisy and the meaning of life. And the play also throws light on the dramatic way religious beliefs in Scotland have changed in a generation. The play is intriguing, leaving some unanswe...

5Mar

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Driftwood – Traverse Theatre

Set solely on a beach on the coast of the North Sea, Driftwood’ explores how two brothers navigate the grief of their father’s passing while attempting to mend their fragmented relationship. Tim Foley’s masterful writing shows two very different minds, that of elder brother Mark who focuses on funeral arrangements whilst navigating his return home after an extended absence. We also see the younger sibling, Tiny, distract himself with his fascination with the beach, its poisoned landscape and the ghostly and illusive figure, the Mariner. Both brothers have been apart for some time and it's clear from the outset that many words are being left unspoken. James Westphal (Mark) expertly crosses between moments of panic due to being confronted with the past while also showing the care his char...

25Feb

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

The Flames – Traverse Theatre

The Flames is a performance company for people over the age of fifty. Each member of the ensemble (I counted approximately 22) tells a moving story from their own past. The theme of the stories is ikigai, a Japanese term often translated as “purpose”. Ikigai is about the things that bring value and meaning to life. Each performer speaks in turn, while the others set the scene with movement (choreographed by Aya Kobayashi), reacting with excitement or disdain to the speaker; becoming waves, or an ID parade; stamping out the rhythm of a train. They tell stories about lifelong friendships; sleeping rough in Helsinki; and uncovering family secrets. One participant tells us about the time she literally walked a mile in someone else’s shoes. She ended up with sore feet. Film footage (desig...

20Feb

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Kjetil Mulelid Trio – Traverse Bar

Returning from a trip to Oslo a few years back someone excitedly described Norway as ‘the new Scotland’; oil, fish, love of conversation fuelled, dare one admit, by a glass or two. Music was in there too and in 2025, let’s, specifically, add Jazz, though with a distinct folk/cultural bent. Just as Fergus McCreadie spirits one to the glens and lochs, this trio quickly has us gliding through the cool, clear air of the fjords. Jazz as a genre easily attracts derision from those unwilling to devote the required attention or application. There are ready-made phrases and cliches coined by a certain (brilliant!) sketch show a few moons ago but tonight’s performance, despite running things close, stayed just the right side of these. Improvisational it was, at points difficult to discern who was le...

Herak/Bulaktin Quartet Featuring Paul Towndrow – Traverse Theatre

19Feb

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Herak/Bulaktin Quartet Featuring Paul Towndrow – Traverse Theatre

I’m not especially familiar with jazz, and if I’d heard this music on the radio, I wouldn’t have got it. It turns out that jazz makes more sense when you experience a live performance, and my ears begin to tune in to its language. It reminds me of the first time I saw Shakespeare performed. The gathering feels cosy, in the informal setting of the Traverse bar. I am struck by the intense concentration of each musician when the others are playing. This is a conversation, where each participant must focus so they can respond to the others’ cues. Listening is everything. The composers, Miro Herak and Daniel Bulaktin, draw on their Slavic heritage as well as classical traditions. The opening number, Herak’s Slavic Dance, is rousing, and is followed by Ellie, a thoughtfully melodic pie...

16Feb

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Law of Gravity – Traverse Theatre

Spell-binding, sublime performance by the the six-strong strings of the Scottish Ensemble, accompanied by the delicate puppetry skills of a quartet from Blind Summit, made this a night to savour at Traverse 1 tonight. Classical Music can take us places in our mind, it is surely part of the joy of the experience to close our eyes and float…. Is it wise to curate, lead or interpret that trip? Blind Summit, attempted to do that tonight, but was it a help or a hinderance, an unnecessary distraction? The jury will be pretty split on this one. There was no questioning the quality of the music from Philip Glass (Symphony No. 3(1995)) and Arnold Schoenberg (Transfigured Night(1899)) superbly, and effortlessly, led by Johnathan Morton which has the audience transfixed from note one. Iro...