Reviews by James Evans

“It really seems to me that in the midst of great tragedy, there is always the horrible possibility that something terribly funny will happen.” (Philip K. Dick). The Leeds Tealights return to Edinburgh with their new show, Souls for Sale. After 13 years of success and sellouts, the well-oiled machine that is the Leeds Tealights present an hour or irreverent, surreal and (on this occasion) spooky sketches. The show follows the self-confessing ‘narrative construct’ of a sketch group who sell their … [Read more...]

“Do you think that I, or anybody else that cares about the NHS would stand by and do nothing if we thought the NHS was going to be privatised... and it’s funds were going to be cut? Would we stand back and do nothing without a fight? Of course not” (Gordon Brown). T2 Brainclotting is a comedy sketch show about the NHS, created by the MD’s Comedy Revue. Whilst the conversation around our NHS continues, whether it should be privatised and how tough life can be working with the service, T2 … [Read more...]

“Our society constantly promotes role models for masculinity, from superheroes to politicians, where the concept of being a ‘man’ is based in their ability to be tough, dominant and even violent when required” (Deeyah Khan). David McIver is a young, creative character comedian. His new show, David McIver Is a Nice Little Man explores the theme of masculinity and how David’s own personal struggles with this concept have filtered into his life. We are invited into David’s 18th birthday party, … [Read more...]

“Spoken word poetry is the art of performance poetry. I tell people it involves creating poetry that doesn’t just want to sit on paper, that something about it demands it be heard out loud or witnessed in person” (Sarah Kay). I’m All In LIVE is a performance from artist Lauren Kaye, who showcases her spoken word poetry in the context of a play, telling the story of two young lovers. Kaye states that in her work she “... wanted to leave readers feeling hooked, emotional, sad, happy, hungry and … [Read more...]

“Everything grows rounder and wider and weirder, and I sit here in the middle of it all and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be” (Carrie Fisher). With Child is a one-woman show written and performed by the immensely talented Clare Pointing. The show follows the stories of six individual women who tell their tales in monologue style, with Pointing adopting each character in turn. Motherhood, femininity and societal pressures are only some of the topics covered in this moving and … [Read more...]

“It is not the literal past, the 'facts' of history, that shape us, but images of the past embodied in language” (Brian Friel). In this new production of Brian Friel’s classic play, Aristocrats, the Donmar Warehouse reminds its audience of Friel’s investigation into our relationship with the past and what it means to be identified by our heritage and upbringing. Aristocrats explores a family in 1970s Ireland who have gathered at their family home, a ‘Big House’ that appears not to fit into the … [Read more...]

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony” (Mahatma Gandhi). How To Make Me Happy is a piece of creative, alternative and playful theatre that deals with, as the title suggests, our methods and techniques for remaining happy in sticky situations. This concept has, quite literally, been taken by Hatch it Theatre who present their three performers stuck on stage - unable to move or communicate. Through a series of familiar games, improvisation and physical … [Read more...]