Monthly Archives: August 2016

+3 Review: Spring Awakening (Paradise in St Augustine’s: 5-13 Aug: 21.30: 1hr 30mins)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals 2016, Musical Theatre by

“I’d encourage anyone into musical theatre to go and see it “

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars

With the band clearly visible on an otherwise bare stage, looking cool and every inch the 00s rockers in white t-shirts, EUSOG’s interpretation of Spring Awakening feels more like a concert than a traditional musical. The full (Broadway) version runs over two acts and well over two hours, but this is a stripped back, 90 minute version, which I have to say I prefer. It centres on the songs as vehicles to express emotion, with narrative, dialogue and choreography seamlessly fitting in around them. As a performance it’s compact, it’s flowing, it gets to the point and stays there, and to me one of the real triumphs in this production is how each number and scene overlap and blend, rich with energy, tenderness and life.

While musically Spring Awakening may not be as powerful as other rock operas like RENT, this cast do a fantastic job of squeezing every drop of emotion out of each song to make each lyric really hit home, and William Briant’s band let rip with rousing and powerful accompaniment throughout. The company perform every chorus number with great vitality, from the loud The Bitch of Living, to the very delicate and uplifting The Song of Purple Summer. The harmonies are great, the blending on point, and individual solo lines delivered with aplomb.

Some of the acting was a little shaky: Wendla’s rape and Moritz’s suicide didn’t ring as emotionally true as the rest of the performance, but this is a young company dealing with very difficult material, so we must cut a little slack – sometimes the professionals slip-up too.

It’s the power and energy of the cast that make this show a real treat though, demonstrating talent and professionalism far beyond what one might expect from students. Nitai Levi has astonishing control and presence as Melchior, Greg Williamson is a wonderfully pained Moritz with a great pop-rock voice while Isabella Rogers is also beautifully understated as Ilse. Caroline Elms and James Strahan capably perform all the adult roles between them, with great changes in character and authority to make them believable. A special mention to Strahan for his quick turnaround from the emotional funeral scene to playing a completely different character literally seconds later.

It’s such a shame EUSOG’s run ends this weekend, as I’d encourage anyone into musical theatre to go and see it – it really is a masterclass in getting the basics right. If I could, I’d go again.

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

—

Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 10 August)

THIS REVIEW HAS NOT BEEN SUBEDITED

+3 Interview: Aquapella: Mash-up, Mix and Blend

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

2016aquapel_ca

“We wanted to create a show that was fun, entertaining, engaging and bursting with energy.”

WHO: Gabriella Monnington – Co-Musical Director, Main Arranger

WHAT: “Since their Edinburgh debut last year, vocal sensations Aquapella from the University of Bath have toured, won highest-placed UK mixed a cappella group at ICCA, and were a Voice Festival UK finalist. Bringing home awards for outstanding choreography and arrangements, Aquapella certainly know the recipe for success: mash-up, mix and blend. Their secret ingredient – a spoonful of sass, a pinch of humour and cheesy dance moves to taste.”

WHERE: C venues – C (Venue 34)

WHEN: 15:30 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our second year at the fringe and there has been a massive step up in the quality of our music, the confidence of our performers and the connection we have with our audience.

Tell us about your show.

Aquapella is an award-winning, 15-piece a cappella group from the University of Bath. We wanted to showcase our unique arrangements, high-octane choreography and sense of humour and have done so by tieing it all together in a cooking programme themed show designed to exhibit the ingredients that make our brand of a cappella so great!

This is the last hurrah for 11 of our graduating members and really shows our group off at the top of its game. We wanted to create a show that was fun, entertaining, engaging and bursting with energy and charisma but at the same time retain the incredible musical integrity the group has become known for across national and international audiences – judging by the feedback from our audience and audience reviews we seem to have achieved what we set out to do!

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

More a cappella!!! There are some incredible groups on at the fringe, we would specifically suggest our Southwest buddies the Bristol Suspensions and The Sweet Nothings but there are loads of other really talented groups out there as well!

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Jack Barry: You Don’t Know Jack

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

2016jackbar_acj

“I wanted to be in the Cambridge Footlights, but was too think.”

WHO: Jack Barry – Head Honcho

WHAT: “Who the f*ck is Jack Barry? Come and watch him figure it out in this show about identity and quarter-life crises. Tour support for Joe Lycett, Patrick Kielty and James Acaster.”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Mash House (Venue 288)

WHEN: 18:40 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No. This is my seventh year at the fringe. I’ve been coming since I was a student and used to do sketch comedy with the Leeds Tealights (I wanted to be in the Cambridge Footlights, but was too think.)

Since then I’ve been working on my skills as a stand up, appearing in the Comedy Reserve and Comedy Zone showcases. This year I’m performing my second solo hour. I’m also doing my third show as part of double act Twins, with Annie McGrath.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote it, I produced it, I’m performing it and the company is me. The company came together earlier this year when I was poor couldn’t afford anyone else to produce it for me. I didn’t do everything though, the wonderful Nick Helm has helped to direct me, shape it into a proper show and given me numerous pep talks over the last few months. I’ve been previewing it for some time, all over the country but have no idea what will happen to it after the fringe.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

I’ve only seen one show far and it was my friend Mat Ewins. He is a comedy genius and his show is amazing. However, he hasn’t bought any flyers or done any promotion this year, so make sure you don’t miss it.

I’ve also previewed with Fin Taylor, his show is amazing this year and everyone should see it. I also can’t wait to see Sean McLoughlin’s now show. His show last year was my favourite thing I saw.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Review: [title of show] (C Cubed: 4-29 Aug: 21.20: 1hr 30mins)

Posted in 3*, C Venues, EdFestivals 2016, Musical Theatre by

“The company’s voices blend beautifully to create some lovely moments”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars

I always get excited when a new and ambitious theatre company decides to put its own spin on a show that only received limited success its first time around, in order to try and find that winning formula. In this case, Cobbles and Rhyme attempt to give a very minimalist makeover to [title of show], which, though enjoyable, unfortunately ends up languishing in musical theatre mediocrity.

[title of show] is by nature the anti-musical – intentionally flying in the face of the fourth wall and big production values, using just a keyboard, a bare stage, four actors and and four chairs. This makes it perfect for translating to Fringe venues, and with some clever staging Cobbles and Rhyme effectively create sympathetic intimacy and a stripped back feel that really suits the show’s themes.

However, beyond this it is a shame to see that some of the basic flaws in the musical itself were not addressed, making it at times painfully obvious exactly why the show wasn’t a huge hit on Broadway. Granted, this is probably more down to terms within the performance rights than the company’s ability, but I can only critique based on what I see.

It takes the best part of 25 minutes and six songs to get past the “Let’s write a musical/I don’t know what to write” stage, and throughout the first half of the performance I felt like I learned next to nothing about the personalities of each character. It is only towards the end in Awkward Photo Shoot when tensions start to emerge and priorities conflict that we really discover their mettle, and it’s a shame this occurs so late. This is a show that just needs to get to the meat faster and stop being quite so self-indulgent and self-important.

Musically, it’s ok – there aren’t really any standout numbers, though closing tune Nine People’s Favorite Thing is quite hummable as you exit the auditorium. Complex harmonies are well delivered throughout and the company’s voices blend beautifully to create some lovely moments. The cast certainly give it their all, even though for me it’s the supporting characters of Heidi (Heidi Parsons) and Susan (Charlie Walker) who outshine their male counterparts with stunning vocals and gripping stage presence.

Overall it’s nice, it’s funny and it’s well sung, but I think it lacks that killer punch to have a really big impact at the Fringe.

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

—

Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 10 August)

THIS REVIEW HAS NOT BEEN SUBEDITED

+3 Review: Tony Roberts – Card Magic (Assembly Roxy, Aug 5-28 : 21.30 : 1hr)

Posted in 4*, Assembly Roxy, Cabaret, EdFestivals 2016, Rated: Outstanding by

https://newimages.bwwstatic.com/columnpic7/iconsquaretonyroberts_0244_photobysteveullathorne.jpeg

“Absurdly clever card trickery”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars Outstanding

I’ve never been very good at card tricks. As someone for whom maths lessons loomed like Banquo at the feast, knowing the number work at play in even the simplest sleight veered me sharply away. So when presented with someone who can do it with skill, I’m naturally impressed; and when presented with Tony Roberts, I was delighted.

Though the audience I saw him in was small, I feel this made no difference: Roberts is an expert at playing a crowd as if it was a one on one conversation, turning what could have been a small show in the Roxy downstairs into a warm, intimate and deeply interesting conclave. Hosted by the titular lauded businessman-cum-acclaimed street performer, ‘Card Magic’ (as Roberts so quickly and happily points out) is what it says on the tin – though perhaps without fully advertising the sheer quality of the product inside. And what that exactly is, much like the man himself, is hard to describe. Part comedy show, part biography and with a heaped helping of absurdly clever card trickery, this was a performance which never failed to intrigue and entertain.

This show’s greatest asset (quite fittingly) is Roberts himself. Deeply charismatic from the moment he opens his mouth, he fails to fall into the trap of braggadociousness which plagues so many contemporary street magicians. It’s like hanging out with an Australian uncle down the pub, if that very same uncle had spent a few years trapped in a Johnny Ace Palmer show. It’s clear from the get-go exactly how Roberts can draw crowds on a busy street – not only his wit, but his genuineness and warmth.

But, of course, being an ace with his suits doesn’t hurt either – and Roberts is clearly one of the best. Even with repeat viewings, his tricks would boggle the mind. Shaking his hand at the end of the show (as he humbly asks of every audience member), it’s almost surreal to recall the sheer dexterousness with which his fingers move. Although some of the tricks flowed a little too subtly on from his storytelling (though with shuffling skills like his, it’s difficult to tell when the real show’s starting), their denouement is always satisfying, whether you know you’re there at first or not.

This is the kind of show that makes children wish to grow up to be magicians, and adults wish they’d had the chance. But, as Roberts own story proves, it’s never too late to start seeing the magic – and I can think of no better show to pull back the curtain.

outstanding

StarStarStarStar

—

Reviewer: Jacob Close (Seen 7 August)

Visit the Assembly Roxy archive.

THIS REVIEW HAS NOT BEEN SUBEDITED

+3 Interview: Hayley Ellis: FOMO

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

2016fomo_ach

“I’m really not good at this self promotion lark.”

WHO: Kathryn Norton – Producer, Co-Director

WHAT: “Hayley Ellis has Fear of Missing Out (FOMO to the kids). Join award-winning Ellis (tour support for Rob Delaney and regular contributor for BBC Two’s Russell Howard’s Good News) for her follow-up hour to find out how neurotic we all really are.”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Community Project (Venue 27)

WHEN: 21:35 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I first came up to Edinburgh in 2012 and performed in The Comedy Zone showcase. I returned with a solo show in 2014 and this show is my second solo show. You’ll notice I have a year off every time I perform a Edinburgh show as I like to spend a lot of time writing, that and community service clashes.

Tell us about your show.

This show is an hour of stand up performed and written by myself. After Edinburgh I’m performing it at the Liverpool Comedy Festival and the Nottingham Comedy festival so far.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Well first they would probably need a drink as my room is very hot and they will need to replace fluids lost.

There’s loads of amazing shows up in Edinburgh and I could literally recommend so many but If I had to say just one I personally would love to see Chris Gethard’s show. I can’t see it as it clashes with mine. I mean not that I’m saying you should see his show and not mine, but if you had to pick one, then yeah go see his. I’m really not good at this self promotion lark.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Family Values

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

2016familyw_u8

“Writer Michael Dalberg is an incredibly smart guy, maybe too smart for his own good.”

WHO: David Gasperetti – Director

WHAT: “Trent and Liam have completed one last job which hopefully has freed them from their mafia ties. Set in the Florida Everglades, these two brothers must learn how to become a real family. Just as their bond seems to strengthen, two strangers arrive at their hard-to-find home. Are these people here by accident, or have they been sent by other members of the family? Or worse: are these people closer to Trent and Liam than they realize? A dark, gritty, physical new drama that explores how perilous escaping the past can be.”

WHERE: theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)

WHEN: 19:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I was here last summer for a few days as a spectator and fell in love. This year I’m proud to say I’m a participant.

Tell us about your show.

I went to undergrad school with the playwright, Michael Dalberg. He’s an incredibly smart guy, maybe too smart for his own good. I was looking for a script to direct in my hometown about three years ago and contacted him. That’s the first time Family Values was placed on my radar. After reading the summary of this mafia play, I determined it was not the kind of play a very conservative community would embrace so I put it on my shelf.

Just about a year ago after my first Edinburgh Fringe experience, Family Values was put back on my radar. Michael’s play won a fresh ink competition back in the USA and received a staged reading. I finally sat down and gave the play a read and determined this was perfect for the Fringe. Absolutely perfect.

As one reviewer wrote, it’s “frustratingly brilliant” and that’s a true description to the intelligence of the play. There are so many layers of this play that showcase the complicated life of the brothers, the remnants of a broken family, and is redemption even possible for this group? It’s light-hearted and funny, but also physical, dark, and gritty. People have even used the word “Tarantino-esque” to describe the intensity and physicality and yes that is an accurate description.

We received 4 & 5-star reviews during our London preview which is fantastic and reflects both the efforts of the Ghost Light team and also the appetite of our audience. People want to see a play that’s intelligent, intense, draws you in until the very end, and when the lights come back up the audience says to themselves “Whoa”. Vital clues are sprinkled throughout the play and if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss out. At the end of our thriller play, I guarantee you’ll come to one conclusion, the person on your left another, and on the right a third. As artists, this is exactly the experience we want to create for our patrons.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

I haven’t seen too much yet as we’re still getting into the swing of things for our show, but I do recommend Yokes Night by the Stay Up Late Collective. Dublin, March 11, 2015, all drugs are legal. Without giving too much away, it’s the right amount of striking directly to the heart and the right amount of messed up.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Yokes Night

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

2016yokesnj_hp

“It’s amazing to be back in this incredible city.”

WHO: Isabella Javor – Producer

WHAT: “Dublin, 11th March 2015. A slip-up loophole in the law declares all drugs legal for 24 hours. On this night of rebellion, Harry finds himself under the influence of Saoirse. Bound by the ecstasy of their union, secrets are shared, and the stench of bloodshed is looming. Stay Up Late and Bear Trap Theatre fuse cut-throat dialect with stylized movement, forging a fresh, progressive theatre experience.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

WHEN: 14:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time in Edinburgh with my own company! I came up as an assistant with Ornamental Theatre for the fringe two years ago, which marked my first time in Edinburgh. It’s amazing to be back in this incredible city feeling like I’ve got a bit more experience under my belt, but nothing ever prepares you for the ride.

Tell us about your show.

Yokes Night is a new Irish play set in Dublin, March 11th 2015. The night where all drugs were legal for 24 hours in Ireland. Scott Lyons – who co-founded Stay Up Late Collective with Zoe Forrester – wrote Yokes Night last year in our Easter holidays of our second year of drama school.

At East 15 Acting School we all trained on the BA Acting & Contemporary Theatre course as actors and devisors, and were encouraged to pitch a show idea for the annual Debut Festival. After producing Debut Festival’s 8 new plays, which included Yokes Night‘s embryonic scratch performance, I joined the company to develop the show professionally.

Jesse Briton of Bear Trap Theatre, and Dimitris Chimonas from Ugly Collective came aboard to co-direct the piece together for Edinburgh. We’ve had a lot of support on the way, and a fantastic sold-out preview at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London!

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

TOO MANY RECOMMENDATIONS!!! Juice Straw Are Bleak, Triumvirette, and Buzz: A New Musical at Greenside. Blush by Snuffbox Theatre and Starship Osiris at Underbelly, Family Values and Ladies inIn Waiting: The Judgement of Henry VIII at theSpace on the Mile, Police Cops by Pretend Men and The Mission by The Outbound Project at Pleasance, I Keep A Woman In My Flat Chained To A Radiator at ZOO Venues, Lies, All Lies, at the Laughing Horse Bar and Coup de Grace at Sweet Grassmarket.

Oh, and for God’s sake please go see Camille O’Sullivan sing.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Alice Unhinged

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

aliceunhingedportrait

“Prepare for a phantasmagorical adventure.”

WHO: Kathryn Norton – Producer, Co-Director

WHAT: “Young Pleasance present a phantasmagorical reinvention of Lewis Carroll’s warped world. With the turbulent logic of a dream Alice Pleasance Liddell is catapulted back into the vortex to unpick her own chaos and confusion. YP breathe new life into Carroll’s refreshingly amoral shape-shifting fantasy, where Alice becomes aware that everything is possible, one second lasts forever and consequences evaporate into thin air. With their trademark ensemble cast Young Pleasance have created another thrilling show to delight audiences.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

WHEN: 13:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is the 21st year for YP at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!

Tell us about your show.

Young Pleasance specialise in large scale ensemble theatre staging original writing and adaptations tailored to the company who are involved in the creative process. This is the world premiere of Alice Unhinged

Renowned for showcasing the talents of promising young actors and delivering the highest production values on the Fringe – prepare for a phantasmagorical adventure. This is a contemporary Alice which pays homage to much of the surreal narrative and bizarre characters in Carroll’s original, layered with a contemporary steampunk twist. It is a riotous visual feast of colour, hats and bubbles…

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

All Quiet on the Western Front – featuring XYP actors and directors
Swansong – gloriously anarchic and witty comedic theatre
Beasts – future sketch-show comedy legends

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Review: Nuclear Family (Assembly Roxy: 3 – 29 Aug. 1715. 1h)

Posted in 2*, Assembly Roxy, EdFestivals 2016, Rated: Unrated, Theatre by
Image. Sunday's Child & Fever Dream Theatre.

Image. Sunday’s Child & Fever Dream Theatre.

” .. a drama of a hopeless, unstable, situation”

Editorial Rating:  2 Stars

Torness nuclear power station is 30kms from Edinburgh, strikingly visible from the A1 and from the main line. The MailOnline did a photo feature on it in January last year. A close-up on one of the panels in the Control Room shows the operating switches to Boilers A to D. Understandably, there’s ‘Start Up’, ‘Drain and Warm-Up’, and – critically – ‘Dump’; which is what Ellen, who’s a technician at a nuclear site, has just done to Phil. He takes it very, very badly.

This then is your chance to get up-close and personal with nuclear safety. You play your part in an examination of how Phil, the jilted boyfriend, and a couple of his drunk mates got into the Central Control Room of a nuclear power station and caused a disaster. It’s your job to review the evidence of how it was allowed to happen and to play ‘What Would You Do / What Should They Have Done?’ The results are to be included in the final ‘Prescott’ report. (There is no connection BTW with the former Deputy Prime Minister or indeed, I trust, with any incident at a nuclear installation). As a core idea, it has a lot going for it; but what of its processes?

The audience of eight to ten – it might stretch to 14 or so – sits in a semi-circle. In front of us two actors act out the CCTV footage of the Security desk from that terrible evening. Ellen (Eva O’Connor) is on duty with her brother Joe (Adam Devereux), who is on a verbal warning for telling site managers what they don’t want to hear. This sequence is interrupted on five occasions for  audience participants to look at further evidence: personnel records, transcripts, and the like. A facilitator officiates and calls Time when a decision has to be reached: for example, sound the alarm now or wait? There is a show of hands to determine what happens next.

The acting was by far and away the best part, creating tension even when the plot approached meltdown. However, for me, the ‘interactive’ theatre was a nightmare. I had my senior doubts from the start when the bumbling distribution of iPods did not convince me that this was an official inquiry and then the request for a rapporteur helper was immediately taken up by a man to my right festooned with venue participant lanyards. He started whispering broken instructions on how to open the nano which I tried to follow but I had to give up on the looped audio files. My neighbour to the left seemed to be ‘on task’ and having an engaged conversation but all this activity seemed completely superfluous. It didn’t help, of course, that I was outside the discussions that were taking place. I just wanted to hear more from Joe and Ellen, whose acting was reaching critical levels, rather than wait for the next predictable outcome. Even then it was pretty obvious that whatever decision was reached, at whichever improbable juncture, it would make no difference. When the votes were taken there was no time to really examine the decisions reached. As an immersive simulation it wasn’t working; as a drama of a hopeless, unstable, situation, I liked its fallout.

Star (blue)Star (blue)

Reviewer: Alan Brown (Seen 7 August)

Visit the Assembly Roxy  archive.