Macbeth is one of the most performed of Shakespeare’s plays and theatres are always trying to find different ways to offer a play that was written 396 years ago and remained forever popular. As one of Shakespeare’s tragedies it is very dark and very dramatic so adjusting the play must be done with great care.
London-based theatre company Wonderbox bring an energetic, neatly choreographed discussion about sexuality and abortion, highlighting the importance of human connection and emotional support through the beautifully heartbreaking story of Babygirl.
To quote Impromptu Shakespeare quoting Dustin Hoffman, he said ‘You can’t improvise this sh*t!’ The gauntlet was thrown down!
During a day of Shakespeare and Improvising I was looking forward to seeing The Maydays as they are masters of their craft. They not only perform, but teach improvisation as a life skill for businesses, employees and to other fellow actors wanting to brush up on their improvising skills.
I trundled along to Larry Tadlock’s reading not quite sure what to expect. I am not vegan or even vegetarian, but the idea of this reading intrigued me. It was described as an interactive life lesson about a shift into plant-based living.
Let’s take a journey back to being age 10. What did we know about our body and what was about to happen to it? Jacqueline Haigh decides to find out by learning the hard way not to nosy into other people’s things, namely her sister’s! When she happens upon a book about puberty this starts a journey of discovery, although the book is a misnomer as it teaches you very little about anything!
Women are already the minority in the comedy scene, and although there are fierce female comedians who are creating fresh material, many women in comedy seem to rely on tropes and clichés to get laughs. Unfortunately My Funny Bits is no different.
NewsRevue is in its impressive 40th year at the Edinburgh Fringe. They return year on year performing in bigger venues, to bigger audiences. This year they can be found at Udderbelly, the biggest of the Underbelly venues.
Writer and performer Max Dickins has fast made a name for himself on the fringe circuit over the past few years. I had the pleasure of reviewing the final night of his last play “The Man on the Moor” which I absolutely loved. Dickins is clearly a gifted writer, exploring the human psyche with humour, grounding and a warm simplicity which many lose when writing tragedy.
Border Tales is a bold, visceral dynamic attempt to show the lives of multicultural Britain’s today. The company of seven use dance, live music and dialogue to capture what it means to live in post-brexit Britain, which despite the show being first composed in 2013 still has a powerful attachment to the present day. Watching this show leads you through an entire emotional spectrum; you feel embarrassed, uplifted, perplexed, amazed, entranced…… all in eighty minutes.
‘Why is it easier to imagine the end of the world, than it is for us to imagine it to change?’
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