Traverse Theatre Archives - North West End UK

16Apr

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

What I’m Here For – Traverse Theatre

With an international exploration of the health care system, What I’m Here For stops at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre as part of its Scottish tour. From the collaborative minds of Vanishing Point, from our home soil, and Danish company, Teatre Katapult, this production draws a parallel to both countries' health and care infrastructure and the daily challenges faced by those working within it. We open on Flora (Lærke Schjærff Engelbrecht) smoking on the roof of a hospital. It is the end of her shift but before she goes home to rest, she begins to reflect on the working day that had just unfolded. Memories appear and disappear as Flora struggles to separate fact from fiction. With severe staffing issues and constant pressure in her working environment, Flora’s help is required all around t...

16Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Gush – Traverse Theatre

There is something quietly exacting about a one person show. It is an island, really, a contained territory where there is nowhere to hide, no supporting architecture of cast to lean on. If it works, it approaches a kind of theatrical purity. If it does not, it is exposed within minutes. I admit, I am a sucker for the form.Gush, written by Jess Brodie and directed by Becky Hope Palmer, comes close to that sense of honed perfection.At its centre is a single performer, Jessica Hardwick, who carries the entire evening with considerable control and, at times, something approaching virtuosity. She moves deftly between roles, voices and emotional registers, and if there is a hierarchy within that, it is clear that her articulation of the female experience is where the piece truly finds its voice...

13Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Shooglenifty – Traverse Theatre

There are evenings where the relationship between performance and space becomes the story, and this is one of them. I’m at the Traverse Theatre watching Shooglenifty, a band whose entire raison d’être is to get people on their feet, and I’m sitting in the second row of a steeply raked, all seated auditorium that is doing everything in its power to keep me there.Shooglenifty have been around since 1990, and they play like it, in the best possible way. The musical evolution of the ‘Niftys’ is best described as a fusion of traditional ceilidh rhythms with global influences including Asian, Middle Eastern and contemporary sounds into a vibrant danceable whole. This is a band completely at ease with itself, driving hard, playing tight, and clearly enjoying the room, even if the room isn’t quite...

7Apr

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Game of Crones – Traverse Theatre

The Protagonist stumbles through a haze of swirling fog and beseeches Mighty Kronos, the Lord of Time. Her vision is blurry, and her phone is inexplicably in the fridge. Plus, she has wrinkles. The Protagonist begs the Keeper of the Sands to spare her from the indignities of aging. But merciless Kronos is having none of it. The Protagonist receives the Tongue Sharpener, the Spectacles of Insight, and the Cloak of Invisibility (it's a beige cardigan), and embarks on an epic mystical quest full of pitfalls and wacky characters. Clown duo Abigail Dooley and Emma Edwards combine splendid silliness with a heightened, fantastical sensibility. The costumes, created by Jess Eaton, are a fine example of this elevated foolery. The "dragged through a hedge backwards“ costume features a wild...

2Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Lighthouse – Traverse Theatre

There is no question that The Light House, written and performed by Alys Williams and directed by Andrea Heaton, arrives in Edinburgh with a strong reputation and a well honed touring confidence. This is a piece that knows exactly what it is doing, and, judging by the reaction in the room, it does it rather effectively for a good number of people.The subject matter, a relationship tested by suicidal ideation, is handled with care and clarity, and the production leans heavily into a theatrical language of puppetry, physical theatre, and audience interaction to carry its emotional weight. It is, in many ways, a carefully constructed machine designed to move its audience.And move them it does. I see visible tears in the auditorium, and a palpable sense of emotional release at the curtain call...

21Mar

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Saint Joan – Traverse Theatre

George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan is reimagined by writer/director Stewart Laing in a risky new version influenced heavily by an unproduced screenplay by Shaw. While this decision offers a unique take on theatrical adaptation, one must question whether this is the right form for a stage production. This version places Joan firmly at the center of the action during the Hundred Years War, showcasing her rise and eventual downfall as a soldier turned saint. With a strong focus on gender and the power of youth, Saint Joan aims to remind us that anyone is capable of making change. However, the play's structure, which moves away from familiar theatrical conventions, feels disjointed. Narrative is spoken as though direction in a screenplay, with reference to close ups and camera tracki...

A Play, a Pie, and a Pint: The Swansong – Traverse Theatre

20Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

A Play, a Pie, and a Pint: The Swansong – Traverse Theatre

In a continuation of this year’s Spring season of A Play, A Pie, And A Pint, The Swansong made its way to The Traverse theatre this week. This is a musical play that sees a young woman on the brink (Lydia played by Julia Murray) take to her local duck pond with a plan to end her life. As she washes her sorrows away with a bottle of gin, she finds company in an unlikely companion - a beautiful swan (Paul McArthur). The Swan tells her he has the power to end her life as soon as she snaps her fingers and truly means it. Hesitant to let her go ahead with her plan, The Swan takes Lydia on one last night of adventure, and on this night, Lydia seems to regain the hope she had lost. Set against the beautiful compositions of Finn Parker, we are taken along to piano bars, ...

18Mar

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Meursault – Traverse Theatre

There is something slightly incongruous about seeing Meursault at the Traverse Theatre. The venue is best known for drama rather than indie music, and that theatrical context inevitably shapes the experience. What might feel like a raw, emotional gig elsewhere becomes something closer to a performance piece here, with an audience inclined to listen politely rather than react. The evening opens with a generous half-hour set from Stefan Honig, the Cologne-based singer-songwriter. Performing solo with guitar, Honig delivers an intimate and understated opening to the night. His songs, which he admits he isn’t always entirely sure how to explain, lean towards reflective folk, delivered with quiet confidence. One highlight is For Those Lost at Sea (2012), which stands out for its...

The Legend of Davie McKenzie – Traverse Theatre

14Mar

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

The Legend of Davie McKenzie – Traverse Theatre

From the duo who brought us Dancing Shoes at this venue before Christmas (and The Scaff prior to that) comes another play providing a comic, tragic and moving portrait of life on the ‘other’ side of the tracks. In their latest offering Stephen Christopher & Graeme Smith bring us Sean and Davie who meet as kids on a housing scheme and, both father-less, hang out together escaping their drab surroundings via their favourite films. Their perspectives on life are betrayed as they frequently play characters set against the world whether it’s Butch and Sundance or Tony Montana. Davie is clearly the more gallus of the two, claiming to have seen every single film ever made. Unsurprisingly his vibrant, imaginative approach to life knows few boundaries. The two end up in prison for ...

8Mar

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Medea – Traverse Theatre

Eurpides’ Greek tragedy, Medea, is revived once more by Kathy McKean, arguably bringing more life to the title role, putting Medea front and centre in her own story. This adaptation stays true to its source material while also modernising to fit with today’s usual audience. Her husband, Jason (Jonny Panchaud), gained the golden fleece while Medea (Nicole Cooper) has largely been forgotten. Left at home to look after her two sons, assisted by the Nurse (Isabelle Joss), Medea begins to play a dangerous game of revenge after Jason falls in love with the Princess and daughter of King Creon (Alan Steele). Cooper’s performance as Medea is truly incredible. From the moment she enters the stage, she commands attention, bringing a great sense of naturalism to this well-known Greek tragedy. Sh...