Nina Rose Carlin: Seeking Representation, TheSpace at Surgeons’ Hall.
Nina Rose Carlin seeks the path to Hollywood stardom by following a list of six simple rules guaranteed to see you make it big in Tinseltown; unfortunately, none of them seem to work. From not knowing which Los Angeles airport to land in, to selling her soul to an AI version of herself, surely there must be a way for Nina to become a star and avoid the existential dread that (apparently) all actors face! Nina Rose Carlin commands the stage with a blend of Hollywood pizzazz and out-of-place smalltown girl failure, looking every inch a star and with an amazing voice to boot. In fact, the song interludes are the best part of the show; reflective, tuneful, and heartfelt. Some of the humour doesn’t quite land, mainly because of the use of American references that most British audiences simply wouldn’t recognise. I’d love to see her do something more – I reckon she could nail Sondheim.
The Grim, Underbelly Bristo Square.
The body of the late Jackie “Guillotine” Gallagher is next on the slab at the undertakers to be measured for his coffin; but this simple task involves a little more of a challenge than those undertakers, Rob and Shaun, were expecting. The “Grim” of the title is an Irish folklore apparition that takes the form of a huge black dog with red glowing eyes; see one, and you’ll be dead before long. Part ghost story, part comedy thriller, this terrific new play by Edmund Morris involves voices, revenge and a bit of blood too. Very well acted on a tiny, odd-shaped stage, it’s full of surprises – just remember to share your sweeties next time.
With All My Fondest Love, Greenside @ George Street.
In the attic are boxes and boxes of old love letters, diaries, train tickets, photographs, records, and even cricket trophies; all the detritus of lives gone by. Noah Wild traces the early days of his grandparents’ first meetings, their letters to each other, and their hopes and dreams for a happy future together. Their letters are signed With All My Fondest Love. But relationships don’t always go the way we hope, and every good thing has to end at some point. But not before the birth of Neil, Noah’s father; or else Noah wouldn’t have come into this world! Noah, too, is still suffering from a relationship breakdown, being ghosted by his ex, and drawing parallels between his failed relationship and the gradually disintegrating relationship of his grandparents. None of this will be possible one hundred years on, where love letters are mere texts and train tickets are pdf’s. Elegantly and emotionally written, and full of recognisable Oxford references if you know that city well, Mr Wild delivers a powerful and heartfelt performance filled with all those tiny elements that go to make up the early days of a relationship. It tugs at all your emotions, and reminds us of someone we knew and loved.
The Dreamer – Live, Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows.
No gimmicks, no sideshows; James Phelan starts his Dreamer show off straight away with a couple of extraordinary tricks, that involve predicting cards selected from a pack by different people from the audience, and piecing together various numbers chosen by random audience members to make a potentially very profitable sequence (I’ll say no more). As the show progresses, he involves the whole crowd in an experiment to see how well their imagination works (I’ll tell you now, mine was fairly rotten) and from that, he chooses a few audience members on whom he can practise a very special kind of mind control (again, I’ll say no more). James Phelan’s tricks defy all sense of logic and reason and leave you totally spellbound. I haven’t a clue as to how he did any of it – I just watched, agog, and in awe.