Traverse Theatre Archives - Page 2 of 15

25Sep

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

FEIS – Traverse Theatre

FEIS is a story of ambition, intergenerational discord and Irish dancing, with a side order of chaos. Deirdre (Louise Haggerty) is seriously over-invested in her daughter Aiofe’s (Leah Balmforth) dance career. Grandmother Maura (Julie Coombe) is delectably unhinged. Deirdre secretly makes ends meet by creating online Irish dance-themed adult entertainment. Family secrets come to light as Aiofe seeks to understand who she is. Anna McGrath’s mercurial script energetically captures the love and battles between three generations of women. Director Laila McGrath keeps the pace just right, giving the actresses space to really go for it with the larger-than-life characters. The belly laughs come from the heart of the story, as the characters raise the stakes to outdo each other. Haggerty an...

17Sep

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Our Brother – Traverse Theatre

The horrific events that took place in Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) under the Khmer Rouge between 1975 – 79 are well documented, but writer Jack MacGregor has - to good effect -dramatised a true, less well-known incident from 1978. An idealistic Scots professor, simply referred to as ‘Stranger’ (played by Bobby Bradley) managed to grab 15 minutes with Pol Pot, or ‘Brother No 1’ (David Lee-Jones). With him was ‘American’ (Nicole Cooper), armed with enough knowledge of the atrocities to remain somewhat less effusive. This piece explored the (chiefly Marxist) motivation and ambition shared, initially, by Stranger and Brother, the notion that there was a way to create an egalitarian, agrarian utopia. Upon a simple platform covered in white sheets the three actors performed this inten...

Cauld Blast Orchestra – Traverse Theatre

15Sep

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Cauld Blast Orchestra – Traverse Theatre

Some reunions coast on memory, others roar into the present as if they had never left. Cauld Blast Orchestra’s return to the Traverse is firmly the latter. Born out of Communicado’s Jock Tamson’s Bairns more than thirty years ago, the band has always revelled in being unpigeonholeable. Folk, jazz, rock and classical sit in the same set, stitched with irreverence and played with virtuosity. Founding members remain the backbone. Karen Wimhurst, who first gathered the band together in 1990, is on clarinet for most of the evening, weaving intricate lines that remind you why this music still burns bright. Ian Johnstone dazzles with his versatility, moving between tuba, accordion and piano, each instrument sounding like it’s his true home. Steve Kettley, equally compe...

11Sep

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Wallace – Traverse Theatre

Hero. Butcher. Myth. Will the real William Wallace please stand up? This new hip-hop musical examines a giant of Scottish history through three different lenses. Who was he really, and what does that mean for Scotland now? As “Scotsman", Dave Hook recounts the familiar tale, which has inspired generations of Scots as well as a Hollywood blockbuster. His Wallace is simultaneously "just a man standing up for what’s right “, and a heroic colossus, crushing the enemies of freedom with his humongous fists. Manasa Tagika portrays Longshanks as the gangster lord he surely was, oozing status in his blood red fur coat and indoor sunglasses. "I don't think of you much”, he tells us Scots - but he really, really needs us to know that. This was my favourite part of the show but, tellingly, I cou...

Soundhouse: Paul Harrison’s Trio Mágico & Guests: Encontros – Traverse Theatre

6Sep

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Soundhouse: Paul Harrison’s Trio Mágico & Guests: Encontros – Traverse Theatre

Launching their latest album, Encontros, Paul Harrison’s Trio Mágico graced the Traverse Theatre once again, bringing with them an evening filled with Brazilian-inspired jazz rhythms and grooves. From original compositions, to rearrangements of renowned Brazilian jazz pieces (many of which were taken from Brazilian jazz player and composer Egberto Gismonti) Paul Harrison’s trio is Mágico by name, and Mágico by nature. The first act hit us with high-energy, highlighting the beauty of Harrison’s chord harmonisation and bassist Mario Caribé’s enthusiastic and lively playing. Drummer Stu Brown keeps the trio rolling along with his relaxed approach - that is until the second act where he completely unleashes the full power of his playing. Brown’s kit is perfectly collated t...

I’m Ready to Talk Now – Traverse Theatre

19Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

I’m Ready to Talk Now – Traverse Theatre

One audience member at a time, for 45 minutes, in a room dressed like a hospital ward. That is the premise of I’m Ready to Talk Now, an award-winning piece created and performed by Australian artist Oliver Ayres, and it is as bold and unusual as it sounds. Developed in Melbourne before arriving at the Traverse for its UK premiere, the show has already drawn acclaim for its innovation, but to experience it first-hand is something else entirely. You are welcomed gently, even tenderly. The host tucks you into a bed, adjusts the space for your comfort, and slips headphones over your ears. What follows is a guided immersion into his own story, spoken in his voice, paced by his movements around the room. At times he is by your side, at times he drifts into shadow, and once, when he gazes ...

Nowhere – Here and Now – Traverse Theatre

18Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Nowhere – Here and Now – Traverse Theatre

The Traverse has always been a home for ambitious, politically charged theatre, and Nowhere – Here & Now sits firmly in that tradition. Created and performed by Khalid Abdalla, the show is an urgent, deeply personal exploration of revolution, displacement, and identity. It is at once sweeping in scope and intimate in detail, and though its ambitions sometimes spill over into excess, the experience is powerful and memorable. From the outset, Abdalla frames the performance with haunting questions: “This nowhere is safe. But there are places in the world where nowhere is safe. And when the unfathomable becomes persistent, where do you go?” That sense of uncertainty and statelessness runs through the performance, which draws heavily on his own experiences during the Egyptian u...

17Aug

By Saira KunjuvalappilNo Comments

Scotland

She’s Behind You – Traverse Theatre

She's Behind You, a Johnny McKnight script and a John Tiffany direction, is a seasonal yet contemplative dive into the world of pantomime. In a co-production between the Traverse Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland, the play grabs the art form's sense of enjoyment while nipping at its deeper cultural importance. From the moment McKnight—portraying his alter ego character, Dorothy Blawna-Gale—appeared on stage, the audience was mesmerized. The laughter was almost continuous, with spontaneous applause in rhythm to music and dance. Audience participation was a whopping 100%, with bystanders caught up in the infectious energy from start to finish. Visually, the production dazzled. Bright, sparkly, and totally immersive, the lighting and stage design contributed both to the c...

The Beautiful Future Is Coming – Traverse Theatre

8Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

The Beautiful Future Is Coming – Traverse Theatre

This is an ambitious, well-crafted and very watchable play about the climate crisis. Flora Wilson Brown has written an intriguing drama which covers a period of 246 years. In 1856 we are in New York with Eunice and her husband, John. This part of the story was inspired by the American scientist, Eunice Foote, who discovered the greenhouse effect: that higher carbon dioxide levels lead to a hotter planet. Phoebe Thomas (Eunice) gives a captivating performance as the brilliant scientist who is increasingly frustrated by the fact that men won’t take her seriously because she is a woman. Eunice has apocalyptic nightmares about the fate facing the world if people won’t listen to her warnings. Matt Whitchurch is impressive as her husband, John, who tells his wife she can be ‘difficult’...

4Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

Consumed – Traverse Theatre

Playwright Karis Kelly believes in challenging audiences even if that makes them feel uncomfortable. And she certainly does that in ‘Consumed’ which opens the lid on a dysfunctional family in Northern Ireland. Four generations of women gather in Bangor to celebrate the 90th birthday of Eileen who lives with Gilly, her 65 year old daughter. Gilly’s daughter, Jenny, aged 40, and her 14 year-old daughter, Muireann, fly over from London for the occasion. Eileen wears a party hat as the play starts, but there is tension in the air as Gilly returns from her last minute shopping. And things don’t get any better when Jenny and Muireann arrive. This is not an easy watch. Light moments are few and far between. And in fact what starts as a naturalistic kitchen sink drama develops into someth...