The latest in news from the cultural universe
Just For Culture
  • Home
  • Art & Literature
  • Music
  • Day & Nightlife
  • Film & TV
  • About Us & Contact

Review: Chicago the Musical - 13 June 2016, The Edinburgh Playhouse

14/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
A name flashed fat across a tabloid front page; or highlighted in blue in a status above a headline illuminated on the modern day newsstand that is your Facebook news feed.

An article shared by hundreds, bickered over by thousands, seen by millions. An eponymous offender shoved into the spotlight; immortalised and pigeonholed by facts that aren’t... for a couple of blinks at least, or a hashtag and a mention in the trending bar at most. And all that jazz.

The reason Chicago is the longest running American musical in the history of the West End and broadway is because it’s been able to stay relevant. The influence of tabloid fodder as a vehicle for the everyday celebrity, and their tendency to then reduce that 15 minutes of fame to a mere two or three, has made certain of that. It's arguably more relevant now than it ever has been before.

You can say that there’s less of the razzle dazzle these days, but then again, someone somewhere thought it’d be a good idea to give Katie Hopkins a newspaper column and a radio show. The illogical injustices and backhand, underground thinking that ran through Chicago is alive and unwell today.

But of course that’s not the only appeal of Chicago – the musical story of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two murderesses awaiting trial in prohibition-era 1920s Chicago, each with their heads in the clouds and their eyes full of stars placed by the fickle, flirtatious, smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn.
​
After all, who doesn’t love a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery? The modern audience eat it up as quickly now as newspaper readers did back in the 20s.

Read More
0 Comments

Review: Hidden Door Arts Festival - 2 June 2016, Edinburgh

3/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hidden Door Festival has a helpful habit of rounding up tantalisingly talented performers. They’re the kind of artists you’d have come across anyway if you knew where to look, but with so much to filter through these days, sometimes it’s hard to know where to look.

You might have gone to the festival loving one singer on the program but having never heard of any of the spoken word artists for example, or having never delved into a particular genre of music or a particular corner of art simply because, well, you never knew it was there.

If you do go to Hidden Door for one performance, we can guarantee that you’ll end up staying for the show.

Jumping between the stages and corners of the festival over the past few days has been like jumping between sparks of electricity filling up a small courtyard in Edinburgh, with more energy, creativity and authenticity than you’d probably find throughout the rest of the city combined.

Read More
0 Comments

Inside Look: Hidden Door Arts Festival - May 27-June 4, Edinburgh

1/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Sun-soaked skylines and eccentric arts festivals; it’s safe to say that Edinburgh could do with a bit more of both outside of August.
​
If you’ve dropped by the Hidden Door festival, just around the corner from the Grassmarket in the Scottish capital though, you’ll have been in no short supply of either.

Hidden Door kicked off its program on 27 May, bringing a wonderfully unique, quirky mix of music, poetry, spoken word, cinema, theatre, arts and more to Edinburgh, and will be continuing to do so until Saturday 4 June.

We dropped by on Tuesday 31 May to get a taste for the festival, which is free every day until 6pm and ticketed afterwards. The vibrant authenticity and emotive feel of the set up is boldly apparent as soon as you step foot in the courtyard.

During the day we came across a range of art exhibitions and interesting spaces. Your entrance will take you through a dark-as-night tunnel before you re-emerge into the light, into what feels like a new community, separate to the city around it and yet entirely more connected.
Picture
The art exhibitions vary from light shows and slides to sculptures and contemporary set ups, giving poignant views on everything from social culture, everyday interaction and engagement to a cutting look at homelessness.

After dark, it’s well worth paying the ticket fee to stick around. Tuesday’s schedule saw us stand through 18 musicians, poets and spoken word artists play back to back on the Tempest Stage over a four hour period. It might sound long but it flickers by in an instant – each tackling different issues and providing a window into a different world in a snapshot timeslot.

If one of the artists wasn’t your cup of tea, the next would be on in a matter of minutes, or you could’ve nipped off to the theatre or cinema set ups elsewhere at the festival, less than 100m away, but really, the variation in themes, style and atmosphere throughout the line up of the Poetry Jam was what made it so special.
​
Singer songwriter Cera Impala graced the audience with beautiful instrumental work across a variation of string instruments and unique, intimate vocals. Miss Irenie Rose brought her distinctive Isle-of-Lewis style to the stage at the end of the night in what was an absolutely irresistible musical performance; catchy, rhythmic and yet oddly otherworldly.
In between was an array of stunning poets, spoken words artists and musicians, some on for 10 minutes, some on for one. MC for the night Lloyd Robinson gave a powerful performance at its best and particularly cutting when tackling issues less dealt with; self-harm and suicide. Iona Lee oozed intelligence in a short slot on the stage.

Each act differed so heavily from the previous and the follow-up that there was really something there for anyone who appreciates the art of language and sound and wanted to get engaged, but one thing common throughout the program and the festival in general was sincerity. It oozed it.

A brilliant opportunity to take in a collection of talent; obscure, eclectic, enticing and wonderfully bizarre. Hidden Door offers something that most won't get near in the capital outside of the month of August.
0 Comments

    Art & Lit

    Reviews and news from the theatre and literature world, including short reviews of new books and old classics.

    Archives

    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    June 2016
    August 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    5 Things To Do
    Amsterdam
    Attractions
    Barcelona
    Beatlemania
    Best
    Canada
    Canucks
    Canvas
    China
    Chinatown
    Chinese
    Cirque Du Soleil
    Coffeshop
    Eat
    Edinburgh
    Edinburgh Playhouse
    Erick Villeneueve
    Food
    Guide
    Heineken
    Highlights
    Ice Hockey
    Immortal Chi
    Knowledge
    Let It Be
    Live
    Local
    London
    Museum
    Musical
    Music Festivals
    Neighbourhood
    News
    Phnom Penh
    Playhouse
    Red Light District
    Review
    Scotland
    Secrets
    Smoke
    Stage
    Theatre
    The Beatles
    Tour
    Travel
    UK
    United Kingdom
    Vancouver
    Vancouver Island
    Victoria
    Vincent Van Gogh
    West End

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.