Tag Archives: Edinburgh People’s theatre

Bothered and Bewildered by Gail Young at Churchhill Theatre

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BOTHERED & BEWILDERED by GAIL YOUNG is a trip along the rocky road of Alzheimer’s disease. This condition, which awaits increasing numbers of us as time passes, is a complex mix of symptoms that have a uniquely devastating effect on the people caring for sufferers. Young’s script tackles a difficult issue with warmth, humour and a little of the shock that prompts relatives to accept how different the patient has become and move to the next necessary stage of care. She commendably avoids sensationalising the awful moments many of her audience members will have experienced as they struggled to comprehend what was happening to a relative in their own lives. Having seen this condition in several family members and close friends, I know I sat up with a jolt at one or two points.

VAL LENNIE shines in the lead role of Irene with a strong and occasionally courageous performance displaying the bewildering mood swings and the crippling paranoia so characteristic of the condition. Director Mike Brownsell could not have asked for more. Also rising to the challenges of the script, Lynn Cameron and Anne Mackenzie playing the ‘daughters’ were unswervingly watchable.

The play offers an alter ego for Irene in the form of Barbara Cartland. Beautifully dressed and coiffed to replicate the standard photo of that Grande Dame of romantic fiction, Bev Wright gave a sterling performance. I would have liked a touch more steel in this personification of Irene’s unreason. The principals were well supported and it’s an altogether satisfactory evening of drama from Edinburgh People’s Theatre.

Run continues Thursday and Friday 26/27 at 7.30 pm and Saturday 28th at 2.30 pm Churchhill theatre, Morningside Road (Buses 5, 11, 16, 15, 23, 27 to Holy corner. Some parking in surrounding streets)

 

Scottish Community Drama Friday 20th

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The One Act Festivals of the Scottish Community Drama Association throw up a varied menu of plays. Choices have to be made and these will often be taken on the basis of what cast is available. Friday 20th February included a comedy by Archie Wilson, a two-hander of psychological horror by Eleanor Fossey and a modern drama by David Greig (adapted).

St Serfs opened with Wilson’s Old Folk

The cast were handicapped by illness which had caused a substitution. The understudy, Vicky Horne, was word perfect and is to be congratulated for a brave effort. Unfortunately, the script has little to recommend it and I found the clichés of life in an old folks home – bingo and pretend deafness together with little understanding of how the very old actually move – to be irritating rather than funny.

Leitheatre (Kirkgate) took the middle slot with a two hander for two female actors, Playing With Daisy,. Esther is an inadequate with an imaginary friend, Daisy. Esther blames all that goes wrong on her mother and all she does wrong on Daisy. Life catches up with her and the play ends with a long prison term looming. Liza Shackleton and Ellie Arcidiaco gave brave performances. The director needs to demand a little more from them to bring the horror to its dramatic peak.

The third and final play on Friday evening was David Greig’s Yellow Moon adapted. It was performed by Edinburgh People’s Theatre.

This stood out. Not only was the script full of interesting light and dark, humour and pathos, but the cast were well rehearsed and well up to the demands made by it. The minimal staging and stark costumes allowed its themes to shine out. My winner on the night.

Run continues on Saturday 21st with Gala Dramateurs, Mercators and Edinburgh Theatre Arts.

DICK BARTON: SPECIAL AGENT

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Dick Barton: Special Agent by Phil Willmott is enjoying a short season at Edinburgh’s Church Hill theatre, Morningside road. I caught it on Wednesday’s opening night.

Edinburgh People’s Theatre are enjoying their 71st year of productions and fielded a large cast for this production. Although the name, Dick Barton, evokes the great age of radio drama and nonsensical comedy, I’m not quite old enough to remember listening to it. There are plenty who are.

Graham Bell reproduced that evocative BBC broadcasting voice impeccably in his anchoring moments in front of the blacks. His necessarily quick changes from mandatory dinner suit to Colonel Gardener’s more relaxed style occasionally left him breathless, but it all adds to the fun for a loyal audience.

Doubling was the order of the night and the cast handled the complications of that well. Ronnie Millar’s pseudo cockney was better than his RP. The ladies of the cast ventured into some wonderfully daring costumes for their cabaret type scenes.

Some nice singing enlivened the spotlight moments, but I had reservations about one or two and felt the dancing could be sharper. Perhaps that’ll come as the run progresses. Mairi Beaver gave a great rendition of femme fatale (don’t know the German equivalent phrase, sorry) Marta Heartburn.

Great touches from director Iain Fraser and musical director, Anne Mackenzie.

Excellent props.

Run continues Friday at 7.30 and Saturday at 2.30. EPT are to be congratulated for offering a matinée.

Edinburgh People’s Theatre

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