theSpace on the Mile
Bull
★★★☆☆ Insufficiently horrid:
There is a nasty drive to Bull at theSpace on the Mile that goes a long way towards convincing. Mike Bartlett’s play about workplace bullying and the relentless, socially Darwinian corporate struggle is presented by New Celts and Cold Pizza in a recognisably Scottish setting.
In Her Corner
★★★★☆ Hard-hitting:
In Her Corner, Tearin’ The Tartan and New Celts’ production at theSpace on the Mile, has a fresh, visceral quality and genuine drive. If there are a couple of false notes struck, it is nevertheless very impressive.
Parasites
★★★★☆ Raw emotion:
There is brutality, but also considerable compassion, in Seesome Theatre and New Celts’ Parasites at theSpace on the Mile.
Arrivals
★★★☆☆ Initially intriguing:
Arrivals, by Twelve Twelve and New Celts at theSpace on the Mile, is an odd beast. It is probably fair to describe Dougal Thomson’s script as two plays; one that works very well, and one that is less successful.
Level Up
★★★★☆ Comic foreboding:
Level Up by Full Breakfast and New Celts at theSpace on the Mile is a believable portrait of social control made enjoyable by some warmly human performances and pin-sharp direction.
Breathing Corpses
★★★☆☆ Morbid curiosity:
Breathing Corpses, by Split Brick and New Celts at TheSpace on the Mile, leaves a nasty taste in the mouth at times.
The Monster in the Hall
★★★☆☆ Expansively exuberant:
Cheerfulness in the face of adversity characterises The Monster in the Hall by Capsize Collective and New Celts at TheSpace on the Mile.
Sob Story
★★★☆☆ Uneasy combination:
A talented cast and bags of commitment manage to paper over the obvious cracks in Sob Story, by Pretty Knickers and New Celts at TheSpace on the Mile.
Jumpers For Goalposts
★★★★☆ Warm applause:
Any preconceptions about a play depicting five-a-side football should instantly be put aside for Tom Wells’s Jumpers For Goalposts.
Antigone
★★★☆☆ Ancient grudge:
Antigone presented by Amplify Time and New Celts at TheSpace on the Mile, attempts to bring the concerns of Ancient Greece to the contemporary arena. If unresolved tensions in the script mean it is not always successful, this production has considerable vitality and nerve.
