Theatre review: Somersaults at Finsborough Theatre, London
13th Jan 2013 11:58am | By Editor A Eureka moment whilst playing a computer game has brought 30-something Scottish-born James unexpected wealth, a Hampstead home and a desirable wife.
But, without warning, things start to slip and – beginning with his inability to remember the Scots Gaelic word for “somersault” – his comfortable life disintegrates.
The main focus of Iain Finlay Macleod’s 70 minute play (initially staged by the National Theatre of Scotland) is the importance of language - as a means of communication, and of preserving cultural and individual identity. It doesn’t always work.
The characters of both his wife and of the old university friend, who suddenly reappears are distinctly underwritten, and Richard Teverson’s detached liquidator (who deigns to leave him only “the necessities of life”) is a disconcertingly unearthly presence.
Joe McFadden with partner Katya Jones ACTOR Joe McFadden has told how taking part in Strictly Come Dancing helped him deal with stage fright in other roles. The Holby and Heartbeat star was touring in the stage production of Priscilla Queen of The Desert when the pandemic forced the closure of theatres around the world earlier this year. He said the stage musical “terrified” him but that his experience on Strictly Come Dancing, which he won in 2017, helped him cope with any anxiety about performing in front of a live audience. The Glasgow-born actor became the oldest celebrity to lift the glitterball trophy when he won at the age of 42 with his professional partner Katya Jones, although Bill Bailey has now taken over that record after triumphing this month aged 55.
NICHOLAS Ralph is reflecting on a remarkable year. One where he has starred in the feel-good TV show of 2020 – Channel 5 s revamped series of All Creatures Great and Small – playing the lead as Scots vet James Herriot. The actor, who grew up in Nairn and moved to Glasgow in 2013 to pursue acting, will return to our screens this week for a heart-warming festive episode. Across the country, viewers will coorie in to watch the Christmas special. It s a far cry from this time last year when Ralph, 30, was perhaps best-known among regulars of the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, where he cut his teeth after graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Blythe Duff, in Fairytale of New York. Photo: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan IF YOU had told Blythe Duff she would end 2020 recording a single already being touted in some quarters as a potential Christmas number one, she’d have laughed her head off. “It’s unbelievable, after this year of all years, to have been able to tick off the biggest wish on my bucket list,” she marvels. “A Christmas number one? Well, I don’t know. But Cammy reliably informs me for it to be kicking around in the top 20 – it even got to number six at one point – is a good sign.”
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