Underbelly Archives - North West End UK

Eggs Aren’t That Easy to Make – Jersey at Underbelly

18Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Eggs Aren’t That Easy to Make – Jersey at Underbelly

Produced by Big Sofa Theatre and Counterminers, Eggs Aren’t That Easy to Make follows the friendship of Claire (Rachel Andrews) and Dan (Thomas Kingman) through the years, starting with a drunken off-handed promise in university that Dan would be the sperm donor if Claire ever got into a lesbian relationship—unlikely, right? Well, a few years down the line, Claire is in a lesbian relationship and ready to have a baby when Dan reminds her of her promise. The problem is Dan is a little… overbearing, so Claire and her partner Lou (Esther Carr) must assert agency, set up boundaries, and prepare for their pregnancy, all while trying not to upset Dan. Written by Maria Telnikoff, this play tells an endearing story with queer joy at its heart. Charming, funny, and light, I could watch this ...

Sh!t-faced Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Underbelly, McEwan Hall

18Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Sh!t-faced Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Underbelly, McEwan Hall

One actor drunk, the rest soberly soldiering on through Shakespeare. It’s a crowd-pleasing premise, and the chaos is real. But if you don’t know your Midsummer Night’s Dream inside out, a lot of the humour sails past. Funny? Yes, at times. Insightful? Not so much. On paper, this sounds like a perfect Fringe mash-up: take a cast of classically trained Shakespearean actors, lace one of them with enough booze to make Falstaff blush, then watch the Bard’s poetry get sideswiped by slurred asides, physical stumbles, and improvised derailments. In theory, it’s both a homage to the rough and ready theatrical tradition and a sharp parody of Shakespearean reverence. The night I saw it, the chosen drunk was Lysander, who gradually morphed into “the crazy little Greek kid who gap-yeared in R...

Mary, Queen of Rock! – Underbelly, Cowbarn

16Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Mary, Queen of Rock! – Underbelly, Cowbarn

Mary, Queen of Rock! reimagines Scotland’s most famous monarch as a leather-clad rock rebel, taking on John Knox in a battle of the bands. The cast delivers strong vocals, with Mhairi McCall in the lead role commanding the stage and Rebecca Williamson as Queen Elizabeth I, who brings plenty of ‘tude and sly wit and a fine voice to boot! The songs, especially Loud Women, deserve to shake the walls, but the volume is only half what it should be. With more punch in the sound and sharper tech, this could be a killer rock gig. I’m at the Underbelly’s Cowbarn, and the lights come up on Mary, Queen of Rock! Unfortunately, this nicely proportioned and comfortably seated raked venue is less than half full. In this version of history, Mary returns from France in 1561 to find John Knox running...

16Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Garry Starr – Underbelly, George Square

Some Fringe shows are clever. Some are chaotic. And some, like Garry Starr: Classic Penguins, gleefully throw themselves off the rails and somehow land in a place of dazzling, ridiculous beauty. Damien Warren Smith’s alter ego, Garry Starr, attempts to perform every Penguin Classic novel in the space of 70 minutes. Dressed in the publisher’s signature flippers and not much else, in fact, absolutely nothing else for most of the show, he cycles through Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, Little Women, Of Mice and Men and dozens more at a breakneck pace, each rendered in his distinctive cocktail of physical clowning, improvisation, and subversive silliness. Yes, he’s naked. The first thing an audience member needs to know is that this isn’t a fleeting gimmick, it’s the performance unif...

DIVA: Live From Hell – Underbelly, Cowgate

24Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

DIVA: Live From Hell – Underbelly, Cowgate

Luke Bayer. Remember the name. If you combine the tongue-flicking rubber faced brilliance of a young Jim Carey, the bottom-burp comedic appeal of Rick Mayall, and the sharpness of super-smart baby Stewie of Family Guy, well…. You might just about have the voice, but nowhere near the energy of the nuclear-powered, AI-chipped, water-slurping machine that is Luke Bayer. Probably best known for his work in the original West End cast of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, or for appearing on X Factor in 2007, making it through to Dannie Minogue’s judges houses, but at 15 too young to go any further. Now is his time. And this IS the show. What a voice. Or should I say four voices to be exact. Here’s your character list; Desmond Channing (voice see above) The DIVA himself. Writ...

I Wish you Well: Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Trial Musical – Underbelly, George Square

24Aug

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

Scotland

I Wish you Well: Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Trial Musical – Underbelly, George Square

A camp parody of amusement based on the infamous 2023 ski trial of Gwyneth vs Terry. “Nothing ever happens in a court in Utah” then Gwyneth comes to town, and that is when the fun starts. With a cast of 4 this fast-paced musical picks at the not so subtle evidence in court where Terry is suing Gwyneth for a brain injury sustained in the accident. Gwyneth is suing Terry for $1 for the inconvenience of it all, she is not happy. From the outset the scene is set, staged in court and it is not long before each character bursts onto the scene with their individuality, and musical style. The story lines flow seamlessly, the musicality is on point, and all mixed in with a cabaret choreographic style that Judge Jude, Idnss Kargbo showcases perfectly. He leaves not...

Foil Arms and Hog: Skittish – Underbelly, Bristo Square

23Aug

By Saira KunjuvalappilNo Comments

Scotland

Foil Arms and Hog: Skittish – Underbelly, Bristo Square

Foil Arms and Hog's "Skittish" was nothing short of spectacular—a brilliant fusion of music and comedy that had the entire audience in stitches from start to finish. The show was a full house, and it’s easy to see why. It’s hard to say whether their musical talent or comedic timing stood out more because both were equally hilarious and perfectly executed. The performance was structured as a series of interactive comedy skits, each more entertaining than the last. The audience was continuously engaged, unable to stop laughing as each skit delivered something fresh and unexpected. One of the highlights was an Irish comedy song that had everyone clapping along to the infectious tunes, blending humor and music effortlessly. One particularly memorable skit involved a comedic take on o...

Colin Cloud: Consequences – Underbelly, Bristo Square

19Aug

By Susan CohenNo Comments

Scotland

Colin Cloud: Consequences – Underbelly, Bristo Square

Colin Cloud's return to the fringe is something to be celebrated, nay, something to be shouted about. HURRAY! The America's Got Talent Las Vegas hotshot appears in what feels like a gothic setting in the McEwan Hall, the perfect venue for his performance which goes l-a-r-g-e and roves around the audience. Since I last saw Colin (yes, I feel as if I know him from way back when the family and I first saw him on stage) he seems to have become more - more steampunk, more fearless. Och, just more. I'm very aware that there are probably those who don't believe in Colin's mentalist powers. Are these audience members planted? How could he possibly know this? How could he possibly know that? Well, I'm here to tell you that several years ago,...

15Aug

By Gill LewisNo Comments

Scotland

Out of Woodstock – Underbelly, Cowgate

Follow a young man’s descent into one of the worst festival disasters in recent history. Its legacy is rooted in an unleashing of Millennial anger. Baby Boomers enjoyed the summer of love, with Woodstock 69, united in their quest for peace and harmony. Thirty years later the attempt to recreate this significant cultural event, with Woodstock ’99, brought about overpriced beer, boobs, and misogyny. This play intrigues, based on real life events during the infamous music festival which ended in carnage and controversy. Poor organisation and dollar hungry management created a ticking timebomb as revelers exploded in the accumulation of sweltering unbearable heat, poor sanitation, serious sexual assaults, looting and several deaths. Written and directed by Tom Foreman,...

15Aug

By Gill LewisNo Comments

Scotland

Bills 44th – Underbelly, Cowgate

Mr Bean meets Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared in this heartwarming Tragi – comedy, an existential tale of being alone, but never lonely. Have you ever been to a party where there’s more balloons than people? No? Then you’ve never spent a birthday with Bill, who’s getting his modest flat ready to celebrate his 44th birthday. Puppeteering duo Dorothy James and Andy Manjuck in association with Underbelly deliver a thoroughly entertaining piece of laugh out loud storytelling. Working in unison, James and Manjuck’s seamless, skillful control of Bill, creates a range of funny identifiable mannerisms and reactions, which add to Bill’s natural draw and likability. The physicality speaks a thousand words. The sold-out reactive audience showed instant warmth for Bill, evident from...