Category: Edinburgh Fringe Festival

REVIEW: Semi-Toned Presents: A Study in Burgandy | Semi-Toned

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Music, Reviews

Aug 16-28 | 6.30pm | theSpaceUK@Symposium Hall | Get Tickets

 

I know I’ve said this about improv but you also can’t do the Edinburgh Fringe properly without seeing a bit of A Cappella. Usually, you can do this by swanning up the royal mile and checking out the mobile stages but alas this year it’s a little more difficult to come by. That’s why I was so delighted to see fringe regulars Semi-Toned back on the bill at theSpaceUK this year!

As ever they intertwine witty banter and panto style comedy with flawless A Cappella arrangements of classic and modern hits in a choreographed performance in which you can’t help but smile all the way through.

The standout song for me was a medley of James Bond songs, and performers worth a special mention include incredible beatboxer Max, who is so good he gets his own percussion solo and Jacob who is wonderfully consistent and engaging from beginning to end.

What makes this show even more amazing than usual is that, due to covid restrictions, the lads only had a week to rehearse in real life. I mean, damn! That is incredibly impressive! If they’re that good after a week I can only imagine how fantastic it’ll be next year!

 

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • Semi-Toned used to be just another one of these university A Cappella groups and (although admittedly on the upper end of the quality scale) used to blend in with the rest of the unaccompanied music scene. That was until they got involved in some Reality-TV shows, winning BBC2’s The Choir in 2016 and becoming finalists on Sky One’s Sing in 2017. I’m not saying it’s easy to do Reality-TV but it has created an amazing platform for this group to perform shows year on year with massive audiences. So never disregard platforms that could act as launch pads.

REVIEW: Triple Bypass: Three Ten-Minute Plays About Living for Death and Dying for Life | Hardly Working Promotions LLC in conjunction with Aberdeen Community Theatre

Posted RuthEJWest1 CommentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reviews, Theatre

Aug 6-30 | On Demand | Online@theSpaceUK | Get Tickets

Enjoy three plays in one with this smorgasbord of new writing from Deena Ronayne. This year it’s online and being virtually cast to 14 festivals worldwide but next year the intention is to return to the fringe with a cast of locally sourced Scottish actors.

The selection opens with Seeking Dignity a desperately dark narrative between a mysterious man who is seeking death and the girl next door who wants to drag him through the pain of life for as long as possible. When you’re already dying is that punishment enough for the mistakes of life?

We conclude with Tango-ed Web paralleling human existence with the natural life cycle of insects, exploring what is the meaning of life and we can ever really dodge fate and avoid our true destinies.

These pieces sandwich my personal favourite Close to Black where two very different women meet outside a nightclub. Elements of this show reflect Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, as two women (who we assume are Amy Winehouse and Karen Carpenter) have a conversation wondering what awaits them in the afterlife.

There’s some great writing here and all these short stories have enough substance to be explored as long-form plays. Take Close to Black, for example, I can see this with additional characters like Janis Joplin, Marilyn Monroe or Britney Murphy all discussing problems they’ve had through life and how these are overcome with death.

A dark yet strangely optimistic series giving you countless reasons to live!

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • If you’re experimenting with writing styles and ideas this is a great way to showcase your scripts and workshop your ideas. By bringing scripts alive with a cast and crew you may discover more than you ever could have working alone. This way you can establish which concepts you want to focus on.
  • It also allows any potential collaborators out there to see a wider array of what you’re capable of! These scripts are written in three very different styles showing the breadth of Deena Ronayne’s writing styles.

REVIEW: Disrobed – The Virtual Event | Troy Matthew Peterson Productions and The Southern Californian Naturist Association

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reviews, Theatre

Aug 6-30 | On Demand | Fringe Player | Get Tickets

We’ve all suffered through countless Zoom calls over the past few years but I doubt as many would be been as awkward or eye-opening as this one.

It’s time for Eric to meet the family as his fiancé Skye wishes to formally announce their engagement but little does he know he will see a lot more than he bargained for as Skye has overlooked the fact that her family are naturists.

Eric, played by Troy Peterson, has skilled comic timing displaying natural expertise in his delivery which carries the show from start to finish, alongside its clever and incredibly relatable formatting reflecting the way we have all experienced social events over the last 18 months.

The intention of the show is for the audience to come away feeling like we wanna give naturism a go but the second half of this script needs a little more retargeting in favour of the central character. As a majority of the viewers will relate with Eric more so than the others some of the content, like drawing constant attention to his slight stomach, can come across as a personal attack in which the family seem to be bullying, more than encouraging, but with a little tweaking here and there this could easily go the other way.

A light-hearted and easy-going watch so if you’re looking for an escape into a few laughs then give this show a go.

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • The marketing of this show is excellent, from their modern and original show branding, their hilarious and informative social media content and their additional behind the scenes content including interviews and outtakes. If you’re looking for advice on how to max out your social engagement then Disrobed is the perfect example of this!
  • It’s a collaboration between Troy Matthew Peterson Productions and The Southern Californian Naturist Association. This means double the overall coverage for your show: double the social media , double the funding, double the existing audience, double the cause, you see where I’m going with this. This is a perfect collaboration for a project like this one and something to considered when creating your own work.

REVIEW: Archie Brennan: Tapestry Goes Pop! | Dovecot Studios

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Exhibition, Reviews

Aug 6-30 | 10am-5pm | Dovecot Studios | Get Tickets

 

I love tapestry! So this Archie Brennan exhibit had my name written all over it! This collection at the Dovecot Studios contains pieces spanning his entire life catalogue so the diverse range of themes and general witticisms found in his work cater for any audience.

And there’s something I find immensely therapeutic about the creation and incredible attention to detail that goes into weaving every millimetre of a tapestry. I also love the idea of travelling with my own makeshift loom quick to assemble out of copper piping so I could weave on the spotless beaches of Hawaii or anywhere else in the world.

The display is so wonderfully varied with the curation including everything from small scale postcards weaved and sent from his travels to reinterpretations of medieval tapestry reimagined using modern materials.

His experimentation with the art form is fascinating and can be seen through the progression of his ideas, for example, in his series of portraits of Muhammad Ali which nowadays appear to be an interpretation of pixel art but would have been so revolutionary at the time! In his more recent projects, we can see close to perfect replicas of his social media platforms whipped up with thread.

It is his ability to create with humourous connotations which makes all Brennan’s work feel modern and accessible. As part of the Pinterest generation, I assumed comedic tapestry was a relatively modern phenomenon but it turns out, I just wasn’t looking in the right place!

 

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • The exhibition has published a gorgeous guide available for purchase. Creating this detailed and tangible merchandise creates additional income for the exhibit and a way for viewers to take home a little piece of what they saw, kind of like a programme in the theatre. It’s also a great quality which although is most likely more expensive to produce gives the purchaser a sense of value for money meaning it is far more likely these will be sold in quantity.
  • Archie Brennan spent much of his working life at the Dovecot Studios, training and refining his craft there as an apprentice and frequently returning despite his amazing worldwide travels. He clearly has a fantastic relationship with the gallery which has been maintained over a lifetime and allowed this fabulous collaboration. So, maintain as many connections as you can and look after your own as the Dovecot has done here. You never know what the future may bring.

REVIEW: Lost in Love | Flow Stage Productions

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reviews, Theatre

Aug 6-30 | On Demand | Fringe Player | Get Tickets

Follow Emily through her emotional turmoil as she struggles with losing her boyfriend and her best friend. With questionable coping mechanisms and seemingly sketchy avoidance strategies will Emily confront her demons? And will we learn what really went on?

Filmed in a studio theatre this one-woman show utilised the technical aspects of theatre well, separating settings with lighting and sound. This showed great ingenuity of design which was only enhanced in the editing for online viewing.

A little confused at times and an undeveloped story which comes to its climax in the last five minutes with limited explanation throughout of the protagonist. Emily comes across a little superficial, but with some reworking of the script and more details of her story drip-fed throughout the audience would have a mystery to solve and the impact of the ultimate twist would be far greater.

A stunning performance from Rachel Pryde and a great script from Nathan Keane and Megan Bowie. With a little more work I think this could be an incredibly impactful piece of theatre.

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • There are so many perks to doing a show with one member of cast. Here Rachel Pryde carries the show with such passion and skill it is impossible not to remain engaged. If you’re a small scale company or you’re just starting out having just one performer can be a cheap and effective way to get your work out there.
  • SPOILER ALERT: By taking a theme like abusive relationships this piece could immediately do a lot of good in the world. Consider working with charities, researching grants, touring into schools or unis or even community centres to get shows like this off the ground. There is an abundance of potential opportunities out there for a moving monologue like this one.

REVIEW: Alex – Or What Happened on the Train to London | Alex and The Cast

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reviews, Theatre

Aug 6-30 | On Demand | C Arts | Get Tickets

 

A train to London stops in its tracks, a mysterious package has been left on a seat and a group of strangers are forced into conversation discussing their own personal journeys which have led them to this point.

The music in this show is completely original and superbly devised with beautiful harmonies and some distinctive tunes. The excellent singing ability of the cast can really shine through the arrangements and composition.

The storyline is simple, similarly to Come From Away, we learn about the characters both individually and as a whole cast, learning the events which have brought them together on this fateful day.

A few story elements need a bit more thought, like that mysterious suitcase. I suspect the cast is too young to have lived through the devasting events of the 7/7 bombings in London, but I can assure you an unattended piece of luggage would be taken far more seriously, most likely being the reason for the train stopping.

But please don’t take this negatively, although a little naïve it’s brimmed with talent and potential.

If Alex and Company take this further, they should consider exploring this and incorporating it into your characters and action. An exciting company and one to keep an eye on, I suspect there is greatness in many of their futures!

 

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • Try to make your show as accessible as possible! This show has an unfortunate issue with sound balance, and it can be difficult to hear the lyrics and dialogue, which is a shame because they have a lot to say. If you’re not in a position to rerecord or alter the sound in post-production a super quick fix here would be to add some subtitles, it’s pretty easy and would immediately improve both the accessibility and audience understanding of the show. And why not use the medium of film to your advantage.

REVIEW: The Great Gatsby | The Wardrobe Ensemble and The Wardrobe Theatre

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reviews, Theatre

Aug 6-30 | On Demand | Fringe Player | Get Tickets

If you told me that the complete story of The Great Gatsby could be told in an hour and forty minutes with only 2 people working in a small studio with red cups for props, a sofa for seating and a couple of flats for set, I’d tell you it was madness, that it couldn’t possibly be done, you must be off your rocker! But this production is breathtaking!

It is the combination of incredibly astute direction from Tom Brennan and an in-depth knowledge of how to play multiple characters in a way that is so clearly distinguishable the audience in constant complete understanding of the action which makes this show so stand out.

Tamsin Hurtado Clarke and Jesse Meadows carry this show, providing slick timing and intricate attention to detail, it’s genuinely some of the best acting I’ve seen in years.

I could gush about this show all day all guise of professionality flying out the window making way for total adoration, but basically go and get tickets… now! And later in the year, it’ll be touring so if you can get yourself to Bristol, Newbury, Plymouth, or Oxford, make the effort! You won’t be disappointed.

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • A huge shout out needs to be given to the design and technical team of this show. Its brilliance lies in its appearance of simplicity. There may be a small amount of physical stuff making this show easy to tour to a variety of venues but there is real finesse in the way it’s used to offset the action. Everyone involved in this production should be immensely proud of what they’ve worked together to create.
  • It is superbly filmed! Often theatre loses a little something when it’s cinematised but here it has been cleverly thought about how to enhance the production rather than just filming it out of necessity so it can be seen by people during the pandemic.

REVIEW: Thistles, Sunflowers and Dreamscapes | Diana Savova

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Art, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reviews

Aug 6-30 | 10am-8pm | Scottish Storytelling Centre | More Info

As we’ve struggled through lockdown, most of us have been on the inside looking out. We’ve been dreaming about travel and desperately imagining how life is like now in, what once were frequently visited and admired places and now seem like almost a distant memory.

In her first major solo show in five years, Edinburgh-based artist Diana Savova takes this one step further in her collection of wonderfully whimsical acrylics that take classic landscapes of Edinburgh, integrating images of folklore and myth to creatively reimagine what may have happened in the city when no one has been watching.

This exhibition is pure joy, filled with a positive outlook and had some serious Chagall vibes. The artwork has a way of making you feel lighter just by viewing the vibrant colours and magnificent stories being told. A true reminder that whatever life throws at us we can find little pieces of magic everywhere, if only we remember to look.

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • The perfect exhibition in the perfect place at the perfect time! These paintings tell tales of Edinburgh so what better place for them to hang than in the centre of town, on the Royal Mile at The Scottish Storytelling Centre in the Edinburgh Fringe, as we start to see light at the end of the tunnel from the old corona! It’s all about location and timing so I would be incredibly surprised if both Artist and Venue didn’t do remarkably well out of this joint venture!
  • Bright colours have a way of creating immediate happiness, so when the world has lived through a massive depression and shared trauma (generally speaking) audiences are desperately seeking escapist entertainment which is what this exhibition provides.

REVIEW: Ubu Roix | No Exit Theatre Collective

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reviews, Theatre

Aug 6-30 | On Demand | Fringe Player | Get Tickets

Ubu Roix is a perfect example of Theatre of the Absurd. It was written in the late 1800s to challenge the cultural standards and conventions of the era.

So, what better time to adapt it than when Trump’s just had 4 years presidency, the UK is still stuck in its conservative political nightmare and, oh yeah, the entire globe’s been closed for 2 years because of coronavirus?!? Pretty absurdist world right?

Another Fringe performance filmed with green screen via zoom but for some reason all the delay, glitches and pixelation just reiterates the bizarre setting being established as backgrounds are replaced with scenery which looked like a child drew them, and the cast appear in all different shapes and sizes to add to the hilarity.

No Exit Theatre Collective throws in constant references to modern pop and meme culture in order to update the play and complement our current affairs and worldwide news.

It is also some of the most perfect casting for Papa Ubu I have ever seen with Chris Gibson giving a side-splitting performance!

Basically, if Alfred Jarry was alive now struggling through this pandemic with Zoom as his only outlet for performance, I’m pretty sure this is exactly how he would have done it!

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • Discovering a way to use resources and assets you have at your disposal and adapting or manipulating them to work for your selected material has proved the best way to create work during the pandemic. For example, Ubu Roix used doctored Spongebob Squarepants slides to narrate the action. Seems pretty random, but so is the script! It has a jarring effect to jerk you out of reality and remind you that what you’re watching may be just plain bizarre, but it still has a point to make.
  • Find your people! One of the main reasons this show works so well is because of the cast both in how well they all appear to get on and are on board with the sheer haphazard retelling of this tale. So, if you’ve got a great team alongside you, chances are the work you make will be great too.

REVIEW: Sugar | Mabel Thomas

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reviews, Theatre

Aug 6-30 | On Demand | Online@theSpaceUK | Get Tickets

 

A new writing, from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate Mabel Thomas, spanning a decade of a young girl’s escapades through puberty as she attempts to understand what it is to be empowered as a woman.

Is female empowerment the act of taking control over men? Is it found in ignoring silly, immature, little boys? Or do you need to one-up men to find the ultimate strength as a woman? And will this journey truly lead to happiness?

There’s a lot of good theatre in this show. Mabel Thomas gives an impassioned performance on a topic which is clearly very important to her. The way the piece is edited is uniquely original giving it a mockumentary, monologue feel. And the aesthetic created is perfect to universally reflect a young girl’s bedroom and could be taken from any point in the characters teenage years.

A great show for premiering at the Fringe and I can’t wait to see what she does next!

 

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • Write about what inspires you! Especially if you’re an actor. This will make it easy for you to relate and adapt to the material and generally provide a strong and believable performance.
  • If you’re stuck in your bedroom, don’t be afraid to make theatre in your bedroom. It was most definitely the perfect setting for Sugar and I imagine if it toured into venues the bedroom would be recreated for the stage, so pretty much a win all round!