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CAPITAL STORIES

CAPITAL STORIES

COURTING THE COUNTESS

COURTING THE COUNTESS by Anne Stenhouse opens in the English Border country 1819 and moves quickly to Edinburgh’s George Square, a fashionable address of that period.

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Lady Melissa Pateley is not having an easy time of it.

Her beloved husband Neville has died, and a fire at her London home has left her covered in scars. If it wasn’t for a band of loyal servants, she’s not sure how she would survive. Things take a turn for the worse when one day, Colonel Harry Gunn and his fellow soldier Zed break into her home, bundle her into a coach and kidnap her.
She is at a loss until she learns that Harry Gunn is the cousin of George Gunn, a man who has been stalking her for years, and that Harry’s Uncle John had warned him that as long as George is out there, Melissa is not safe.
Uncle John insists that Harry finds Melissa and keeps her safe.
But that very night George shows up at Harry’s home with Harry’s sister Lottie, who thinks Melissa and George would make a good match.
Perhaps Melissa would have been safer at home after all.
Yet even with her scars, she is certain that the handsome Colonel Gunn is attracted to her. But of course, nothing is ever simple.
Startling revelations rip the family apart, causing everyone to question what they once held dear.
As Colonel Gunn goes in search of George and the truth, he has to wonder – had the keeping of secrets not marred more lives than the secrets would have destroyed?

Amazon UK  US  CA DE AU

 

Daisies

Daisies

 

DAISY’S DILEMMA from:

MuseItUp and amazon. Links are below. What’s it about? Back to London for this one, 1822, when Lady Daisy, sister of Tobias, Earl of Mellon, is recovering from food poisoning.Lady Daisy was one of those secondary characters who simply cried out for a place to tell her own story. So, here it is:

Lady Daisy should be ecstatic when her brother, the earl, allows Mr. John Brent to propose. She’s been plotting their marriage for two years. However, she is surprised to find herself underwhelmed and blames their distant cousin, Reuben, for unsettling her.
Reuben Longreach wonders whether the earl understands the first thing about Daisy’s nature and her need for a life with more drama than the Season allows. It’s abundantly clear to him that Daisy and John are not suited, but the minx accepts his proposal nonetheless.
Meanwhile, Daisy hatches a plan to attach Reuben to her beautiful, beleaguered Scots cousin, Elspeth. Little does she know that Elspeth is the focus of a more sinister plot that threatens Daisy too.
Will Reuben be able to thwart the forces surrounding Daisy before she is irretrievably tied to John? Will Daisy find the maturity to recognise her dilemma may be of her own making before it’s too late?

amazon UK and US or  MuseItUp or kobo

 

Mariah’s Marriage Mariah Fox is dedicated to being a teacher in 1822 London, but when Tobias, Earl of Mellon saves her from a charging pig, her world view is disturbed forever.

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Bella’s Betrothal comes north to Edinburgh in 1826. Bella is fleeing scandal and an unhappy home when architect and laird, Charles Lindsay invades her room at the inn. Is he a rescuer or a danger?

An Edinburgh skyscape for Bella

An Edinburgh skyscape for Bella

YOU BURY ME – AHLAM – DIRECTED by KATIE POSNER

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ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE – EDINBURGH

Such an enjoyable dramatic experience. Loved the clever way the writer explored the gradual diminution of dreams as reality sets in after the revolution in Egypt (2011). Set in 2015 some wonderfully life-affirming characters are played by talented and engaging actors.

I recommend the short videos by the writer, cast and director which you will find by clicking through on Royal Lyceum Theatre, above. They go some way to explaining why the writer remains anonymous. They also explain the play’s gestation since she began work on it in 2015.

Cast:

Nezar Alderazi Rafik
Moe Bar-El Tamer
Tarrick Benham Osman
Hanna Khogali Alia
Eleanor Nawal Lina
Yasemin Özdemir Maya

Runs till 18th March

BUY TICKETS

Anne

The Beauty of a Traverse Audience

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It was a moving, dramatic, thought-provoking evening of theatre:

The Beauty Queen of Leenane, by Martin McDonagh stirs up so much that must be familiar to us all. We are not perfect and the perfect family, imho, does not exist. The tapestry of family life includes much of imperfections, not least mental health issues and fall-out, but all the rest.

The sisters who never visit, the son-in-law who doesn’t come to the funeral. the younger brother – but I won’t enter into spoilers. Take yourself along there:

THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE

And about the post’s title? There’s something special about sharing the drama with a Traverse audience. The dark, the attentive and respectful silence and the air of satisfaction and appreciation enhance the experience for us all.

Run ends Saturday 22nd. Post show discussion Friday 21st.

Season’s End

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Pitlochry theatre in the hills

UNDER ANOTHER SKY and LITTLE WOMEN were the two plays my companion and I chose for our final outing to Pitlochry this season. If I say so myself, Great Choices.

Both plays are adaptations of an earlier book.

Under Another Sky, the book, was written by Charlotte Higgins and adapted by David Greig, final performance this afternoon, 23 September, tickets. It’s about a road trip/s in a decrepit campervan to visit the Roman sites in Britain. Add in a hapless professor of Classics, a writer for whom deadlines are just the beginning of the end(s) and two engaging performances from Amelia Donkor and Keith Macpherson and you’re good to go. The campervan does of course, break down. There are some wonderfully funny moments caused by the exigencies of modern life even when pursuing men, and women, in sandals.

Little Women, the book, was written in nineteenth century America by Louisa M Alcott. The adaptation, running for another week, tickets in Pitlochry, is by Anne-Marie Casey.

I read the original when I was about 12 and adored it. I tried to re-read it during the second lock-down and failed. However, the play is very, very good. It brings out and celebrates the issues, causes, heartfelt emotions of all the characters and makes for a wonderfully enriching evening.

If I have a quibble, maybe Jo was a little too shouty. Her physical clumsiness, however, came over well with some entertaining physical theatre.

Amelia Donkor was in this, too, demonstrating the versatility needed by an actor in Rep.

Great to see two school groups enjoying an evening at the theatre.

Anne

WEEK 2 – INTO WEEK 3

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Hopetoun House

Week 2 into Week 3 was marked by a delightful private party followed by the 5* Czech Philharmonic with the Fabulous Edinburgh Festival chorus and a wonderful solo on the Usher Hall Organ played during the Glagolithic Mass on Saturday night and The Grand Ball for George IV on Sunday at Hopetoun House South Queensferry.

Yes, there has been DANCING. And not simply the Scottish Country Dancing I usually enjoy, but Regency Dancing and the dancing of Scottish Country Dances in vogue 200 years ago.

Dance Card

George the Fourth was gracious enough to attend but the more remarkable was the attendance of folk from Malta, The Netherlands and Canada. Organiser, Libby Curzon, known throughout as Mrs Bennet, cast her net wide and some very nice and rather competent Regency Dancers were really happy to be there. Jimmie Hill and Libby called all dances. Gow’s band provided the music and there had been rehearsals. I realised after the one on Thursday, that my shoes wouldn’t see me safely through so took the chance of buying new ones on Friday morning. All set now for the upcoming winter class at Carrickvale Centre. What I also want to find out is where one can dance quadrilles on a more regular basis.

COPPELIA in a new version by Scottish Ballet was an absorbing, entertaining and exhilarating evening of first class dance and wonderful music. Not everyone enjoyed the projection element but artisitic rendition doesn’t stand still.

Socially the diary is filling up with Birthdays, anniversaries and folk deciding Edinburgh is a great place to visit. Looking forward to visits of friends not seen for years and storing memories of some newly seen after years. The Pandemic Effect carries on…

Slightly overcast day for us today. A little reading? Pop into the People’s Friend archive:

A CITY OF DISCOVERIES

Anne

WEEK 2 BECKONS – An Edinburgh Housewife does the Festival (s)

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Programme

How did Week 1 round off?

BURN by ALAN CUMMING was a great offering and I enjoyed it hugely. Because we Scots all ‘own’ Burns, there were things one wanted to have had covered but you can’t include it all. At least when I wrote a play about JM Barrie that was my experience. I think Cumming was right to narrow his focus.

What would I have liked? Maybe one or two of the great love songs – if Cumming didn’t feel his voice suited, he does recite beautifully.

Festival entertaining continued.

Tomatoes are in Season

The tomato is eaten in quantity in this household and therefore there are a lot of favourite recipes. The one above is from A Eurpopean Cookbook given to me by my best pal from school around 50 years ago. (Can’t believe you admitted that! Ed) Courgettes, tomatoes, garlic, some olive oil and top with breadcrumbs. It went very well with some halibut from Charles Brown, fishmonger of this parish.

Saturday night saw us back in the Kings – what a lovely theatre it is.

ROOM by James Thierrée, La Compagnie du Hanneton is two hours of music, drama, physical theatre, dance and – maybe – general mayhem, orchestrated, of course. The scene shifters have a full and exacting role as the huge sets are moved through space. timing is all. An absorbing evening and many of the ‘moments’ will drop into the memory for days to come.

Tickets – go here 13 – 16 at 8pm, 17 at 5pm

A Wee Moan, or two

Why is nothing starting on time? Room was 15 mins late, audience warned but no explanation. Other events have been around 5. If you’ve only one event and your transport is assured, it’s of little matter. If you’ve got to get somewhere else and your journey home is on that one bus, then it does matter.

Why don’t the managements make the No Photography etc rules LOUD AND CLEAR at the beginning? My companion was startled by an assistant rushing to prevent a woman take a photo on her phone last night. Too late, I think, and she wasn’t by any means the only one.

So, Week 2 might be under water. I’ll keep you informed.

Anne

CITY OF DISCOVERIES by ANNE STENHOUSE In 1869 Jennet Marshall is the family breadwinner and her William is finding that gie hard. Read the whole serial, written to mark the 150th Anniversary of continuous publication of the People’s Friend, HERE

PULSE – GRAVITY AND OTHER MYTHS

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Okay, I have to come clean. I am that person who cannot work out the physical mechanics of getting in or out of the back of a two door car. This may have contributed to my awe last night while watching the young people form human towers of one, two, three and ultimately four people high.

On the other foot, it was simply awesome.

Likewise the singers – all female – who moved around the stage from time to time but mostly lined the back. Great solo voices rising above the choral ones and all adding to the heightened sense of ‘will it work, won’t it?’

A fabulous evening supported by the government of South Australia through Arts South Australia and part of the UK/Australia Season 2021-2022 supported by the Australian Government and British Council.

Run ended. But check-out The Black Blues Brothers at the Assembly Rooms. Family member tells me this was also awsome and it runs at different dates and times throughout the Fringe – Brochure p 157

A wee ad, below, for the show by Morna Burdon. Morna appeared in one or two of my own one act plays with Citadel Arts Group and is also a writer and director in her own right. The Storytelling Centre is easily accessible on the High Street.

EdFringe 2022 – Fire is Not the Only Element by Morna Burdon
Womanhood, War, Class, Punk and Lullabies!
Spoken Word, Poetry, Song Scottish Storytelling Centre
Aug 17-21 £10/8 17.00pm
https://www.mornaburdon.com/fire-is-not-the-only-element.html

” Absolutely joyous, funny and emotional” .” Another entertaining performance of insight, passion, dignity”….
” Lovely to watch and listen to”….” Stories and observations told so simply with great depth”… ” Glorious use of language”

That’s it for the moment.

Anne

Visitors

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One of the features of a successful Festival is having people to stay. We were chatting to neighbours at the Usher Hall Concert last night, Philharmonia under conductor Sanntu-Matias Rouvali playing Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto with the stunningly talented, Seong-Jin Cho and then Shostakovitch’s Ten Symphony, and discovered they have at least one brother booked in.

Our own first visitor arrives later today via dinner with one of her friends and a show (it’s the Festival) and we have others later in the month.

I don’t consider myself qualified to comment on classical music, but my companion certainly is and he was bowled over. Everyone was intrigued by the delightful encore Seong-Jin Cho treated us to before the interval. If any of you identified it, please say in the comments.

For Edinburgh Festival tickets go here.

For Fringe Tickets try here

For the Royal Military Tattoo go here

Anne (Who is writing a fresh Edinburgh based Regency that bears little resemblance to the synopsis which was mentioned in an earlier post)

Courting the Countess Will Melissa discover a hero in Harry? A regency romance from Anne Stenhouse

City of Discoveries free to read here. Can Jennet keep the family afloat until William finds work? A nineteenth century Dundee story from Anne Stenhouse (edited Alan Spink)

And We’re Off

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RUSALKA Opera by Antonín Dvořák was first up for us and what a night. The Edinburgh Festival Theatre was comfortably full and deeply attentive.
In what was another first, for me, the Glasgow born conductor, Douglas Boyd, called his leading lady, Natalya Romaniw, back on for a well deserved bow to rapturous applause before the round of chorus, minor soloists, soloists – obviously she came back then, too.


You can buy tickets for Monday 8th or Tuesday 9th – treat yourself.
Rusalka

Ps Designer Tom Piper The set was fantastic, and the acrobats – rope dancers etc…

Facebook have awarded me a top Edinburgh International Festival Badge – Highly honoured.

Where have you been – so far?

Anne

Edinburgh Festivals and some pre-Festival Fun

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Edinburgh Royal Park 30 July 2022

Two of the dancers are known to me – Romance author, Sophie Claire and her friend Jane. These ladies had travelled some distance to take part in the Kate Bush fundraising event for Maggie’s Centres and other cancer charities. The Edinburgh event was sited in the open grassland off the Queen’s Drive in the Royal Park.

Edinburgh on the brink of the Festivals provides such surreal happenings. They’re not quite ten-a-penny, but not unusual. However, they are different, inspiring, thought provoking and, I think, surreal.

August brings so much by way of the International, the local, the usual and the unusual. Let’s get behind our Festivals and secure their futures.

I hope your own month is filled with inspiration.

For Edinburgh Festival tickets go here.

For Fringe Tickets try here

For the Royal Military Tattoo go here

Anne (Who is drafting the synopsis for a fresh Edinburgh based Regency)

Courting the Countess Will Melissa discover a hero in Harry? A regency romance from Anne Stenhouse

City of Discoveries free to read here. Can Jennet keep the family afloat until William finds work? A nineteenth century Dundee story from Anne Stenhouse (edited Alan Spink)

LIVE THEATRE – IN THE HILLS

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Pitlochry theatre in the hills

Yesterday saw my return to the auditorium in Pitlochry for sparkling performances of this season’s musical, SUNSHINE ON LEITH, and the incomparable Michael Frayn’s, NOISES OFF.

I’m sure I’m not the only Scot who hasn’t seen Sunshine on Leith, but judging by the enthusiastic singing in the aisles that rounded off the afternoon performance to a packed house, I may be one of few, very few. Stephen Greenhorn’s musical and the songs of The Proclaimers have stood the test of time and, indeed, some topical jokes/references have been included.

Noises Off has also stood the test of time and the cast performed some amazingly complicated physical theatre with aplomb. Everyone who should have tripped over, did, but no one dropped the whisky. I particularly enjoyed Marc Small’s ever-more frantic pacing around the auditorium as the director, Lloyd, and Marc’s pole dancing skills, demonstrated just as the curtain came down, were astonishing.

The range of skills displayed by casts at Pitlochry is wide and varied. Singing, dancing, playing an instrument, acrobatics… And, of course, acting.

The Season at Pitlochry is now in full swing. If I’m reading the diary correctly, two plays remain to open and there are a number of one off or special evenings to come.

The refurbishment is well underway but, in the absence of the restaurant, we ate in Bridge of Tilt at The Loft. Excellen lamb for him and equally good chicken for me. Restaurants in Pitlochry were heavily booked and I met at least one friend who’d eaten Fish ‘n’ Chips in the car park. Book early, folks.

The Season runs until early October. Live Theatre needs you, the audience. Hope to see you there.

City of Discoveries, my Anniversary serial for The People’s Friend, the world’s longest running women’s magazine, can be read here.

Anne