Hotel

Aug 25 2018 | By More

★★★★★       Thrilling and Mysterious

Greenside @ Nicolson Square (venue 209): Mon 20 – Sat 25 Aug 2018
Review by Sarah Moyes

Step into the mysterious hotel where not all it as it seems in this clever and haunting new play from Broadsword Theatre.

Written and directed by the theatre company’s co-founder Sam Eastop, Hotel transports you to very strange but extremely luxurious setting where you can drink the most delicious cocktails, eat the tastiest food and sleep in the comfiest of beds for as long as you wish, as here you don’t need to declare a check out date.

Ashley (Sasha Aronson) and Barbara (Jade McQuillan)

Ashley (Sasha Aronson) and Barbara (Jade McQuillan). Pic: Broadsword

At first, it seems like the guests are the usual kind of people you would find in any hotel, but as they start to reveal more about themselves you start to question what is really going on.

Jade McQuillan and Fraser Nickolls give hilarious performances as newlyweds Jane and Ross, an adorable couple who finish each other sentences yet have no recollection of how they came to arrive in the hotel. They’re met on arrival by a strange receptionist called Angela played by Abigail Sinclair who informs them that most guests love the hotel so much that they never ever leave.


The direction here is clever with both Jane and Ross and Angela facing the audience as though looking at a split screen rather than them facing each other. This is repeated on other occasions throughout the show, and it just adds another dimension to the play.

It’s not long before we meet another couple Paul and Mary, played by Alex Cook and Martina Vondrova, who are enjoying hotel life completely unaware that they have been there for months, rather than the few weeks they previously believed.

stand out performance

Sasha Aronson gives the stand out performance as Ross’ sister Ashley who embarks on a mission to find her brother at the hotel. Her performance is powerful and emotional as she meets another guest – Sam Eastop’s Scott – who helps her piece everything together before the truth about the hotel is finally revealed.

Sam Eastop’s vision is very clever indeed, and the twists and turns in the show keep the audience on the edge of their seat throughout.

A clever, dark and thrilling show, that definitely makes Broadsword Theatre a company to watch out for and Eastop a writer with a strong future ahead of him.

Running time – one hour (no interval)
Greenside @ Nicolson Square, Lime Studio (venue 209), 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9BX
Monday 20 – Saturday 25th August
Evenings: 7.35pm

Web – https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/hotel
Twitter – @broadswordstag
Facebook – @broadswordtheatre

ENDS

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Comments (1)

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  1. Chris Beale. says:

    Congrats to all concerned – particularly you Sam (my grandson!).
    Tremendous write-up – let’s have a copy of the DVD when it comes out.

    Seeing your mum,dad and Mikie on Tuesday; they’re coming up to the Midden to camp (in their new van!!) for a day or two.

    Again, congrats.
    Chris (Gramps)