Category Archives: Theatre

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2017 – This Is Not Culturally Significant, 24th August 2017

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For our last show of the day, we’re continuing with the potentially shocking stuff, with This Is Not Culturally Significant at the Auditorium @ Gilded Balloon at the Museum at 23:45 on Thursday 24th. And here’s the blurb: “A brutally intense, darkly comic one-man show that unveils the compulsive and eccentric nature of humanity. This thunderous, high-energy piece of theatre is performed entirely nude and combines dark clowning and deeply grotesque bouffon to create sharp political comment on contemporary society. This is a show for thrill-seekers. It is uncomfortable to watch and mesmeric, leaving audiences’ emotions balancing on a knife edge. From a mendacious Spiritualist Lecturer to a despondent American porn star on the brink of her retirement, over 10 characters take the audience on a journey from emotional despair to helpless laughter.”

A friend saw this in London a few months ago and really enjoyed it, so I booked on the strength of his recommendation. It sounds like it will be very funny as well as very challenging, and apparently Adam Scott-Rowley gives a true tour de force! Check back around 1 am (or maybe tomorrow morning!) to see how we got on. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Well there’s no doubting it’s a tour de force, Adam Scott-Rowley gives a performance of amazing commitment and total engagement. It was a little like watching a naked Mr Bean at his most flummoxing. The characterisation is excellent, and the interweaving stories do progress. It was a little repetitive at times and occasionally I slightly lost interest. But that’s experimental theatre for you, and it was a fascinating experience.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2017 – Black Mountain, 24th August 2017

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After a lot of comedy it’s about time we saw something substantial and meaty and I think this will fill the bill! It’s Paines Plough’s production of Black Mountain, at Roundabout @ Roundabout @ Summerhall, at 13:25 on Thursday 24th. Here’s the blurb: “Rebecca and Paul are running away. Away from memories and mistakes. They’re trying to save their relationship. They need time and space. An isolated house in the country is the perfect place to work things out. But you can’t run forever. Especially when you’re being followed. Black Mountain is a tense psychological thriller about betrayal and forgiveness by Fringe First winner and recipient of the prestigious Harold Pinter Commission, Brad Birch.”

This sounds like it should be very eerie and suspenseful as well as serious and substantial! It stars Hasan Dixon, Katie Elin-Salt, and Sally Messham. Check back around 3 pm to see if we enjoyed it. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

My word but that was suspenseful! All credit to the fourth member of the cast, the lighting technician, for adding such an eerie and often scary atmosphere. A beautifully written and constructed play that sends shivers up your spine and has a brilliant, dramatic climax that could be interpreted in so many ways. Absolutely top performances and riveting drama.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2017 – Misterman, 23rd August 2017

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Our next play lured me in with its amazing reviews, as you can see; but I’m still not quite sure what to expect. It’s Misterman, at hill street theatre @ C venues – C primo, at 15:45 on Wednesday 23rd. See the reviews in the blurb: “A Sydney Critics’ multi award-winning tour-de-force performance of Enda Walsh’s riveting masterpiece. Thomas Campbell (Downton Abbey) plays Thomas Magill and the population of an entire town in a solo performance of epic proportions. ‘Misterman is provocative, buzzes with nuclear energy and, thanks to the holy trinity of Walsh, Gaul and Campbell – especially – is compulsory’ (Lloyd Bradford Syke, facebook.com/sykeonstage). ‘This production is perfect in almost every regard… All the elements combine in the tiny theatre to create something unexpectedly moving and overwhelming… A spectacular production with a spectacular performance which shouldn’t be missed’ (Ben Neutze, Daily Review.com.au, Crikey.com.au).”

A solo performance of epic proportions? That’s high praise indeed. Check back around 5.15 pm to see if we agreed. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

I have to confess, I can’t quite agree. Thomas Campbell does give a very good performance but we both found the play to lack variety and depth. Mr Campbell’s voices for all the characters got a little samey, and you end up with the Innisfree equivalent of Phil Spector’s wall of sound. The surprise ending comes as a strong shock, but I rather wish we could have got there a little earlier. The audience enjoyed it, so I am perfectly prepared to say it’s us out of kilter.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2017 – Gypsy Queen, 23rd August 2017

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In our Edinburgh experiences over the past few years, we’ve seen a great play about boxing, Lace Up, and two great plays about gay men in sport, Odd Shaped Balls and Away From Home. Both subjects come together with Rob Ward’s latest play, Gypsy Queen, at Front Room @ Assembly Rooms, at 13:00 on Wednesday 23rd. Here is the blurb: “Can two men raised to fight ever learn to love? The story of “Gorgeous” George O’Connell, bare-knuckle fighter and traveller, who enters the world of professional boxing, putting him on a collision course with his roots, his identity and his greatest fear. In the opposite corner, gay boxer Dane “The Pain” Samson, the young pretender and son of a boxing legend, is fighting his own battles, which will lead to a tragedy that neither could predict. Gypsy Queen is an unconventional love story between two fighters who discover the greatest challenge lies outside the ring.”

Rob Ward is a brilliant actor so I’m really looking forward to seeing how he tackles this play; Ryan Clayton takes the other roles. I see this has already played a number of theatres over the past year and the reviews have been a little patchy; but I’m hoping any problems will have been ironed out by now. Check back around 2.30pm to see what we thought. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

That was superb. A very strong play, unexpectedly very funny too, with great characters, a riveting story and its heart very much in the right place. And two excellent performances. Another fringe hit, highly recommended.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2017 – Losers, 22nd August 2017

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Our next show comes with some great reviews and its promotional video looks hilarious. It’s Tit4Twat’s production of Losers at Big Belly @ Underbelly, Cowgate, at 23:20 on Tuesday 22nd. Let’s see what the blurb has to say: “Grab a voting handset, meet four dangerously desperate contestants and decide their formidable fates. It’s the most nail-biting TV game show of the decade and no one’s going down without a fight. Theatrical mischief-makers Tit4Twat bring their critically-acclaimed satire to Edinburgh for the first time. 16+ (stupidity and real violence guaranteed). ‘Tech-savvy dissection of the reality TV phenomenon… shameless’ **** (Stage). ‘As good as anything on TV – with a much darker twist’ **** (WestEndWilma.com). ‘Truly interactive and innovative – unlike anything I’ve seen before’ (AYoungerTheatre.com). ‘Unique snapshot of our judgemental age’ (ThisIsCabaret.com). #LosersUnderbelly”

This savage look at how people can degrade themselves just to be on live TV ought to be brilliantly toe-curling. I’ve got very high hopes of this one! Check back around 12:45 am to see how great (or otherwise) it was. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

This is a brilliantly constructed show. Apart from the fact that the audience votes on each round of the contest, so no one knows what the result will be, I think it’s a completely scripted play, but you’d never know it. Sometimes agonisingly toe curling, some scenes make the audience cry out in anguish. A really challenging look at how people can destroy their lives in the pursuit of fame. Genuinely thrilling.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2017 – Angels in Erotica, 22nd August 2017

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Today is probably the most “play heavy” day of this year’s fringe experience, but I think our next play is likely to be one of the funniest. It’s the Phoenix Theatre Company’s production of Angels in Erotica at TheSpace @ Surgeons Hall (Theatre 2), at 20:10 on Tuesday 22nd. Here’s what the blurb says: “Jesus here! Belief in Dad is at an all-time low, but pre-marital sex is at an all-time high. So, He’s trying to rebrand by starring in His very first sex comedy. He’s got poor Cupid traipsing around after some dirty-minded northern girl in this “new universe” he’s created. And don’t even get me started on the unrealistic male beauty standards! No real man is that muscular or that… Spanish! And no one looks so at home in jeans that tight. Honestly, the whole thing is a bit midlife crisis. So, please don’t come, I’m so embarrassed…”

Sounds absolutely hilarious – and pushing a few blasphemy boundaries as well, which always feels curiously daring. Check back around 9.30 pm to see just how entertaining it was. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Well I was right about the blasphemy! A very funny and clever parody of the Bible story sees a showman God encouraging a rather dirty minded new Messiah (female) to push the boundaries. More sacrilege than sacred but still very enjoyable. Nicely performed throughout, if you’re broad minded you’ll have a great time!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2017 – The Inconvenience of Wings, 22nd August 2017

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We always try to catch a few hard-hitting serious plays when we come to Edinburgh, and I expect this will come under that category. Our next play comes from the Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town and is The Inconvenience of Wings at One @ Assembly George Square Studios, at 15:10 on Tuesday 22nd. This is what the blurb says: “For anyone who has suffered mental illness themselves, or has lived with someone who is afflicted, this piece will cut close to the bone. Triple Fringe First winner Andrew Buckland stars in Lara Foot’s powerful and poignant drama about friendship, dysfunction, addiction and angels. His wife, Sara, is diagnosed with bipolar disorder: she is compulsive, alive and hates women who know how to make cupcakes. Cape Times wrote, ‘it is a piece that no serious theatre lover should miss.’”

This could be a Kleenex show; if it works I doubt whether there’ll be a dry eye in the house. It’s had some great reviews from its performances last year in South Africa, so I’m ready to be impressed! Check back around 4.45 pm to see how moved we were. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

A very moving and thought provoking play that went back in time, from a devastating end to a hopeful beginning; superbly showing how mental illness – specifically bipolar – is a torture from which there are few ways out. Bravely and beautifully performed throughout.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2017 – Mary Go Nowhere, 22nd August 2017

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In a change of plan, but hopefully none the worse for that, our next play is Black Rocking Chair Productions’ Mary Go Nowhere at One @ Assembly George Square Studios, at 13:25 on Tuesday 22nd. This is what the blurb says: “Mary is on the edge of a breakdown trying to keep her foul-mouthed three-year-old in preschool. Drought. Flies. Earthquakes. Apocalypse? Or just October in LA? Written by and starring Julie Shavers, ‘Ms Shavers is rock solid’ (New York Times). ‘Shavers creates an aesthetic that’s exciting and intriguing’ (NYTheater.com). Critics Pick, New York Magazine. Workshopped with Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel. With Chris Grace (Baby Wants Candy, Broad City, Superstore), Fringe First winner Dan O’Brien (NBC/Comedy Central’s Whitney, How I Met Your Mother), directed by Fringe First winner Paul Urcioli.”

I think this sounds intriguing and should hopefully be a good mix of humour and serious drama. Check back around 3pm to see what we thought of it. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

A domestic hell gets progressively more and more surreal in a Californian nightmare. Bonkers, bizarre and brilliant. Really funny script and beautifully performed. Highly recommended!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2017 – The Power Behind the Crone, 22nd August 2017

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Late night last night so not too early a start for our first performance of the day, Hint of Lime’s production of The Power Behind the Crone at Four @ Assembly George Square Studios, at 12:00 noon on Tuesday 22nd. Let’s read the blurb: “Alison Skilbeck’s serio-comic celebration of Shakespeare’s older women, directed by Tim Hardy. ‘There are no good parts in Shakespeare for older women’. Professor Artemis Turret, played by Alison Skilbeck, sets out to refute these words in an illustrated lecture. Her old chum, international star Dame Bunti Smart, who was to perform the speeches, lets her down. Professor Turret is forced to unveil her own hidden theatrical talents in seven wildly contrasting roles. Skilbeck’s five-star Mrs Roosevelt Flies To London had a near sold-out run at Assembly last year.”

If this is half as good as it sounds, it’s going to be absolutely brilliant! The premise sounds so funny and a good performance should make this magic. Check back around 1.15pm to see what we thought. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

The eloquent Artemis delivers a cracking lecture and we hang on her every word. There’s an element of Joyce Grenfell to her character, and all her crones are beautifully delineated! Charming and funny, and critically fascinating too!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2017 – DROLL, 21st August 2017

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As a scholar of the old English Literature (well, I was once) and someone who’s fascinated by the history of the theatre, it sounds like this next show should be dynamite. It’s DROLL at Space 1 @ theSpace on the Mile, at 22:05 on Monday 21st. Here’s the blurb: “In 1642, theatre was made illegal. Theatre didn’t die. The award-winning Owle Schreame theatre company present a chaotic and semi-improvised selection of rough, wild, raucous and bawdy, short (illegal) plays from the 16th and 17th centuries. Unperformed for almost 400 years, Drolls were the farcical, chaotic mini-productions held in secret during the outlawing of the theatres, usually finishing with the cast getting dragged to jail. Every performance is unique. Described as innovative, interactive and genuinely engaging, ‘this rare oddity of a production is bacchanalia, call-the-police, drunken theatre: not to be missed. Don’t’ ***** (Guardian).”

I’m hoping for some bawdy fun but also for something that will make this a unique entertainment – not sure what that might be! It’s spelt with capital letters online, so I’ve kept with that formation, but I have no idea if it’s necessary! Check back around 11.15pm to see whether it ticked all the boxes. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

That was absolutely fascinating. The humour of John Swabber, a tale of ridicule and adultery performed with gusto and the first time these pieces have been performed since the 17th century. Remarkable on many levels, and it makes you want to find out more about the drolls. Go see!