A Midsummer Night’s Dream Scottish Opera Glasgow – 22 February 2022  Kelvin Holdsworth  Scottish Opera’s covid-delayed production of Britten’s   A Midsummer Night’s Dream   is full of fun. Good singing and powerful stage magic make for an entertaining evening.  As the curtain rises, we are faced with a proscenium arch within a proscenium arch – presumably a nod to the play within a play that concludes the   Dream . We are drawn straight into director Dominic Hill’s comfort zone –a big open stage with wide open wings. Above and beyond the stage, large beds float in the air which will become part of the business later on and the inner arch forms the frame for a hall of mirrors – mirrors which were to become problematic as the evening unfolded.  Benjamin Britten’s version of Shakespeare’s play puts the territory of a fairies firmly at the centre of the action. The piece opens, not with Theseus and Hippolyta but with Oberon and Titania. It is thus s...

February Issue

  Interview with Adam Kay Adam Kay How does it feel to have the finest actor of his generation playing me? In a career-defining performance? Yeah, it’s OK, I guess." Adam Kay is the writer, creator and excutive producer of This Is Going To Hurt which  Starts on Tuesday 8 February at 9pm on BBC One What is This Is Going To Hurt about? It's the story of a junior doctor in obstetrics and gynaecology (or brats and twats as it’s known) and the huge impact this job has on his life - both at home and at work. How did you find the process of adapting your own book to the screen? Is it much the same as the book, or will there be lots of new elements that weren’t in the book? The nature of the book - hundreds of diary entries in a single person’s voice - meant that a totally direct adaptation would have been something of a one-man sketch show. The TV series expands the world, predominantly in terms of the other characters we meet: from Adam’s family and boyfriend, to his midwife colleag...

  they're back and now going global for the first time in Drag Race herstory! How was it to see queens from around the world together in one competition? It oddly felt like a big family reunion even though we've never met. I'm a proper Drag Race fan and watch all the international versions of the show so I loved getting to know these international drag superstars. What are the main qualities you think it takes to be Queen of the World? To be crowned Queen of the World you need more than just the looks and the talent. They have to have the sort of personality that transcends language and culture and these queens all have that. How was it to meet some of the queens you hadn’t met before from other iterations of the show? Did they exceed your expectations? Drag Race contestants always exceed my expectations. I always go into the competition feeling like we must have seen the best already but then the bar gets raised again and again. I think people will be blown away by the loo...

  January 2022 issue of Scotland's LGBTQ award-winning magazine. A big thanks to everyone that helped us raise over £5000 over the last year for different charities. January Issue

Truth to Light by Eddie Newton Publisher:  NineStar Press LLC. Any book that starts off with a mage pulling a dragon out of his hat, only to have the dragon proceed to eat the audience that is watching the magic show has my attention. Yup. That's the opening scene folks. Memorable. But this book is exactly that, in so many ways. Usually in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy realm tales are told with aliens, creatures on new worlds, or in Urban Fantasy you get magic users and occasionally the odd beastie - ghosts, werewolves, demons, angels, the odd elf, or gnome. It's a truly unique read if you are greeted with golems or creatures from legends or urban myths we generally don't see - selkies, manticores, and yuki-ona come to mind. In Truth to Light, you get it all. And what's more, Newton has managed to string them all together in one consistent tale that explains everyone's existence. The Great Lie. Without being all spoilery, I can't very well tell you anything more than this....

Scene Alba top 20 albums of the year 2021 Scene Alba top 20 albums of the year 2021 20. Paul Weller - Fat Pop Weller re-connected with his pop sensibilities and brought us his most enjoyable album in years, Unashamed giant pop tunes but never without that trademark sardonic viewpoint, we needed it badly. 19. Saint Etienne - I’ve Been Trying To Tell You Indie’s pop champions returned with an ambient affair, coldly cool and sunburn hot. It was a soothing journey through loops and samples all presided over by the thrilling vocals of Dame Sarah Cracknell. Still perfect after all these years. 18. Low - Hey What Low were in the mood to fuck about and find out. An album of sonically challenging songs ‘Hey What’ showed that that three decades in they’re still up to rip up the rule book and re-write everything at a moment’s notice. 17. Admiral Fallow - Tiny Rewards Another band ripping up the rule books, Admiral Fallow took everything that is great about them and reshaped it into this fantastic...

  Interview with Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor) What can audiences expect from Eve Of The Daleks? I think the festive special is a wonderful high octane contained story, so if you haven’t seen the series, including the Flux, you can start this episode and be taken on a rollercoaster through a scenario where the Doctor, Yaz and Dan are stuck in a time loop. Not only are they stuck in a time loop, they’re being pursued by the Doctor’s biggest enemy, which is the Daleks. For the Doctor it is her worst scenario. This is all set on New Year’s Eve and we’ve two fantastic guest stars, Aisling Bea and Adjani Salmon who are not only hilarious but also wonderful actors that provide so much energy and brilliant chemistry. Audiences can expect lots of comedy, lots of fun, high stakes, huge amounts of jeopardy and an energised rollercoaster ride. Can you introduce us to Sarah and Nick? How was it working with Aisling Bea and Adjani Salmon? In the New Year’s Day special we were really lucky to wor...