Edinburgh Review: NewsRevue 2014 at the Pleasance Courtyard

NewsRevue 2014
Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) ​
18:30 / 1 hour
Reviewed on Friday 8th August 2014
★★★★

NewsRevue is an incredibly funny, slick and pulse racing comedy sketch show. A well thought out piece, NewsRevue showcases stunningly hilarious musical numbers.

Edinburgh Review: Waiting for the Call: The Improvised Musical at C venues

Waiting for the Call: The Improvised Musical

C venues - C (Venue 34) ​
14:15 / 50 minutes

Reviewed on Friday 8th August 2014

★★★

Waiting for the Call: The Improvised Musical is performed with dedication and energy. The young talented cast take to the stage to perform an entirely improvised piece of theatre. Before the show began, the audience were asked to provide three words to be used by the cast to create a story from scratch.

Edinburgh Review: Winky at Underbelly, Cowgate

Winky
Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61) ​

12:40 / 1 hour

Reviewed on Friday 8th August 2014

★★★★

Fat Git Theatre presents Winky, a smart and very entertaining satire on today's self-help culture by George Saunders.

Edinburgh Review: Leodo: Paradise Lost at C venues

Leodo: Paradise Lost 

C venues - C (Venue 34) ​

15:35 / 1 hour

Reviewed on Thursday 7th August 2014

★★★

Leodo: Paradise Lost is a beautiful Korean show featuring traditional and contemporary drumming, singing, dancing and movement. A strong ensemble take us on a journey to Leodo, a fantasy island and artistic nirvana, treasured by the people in the Jeju-do province.

Review: Blood Wedding at the Courtyard Theatre

Blood Wedding

Courtyard Theatre

Reviewed on Wednesday 23rd October 2013

Aria Entertainment's production of Blood Wedding certainly is not a piece of theatre to go and see if you fancy a fun night out! Instead, this interesting piece is for audiences who want to witness a Spanish drama and be affected by the complexity of human beings in relationships and in life. The Courtyard Theatre is located in the depths of trendy Hoxton and, although simplistic, Franciso Rodriguez-Wile's scenic design is very atmospheric.

Review: Buerk! The Newsical at the Network Theatre

Buerk! The Newsical
Network Theatre

Reviewed on Thursday 2nd May 2013

Buerk! The Newsical is created by Tom Bailey and Greg Jameson. The show follows newsreader Michael Buerk and takes a fictional look back to the 80s reimagining Buerk’s career at the BBC. I was expecting Buerk! The Newsical to be a witty satire set in 80's Britain but this couldn't be further from the truth. Buerk is a very bad piece of theatre which feels unfinished.

The Play That Goes Wrong transferring to Trafalgar Studios 2

Following its recent run at the Old Red Lion theatre, it has been announced that The Play That Goes Wrong will transfer to Trafalgar Studios 2, running from Tuesday 30th April 2013 until Saturday 18th May 2013. 

Focusing on the many trials and tribulations of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, the play tells the story of the company’s staging of 1920’s murder mystery Murder at Haversham Manor. Chris the arrogant head of the drama society has directed the piece and cast himself as the dynamic Inspector, while desperate wannabe actress Sandra and the genuinely doting Max struggle opposite each other as the romantic interests and actor Dennis still can’t pronounce “façade”. An hour of delicately timed disaster ensues; actors get knocked out, the play gets stuck on a loop and the set starts to disintegrate. 

Review: The Duke in Darkness at the Tabard Theatre

The Duke in Darkness

Tabard Theatre

Reviewed on Thursday 18th April 2013

"France is in the grip of long and bloody civil wars. A Duke and his servant, incarcerated for fifteen years, plot their escape and dream of freedom. But in this world of conspiracy and paranoia, where no one is quite who they seem, what will one man sacrifice for his chance of survival?"

This production of The Duke in Darkness marks the first time that Hamilton’s ‘lost’ play has returned to the London stage in over 60 years. The Tabard Theatre feels a little cramped which really does make the audience feel as if they are trapped inside a prison with the characters. The set is made up of jagged pieces of wood which gives a sense of being exiled into the wilderness which reflects the mind of the Duke's companion Gribaud.

Review: Between Ten and Six at the Leicester Square Theatre

Between Ten and Six

Leicester Square Theatre

Reviewed on Wednesday 17th April 2013

"Two strangers, Charlie and Ed, sit in a dusty flat in North London. Charlie is an anxiety ridden twenty something and Ed is his socially awkward live-in landlord. One needs a roof over his head, the other just wants a friend. A late running parcel, delayed girlfriend and stilted conversation build the tension in the room. Just how much can the two tolerate before one of them snaps...?"

Between Ten and Six is a one act dark comedy by Chris Mayo which certainly keeps the audience entertained throughout. The play opens with Charlie (played by Chris Mayo) waiting for his landlord to enter.  He eventually arrives wearing a woman’s apron which provides a moment of hilarity. It immediately becomes obvious that both characters are very different and it is extremely awkward to watch them interacting in the same room.

Review: The Café (site-specific production in association with the Old Red Lion Theatre)

The Café
Site-specific production in association with the Old Red Lion Theatre
Reviewed on Saturday 23rd March 2013

“A struggling café is forced to make cuts. A waiter tries to organise a strike. Will he convince a Turk, a Pole, and a trialling waitress that striking is the way forward?”

The Café, written by Ben Aitken and directed by Josh Roche, opens well. The show is a site-specific production and performed at The Coffee Works in Islington. The location is lovely, but its modern look made it hard to believe that this was a struggling café down by the sea, far away from London. However, the performance of Marcus Dearing (played by Paul Lincoln) with his mean demeanour and attitude towards the staff, cutting breaks and food allowance, soon created a world of struggle and he certainly managed to bring tension to every scene

Review: The Play That Goes Wrong at the Old Red Lion Theatre

The Play That Goes Wrong
Old Red Lion Theatre
Reviewed on Thursday 14th March 2013 (Press Night)

The Play That Goes Wrong certainly does go wrong, in the most comical and excellent way. The play has been brilliantly written by three members of the cast: Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, and this production has been wonderfully directed by Mark Bell. The play is about amateur production of 1920s whodunit ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’that goes horribly wrong.