I didn’t really follow what this piece was about, and what the point of it was. It seemed like it was about two people in some kind of secluded building making recordings and agreeing how they would live together. There were dialogues about how much water they would drink and how it would be shared.…
Read more The Paradise Project (Northern Stage at Summer Hall, Monday, August 10th 2015) ***
I recently caught up with Nick Payne’s Constellations and was in awe of both the writing and actors’ technique. The Human Ear is another tightly written piece that relies on the two actors working extremely closely together. This is a Paines Plough production and is an example of the very high standard of most of…
Read more The Human Ear (Roundabout at Summer Hall, Monday August 10th 2015) *****
Going Viral was a really interesting piece which explores myths around viruses and how they might spread. It’s a monologue and Bye takes on the different characters. It’s a lovely structured piece and it’s very easy to follow the narrative. What I would say is that the piece is also an engaging lecture and there…
Read more Going Viral (Northern Stage at Summer Hall, Monday August 10th 2015) ****
Over the last year I have become familiar with Clean Break, so it was really exciting to find another company which is engaged with telling the story of women in prison. Key Change was a piece by Open Clasp, which tells the story of four women in prison. The main focus is on Angie (Jessica…
Read more Key Change (Northern Stage at Summer Hall, Monday August 10th 2015) *****
Having learnt my lesson from previous years, I booked most of the shows each day in one venue. Today was the start of my Northern Stage at Summerhall day. The first show was a monologue about a horrific fire which took place in August 1978 at the Cinema Rex in Abadan, Iran. The story is…
Read more Cinema (Northern Stage at Summerhall, Monday 9th August 2015) ***
It was the end of my third day and I’d had two late nights, so why not a third? This is a piece by Luke Barnes who is an exciting young playwright and the author of Chapel Street and Visitor. Barnes’ writing and Middle Child’s energetic performance is thoroughly entertaining. The production is…
Read more Weekend Rockstars (Underbelly, Sunday 8th August 2015) *****
The Disco Years was a fun show with a little bit of audience participation. Patrick Monahan talks about his Iranian background alongside a backdrop of 1970’s disco music. Monahan had a great way with families and managed to involve the children in the audience in the show without it being embarrassing. Monahan managed to sustain…
Read more Patrick Monahan. The Disco Years (Gilded Balloon, Sunday 8th August 2015) ***
Firstly, I had to go to at least one show in the Udderbelly which had moved from its usual spot in Bisto Square to George Square. The Uddrbelly is basically an upside-down purple cow! That’s amusing in itself. Shit-Faced Shakespeare is Shakespeare performed with a pissed up cast member. It’s fairly amusing and OK for an…
Read more Shit-Faced Shakespeare (Udderbelly, Sunday 8th August 2015) ***
Rebecca Perry performs this monologue with humour and some song. The show does what it says on the tin (title in this case). The show is the story of a girl (Joanie Little) working in a coffee shop because she can’t get a graduate job. Joanie has got a degree in Anthropology and puts that…
Read more Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl (Gilded Balloon, Sunday 8th August 2015) ****
Ruaraidh Murray plays Bobby and Megan Shanley plays Allie in this beautifully written complex narrative played as a narrative. Bobby is frightening and threatening. Allie finds herself in an abusive relationship with him. What should have been a love story ends up as a story of violence and revenge. It’s one of those productions that…
Julie Raby 