Where and when: Assembly Rooms (Music Hall), 54 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2LR Wednesday 3rd – Sunday 28th August 2022 (not 10th or 23rd), 12:55
What it’s all about… It’s about four years inside the head of a poet, with cartoon animation. I’ve taken two of Christopher Reid’s masterworks and crammed them together, joining him on his journey through grief, resolution, dark farce and unresolved loss. And Chianti.
Photo credit: Alex Harvey-Brown
You’ll like it if… We hope that those watching will see the human frailty in the show is very beguiling and recognisable. It needs an audience who don’t regard themselves as perfect. The language Reid employs is immediate, witty, achingly emotional and at times very funny. With the cartoon animation, it’s also spectacular.
You should see it because… Anyone who’s curious to see something different. It expresses Life Stuff and Baser Instincts in an exalting way; the sound design, the animation and the performance – everything is there to serve the language.
Anything else we should know…: Perhaps audiences will take away the language with which to approach grief, the surprise that brilliant verse can be so clear, and the desire to go to an Italian restaurant for a long long lunch.
Where and when: Riverside Studios Hammersmith, 12-16th July
What it’s all about… A rip-roaring ride through the plagues of history! With live music. From swarms of locusts to vine-destroying bugs, from the Black Death to Covid. Five interweaving scenes about pestilence and death. Can you make all the connections?
You’ll like it if… You’re interested in how we learn lessons from history. And what happens when we ignore them. Not your regular history lesson, rather a romp through the ages laced with lots of laughs and live music.
You should see it because… A Plague on All Your Houses takes a satirical look at modern pandemics, relating them to the ways in which we’ve tackled major threats to public health in the past. Brought to life by a versatile cast of four actors playing many parts. Have we learnt anything? Or are we all doomed?
Anything else we should know…: The show is part of the Bitesize Festival at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith. Our show runs from 12th to 16th July with shows at 19.30 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, a 21.00 show for night owls on Friday 15th and an 18.00 start on Saturday 16th. One hour long, so lots of time for discussion in the bar afterwards. Tickets are £10/£6.50 and comp tickets for reviewers and agents are available.
What it’s all about… Join us for a night of queer celebration, as we re-introduce you to well-loved songs from the musical theatre canon with a twist! Despite the prevalence of queer artists in the theatre industry, we’ve noticed there’s still a lack of queer representation within musical theatre stories. So, we have taken matters into our own hands, taking straight songs from the musical theatre canon and queer-ifying them to the gods. Proud 2 Be Here is an exciting new cabaret featuring stories left untold and highlighting our LGBTQIA+ members.
You’ll like it if… You love musical theatre and inclusivity!
You should see it because… We’ve rearranged some MT classics with beautiful crunchy harmonies and it’s not to be missed!
On both the eve of Pride, and what would have been the 61st birthday of Diana Princess of Wales, there felt no more appropriate place to be last night than at The Hope Theatre watching Bren Gosling’s Moment of Grace. Inspired by the moment in April 1987 when the princess opened Britain’s first HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital and challenged public perceptions of the disease by shaking hands with patients, the play draws on a number of voices to paint a powerful picture of that day and its far-reaching impact.
Photo credit: Edward Baxter
Jude (Narisha Lawson) is a nurse working on the unit. She’s proud of her job and radiates love and compassion for her patients – but she’s scared of what others might think if they find out where she works. Andrew (James Taylor-Thomas) is one of Jude’s patients, still struggling to come to terms with his diagnosis, how it happened, and what it means. And Donnie (Richard Costello) is a firefighter and proud “man’s man” who encapsulates all the ignorant attitudes the royal visit is about to challenge. Each character speaks directly to the audience in their turn, never interacting with each other even as their lives intersect in both expected and unexpected ways. Through their words we learn of the excitement and apprehension surrounding the royal visit, and the public’s media-fuelled fear of AIDS and the risks it posed.
Gosling’s writing is extraordinary, gently reminding (for those who remember) and educating (for those who don’t) without ever feeling overly didactic. With a set that’s bare aside from three stools and a hospital curtain, Gosling’s words conjure up a vivid picture of the royal visit, but more importantly the stories of people affected by the pandemic, both directly and indirectly. Andrew’s frank descriptions of his symptoms, Donnie’s homophobic attitudes, and Jude’s heartbreaking stories of the patients she’s lost are difficult to hear, but there’s much more to these people than HIV and AIDS, and Gosling’s script is also infused with warmth and humour alongside the anger and pain. All three actors effortlessly embody their characters, who are complex, relatable and three-dimensional; even Donnie, whose views are utterly abhorrent, avoids becoming a total stereotype through moments of vulnerability and the faintest hope of redemption as the play concludes. We don’t need to see Diana to clearly visualise her compassion and courage – just as we don’t need to see Ed, a fourth character inspired by a real person, Shane Snape, who we never meet but who ultimately becomes just as integral to the story as the unit’s famous visitor.
Photo credit: Edward Baxter
As the play concludes, with the three characters watching the events of the day on the evening news, their stories are left unfinished. We have no idea how Jude’s flatmates will react to seeing her on TV, how Donnie will respond to what he’s learnt from the report, or how much more time Andrew has. But it’s clear, just as I imagine it was for everyone watching on that day in 1987, that something momentous has happened, and Gosling captures perfectly that note of cautious optimism. It’s a heartbreaking story to have to tell, but told beautifully.
Where and when: The Edinburgh Fringe, The Stand – New Town Theatre, Lower Hall, 16th-28th August
What it’s all about… The four funny frontwomen bring you their feminist cabaret of unbridled fun. Exploring femme empowerment through original songs about sex, sisterhood, and scandal. In this late-night musical journey, The Musical Comedy Awards 2021 and The New Act of the Year Awards 2022 finalists go on a musical journey of the modern day female experience; fertility, porn, periods, even anal sex, no topic is off-limits. Dressed tit-to-toe in sequins, the professional vocalists use a myriad of musical styles. This is a celebration of the divas that came before them from 90s girl groups to country queens to classical prima-donnas and more. Expect big voices, brassy tones, and bold statements in this naughty night of hilarity and full-frontal vulgarity.
You’ll like it if… You’ll love our show if you enjoy cabaret, comedy and musical comedy. Other topics of interests would include: female empowerment, fabulousness and excessive sequins. We’ve been described as The Inbetweeners, meets Little Mix, meets Fascinating Aida.
You should see it because… We’re a new all female act writing, producing and working with female creatives. Having only been performing for a year, we have already garnered awards. Our cast is not only made up of West-End performers, Comedians and Improvisers but also sell-out producers (from the producer who brought you Shit-Faced Showtime).
Anything else we should know…: We will be performing previews in London on the 1st July @ The Two Brewers and 8th July @ Toulous Lautrec.
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