Up Memory Lane By Gyles Brandreth and Harriet Jaine
review written by Louise Cannon – Bookmarks and Stages photos by Andy Robinson
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Feel the warmth and end up laughing loads as you go Up Memory Lane, the place where both poignant and fun memories flow. The place where stage and podcast collide with the most enjoyable results for a fun-packed late afternoon.
Memories and treasures are what Gyles Brandreth and his Rosebud podcast producer warmly encourages the audience to think of what or who is dear to them as they impart this information. It’s revealing, sweet, sad and very funny as they look over the years, including their earliest memories.
Harriet Jaine, who is the producer of his critically acclaimed Rosebud podcast joins Gyles on stage. Things get particularly humorous as she tries to keep him under control and says a bit about her job, which seems to also entail giving instruction to Gyles, who may or may not obey… She has her work cut out as is demonstrated in rather a jovial manner.
On a table, there are objects that are precious to them both, one of which is Judi Dench’s teddy bear. There are also shared tales of other bears, including Winnie the Pooh and some sweet, fun singing from them both and a solo from Harriet. Memories aren’t just linked to objects as Gyles reminisces about actors he has met in the past, some alive, some dead. He makes a very important, poignant and touching reason for also naming dead actors. She is warmly encouraged to talk about family, the happy and the saddest of times.
The mix of seriousness and fun is a great combination for this show and keeps it feeling authentic and highly enjoyable as well as interesting.
Between the stories and the jokes, there is song and a bit of sort of dance, some that create laughter and one which is dear to their hearts and anyone who is a fan of a particular bear will hold everyone silent for a moment.
There are games to be had with a small, friendly bit of audience participation, but only if you catch Harriet’s ball.
What is clever throughout is the encouragement for the audience, when they go home, is to reflect on their treasures and memories. In turn, by the end, this show becomes a treasured memory for all the enjoyment had.
You can see this delightful show for a fun-filled hour at:
It was an honour to be invited to the launch party which doubled up as a 20th birthday party for Violet, the purple cow. It’s an iconic Edinburgh Fringe Venue, which can be found at George Square Gardens. There are also other Underbelly buildings in Cowgate. I first went to pre-blog to see comedian, Ruby Wax in this big cow. You walk under the udders to a fantastic space filled with seats and a stage. It’s the most unique stage at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which we were informed has travelled to Brighton and further afield, which is just amazing! In the venue over the years, and this year of 2026 is no exception, it hosts musical, dance, comedy, acrobats and a whole lot more… This year, for a Fringe first, it is also hosting sumo-wrestling.
The Underbelly as an organisation supports original work, provides spaces for new up and coming performers and established performers, such as the aforementioned and Su Pollard to try out new, original work in front of live audiences.
This year check out Sammy J – Hero Complex House of Life, Heated Rivalry, Liberace and Liza Minelli Tribute, Sumo and more…
What and honour it is to be invited to launch parties for different venues. They are a showcase full of colour and originality of what venues are showing for each year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Greenside venues supports new performers, break-through acts, students and new work and more… They can be found on George St, which runs adjacent to Prince’s St. There are also Green Venues on Riddles Court too. The venues in 2027 are expanding with another being added on George St. With 200 shows or more, Greenside is ever growing and giving new talent, some established talent and new writing an opportunity to get seen.
There was glitz, glamour, musicals, plays, music and more on offer, which we saw skits of and you can see full shows of. Some are humorous, some are poignant and some are toe-tapping fun. There’s an energy in these small theatres that inhabit larger buildings, plus a bar.
It was a hard choice, but the shows from the skits I saw, that I mostly recommend are:
Parking Spot the Musical Ever found it frustrating to find a parking space? This is relevant, funny and relatable. It came across, even in just a few minutes as one to watch. So, why not park up and take a seat for an hour of entertainment and discover Will, who has bought his first car at 33 and has come across sabotage and more… Find out more here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/daddy-issues
The Freddy Story – A Theatrical Concert Experience by Jim Smart has toe-tapping songs and some film reels from Live Aid in the background. It feels a well put together, accomplished show. This is fun for fans of Queen and Freddie Mercury. There is an energy generated that oozes out into the auditorium.
The Real Housewives of the Zombie Apocalypse by Clydebuilt Theatre company is a hilarious take on those Real Housewives tv shows. It captures the attitudes well and brings much humour, sending them up, especially with the addition of Zombies. I recommend this whether the housewives franchise is or isn’t up your street. Find out more here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-real-housewives-of-the-zombie-apocalypse
Daddy Issues by Spencer Waldner is about a guy who caught Covid and his side-effect is that he can’t stop telling the truth. He is seeking answers and is revealing secrets that he never wanted to before as he spirals and clinical sessions take place. What it captured was humour with a big dose of poignancy in the few minutes I saw of it. Find more details here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-freddie-story-a-theatrical-concert-experience
Bloody Mary(s) by Blue Fire Theatre Company is an intriguing performance taking audiences through historical times to present. It creates interest as well as coming away having learnt something about the Mary’s in the world from Mary Queen of Scots to Mary Berry and many more in-between and even earlier in biblical times.
Also check out Monks, Fool’s GoldMine, Your Inner Diva, Spill Your Guts, One-Man Named Poe and others on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival website.
Other shows are about gender, being an individual, health issues, love, politics, bringing the party to you with familiar songs, seriousness, poignancy, humour thoughtfulness and discovery in the most unexpected places. The Green Venues are a place where you can mix it up with the shows you see.
Interview with Stan Zimmerman on Right before I go
interview by Louise Cannon
First of all, I am humbled to have the opportunity to do this interview with Stan Zimmerman, writer of Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls and on a much talked about and very important subject matter. Right Before I Go is a suicide prevention play. Do read on, he is very serious about this and has answered questions informatively, sensitively and it’s interesting. It is also worth noting his show comes with support and from what I’ve read, it sounds a very well thought out and responsibly put together show for audiences.
He says “I decided to create a play in the vein of The Vagina Monologues, easily produced with actors on stools, reading the script from music stands. My hope is that this will create much needed discussion about a very complicated issue,” said writer and actor, Stan Zimmerman.
Let’s warmly welcome, Stan Zimmerman to Bookmarks and Stages. pics are Stan Zimmerman (writer and actor) Abigail Morris (director), Wendie Malick (Shrinking, Young Sheldon), Emily Kuroda (Gilmore Girls). Check them out and then let’s begin the interview.
1. Stan, you are bringing your show Right Before You Go, a suicide prevention play, driven by the suicide of your real life friend, to the Edinburgh Fringe.
Who or what inspired you to bring the play from NYC to Edinburgh?
“Having one of my plays performed at the famed Edinburgh Fringe Festival has always been on my bucket list. But it felt like a far off dream. It only became reality after our very successful UK industry reading of it this past March at the Soho Theatre. I was honored to share the stage with a stellar cast including Vanessa Williams, Matt Henry, Iz Hesketh and Olly Alexander. The Pleasance Theatre came to that reading and invited me to Fringe for the entire month. We’re hoping to bring the play back to London after Fringe in September, which is World Suicide Prevention Awarness Month.”
2. In the UK, suicide is starting to gain awareness. Why do you feel it is so important to talk about suicide on stage and in the hope of preventing it.
“Theatre can be a powerful tool. I know firsthand. Finding my tribe on stage saved my life. I want to end the shame surrounding the subject of suicide and talking about it, in this forum is a start. Especially with young people, which is why we’re in discussion tour this play in schools throughout the UK in Spring 2027.”
3. You use real suicide notes of celebrities, veterans, bullied teens, those identifying as LGBTQ+ and those who have experienced mental health issues.
How did you go about getting permission to use letters that are so raw and sensitive?
“All of these notes are in the public domain. They’ve been posted, broadcast or released by family members. Usually with the intent of saving other individuals from suffering in silence. Something I learned when first creating this play, was that newspapers used to regularly publish suicide notes.
5. Right Before I Go is followed by a talkback with a mental health professional.
For those going to the performance, how does that work in practice?
“I made it part of the agreement when licensing my play from TRWshowsUK, that you must do a Talk Back after the show with a local mental health professional. I often find that part of the show, is the most gripping. After I’ve been so open and honest in the play, audience members sometimes reveal feelings and stories that they’ve kept hidden for years. Even decades.”
6. What do you hope the play will achieve by the time people are leaving the auditorium?
“I already know that this play has saved lives since we debuted at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2015. Being in Edinburgh, i hope the piece is introduced to the global theatre community. The high suicide rate knows no boudaries of countries. This subject must be addressed through a worldwide lens. On a personal level, I hope that audiences leave the theatre and check in with their friends to see if they’re doing okay.”
7. How do you and others in the star-studded cast from Gilmor Girls, Young Sheldon look after own wellbeing after rehearsals and performing in-front of audiences, in-particular after this play which carries such a necessary, important but emotional topic.
“I get asked that question a lot during our Talk Backs, because it’s obviously still so emotional for me to talk about losing my friend to suicide in the play. But it’s also extremely empowering to know that using my craft can make a difference in other people’s lives. Of course, I’ve only done the play two days in a row in the past. I’ll be performing in twenty-four shows in Edinburgh. So if you see me staggering through town, buy me a pint!”
8. Money will be raised for SL24: Unlocke the Light Foundation, based in Delaware. Can you tell us more about this non-profit organisation?
SL24: UnLocke the Light Foundation is a Delaware-based nonprofit organization with a threefold mission: to educate, assist, and support young people on their mental health journey. For more information on their educational and Peer24 Support programs, please visit www.unlockethelight.com. I had the privilege of meeting Chris Locke during a mini-East Coast US tour starring Virginia Madsen and some “Gilmore Girls” cast members. He lost his son to suicide and created this amazing organization. He said he plans to come to Edinburgh and is a very eloquent speaker on this subject.”
Tickets can be purchased and further synopsis looked at on the official website for The Pleasance at Edinburgh Fringe Festival here: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/right-i-go
Matson Taylor is back!!! His debut novel shot up the charts and introduced readers to Evie Epworth. His debut was the very funny and poignant The Miseducation of Evie Epworth with a strong follow-up, All About Evie, set in Yorkshire and London. Now, he has a new character and is transporting readers to Italy in his 3rd fabulous book, Roman Mornings.
Some books are worth their weight in gold, this is one of them. It was worth the wait and it, for me, came along at the best possible time. It’s one for cat lovers, the holiday adventurers, readers of Kate Atkinson and Sarah Winman and for those who just need a little healing and a spot of heartwarmth in their books.
It was a delightful surprise when an opportunity to review Roman Mornings landed in my inbox from Simon & Schuster. Check it out below the cover you can just walk into for a perfect summer escape and my review and blurb below.
Full of heartwarming wit and encounters as an adventure on a mint-green Vespa ensues to seek out hope and new way of living life.
Roman Mornings takes readers between 1952, Trastevere, Rome and 1976. The sense of place draws you into the old narrow streets, adding an air of intrigue and mystery and wonderment as to who lives in these crammed streets and what are their stories. This is when readers meet some rather interesting eccentric characters. Clementine Severs is the main character, who in 1952, arrives with a certificate in teaching and a whole lot of idealism, enough to fill many Grecian urns, certainly more than realism. She has many hopes, dreams and an urn-full of spirit.
By 1976, times from those days of surviving through World War 2, she is wilting, she and readers are reminded we all need something fun and happy in our lives. For Clemmie, it comes in the form striking up an unlikely friendship with young carpenter, Mongomery Marsh and a journey to find new hope and new ways of living life.
They also meet a cat called Octavian, who, if you’re a cat-owner, is so recognisable in manner and behaviours right down to a whisker twitch. Readers can be right into this feline and understand exactly what it’s doing and thinking, just like how cats communicate with humans in real-life and in some mysterious way, we understand them. Octavian is a great cat character.
Well-observed, are the changing times in culture and how young and older people can be both seeking out something similar and also become friends. The writing style has you hanging on every word as, cleverly he ensures his reader is absolutely with them every bit of the way, through potholes, the surrounding scents, food and growing friendship.
Roman Mornings is immersive, full of universally, heartstring tugging and heartfelt relatable themes that are emotional yet also upbeat, full of humour, hope, poignancy, whilst encompassing some healing along the way.
Roman Mornings may well make you want to wake up in Rome. If you don’t find yourself in Italy, it still may we’ll have you wake up to searching for hope and a new life.
I highly recommend Roman Mornings for your summer read or anyone looking for a heartfelt pick-me-up, perhaps with your favourite Italian food and tipple.
Blurb
A glorious novel of hope and healing for fans of Armistead Maupin, Fredrik Backman, Kate Atkinson and Sarah Winman.
1952, Trastevere, Rome. An idyllic maze crammed full of narrow streets and eccentric characters. A young English woman, Clementine Severs, arrives armed with a teaching certificate and enough idealism to fill a host of Grecian urns.
By 1976, she finds herself wilting, her youthful dreams squashed by time and tide. A chance encounter between an angel and a speeding mint green Vespa brings her into contact with a troubled young carpenter called Montgomery Marsh. Clemmie and Monty forge an unlikely friendship that takes them on a magical ride through the Eternal City in search of fresh hope and a new way of living.
Fun, spirited and full of heart, Roman Mornings, like the city of Rome itself, is a novel of mysterious beauty that you will want to revisit time and time again.
Matson Taylor is back!!! His debut novel shot up the charts and introduced readers to Evie Epworth. His debut was the very funny and poignant The Miseducation of Evie Epworth with a strong follow-up, All About Evie, set in Yorkshire and London. Now, he has a new character and is transporting readers to Italy in his 3rd fabulous book, Roman Mornings.
Some books are worth their weight in gold, this is one of them. It was worth the wait and it, for me, came along at the best possible time. It’s one for cat lovers, the holiday adventurers, readers of Kate Atkinson and Sarah Winman and for those who just need a little healing and a spot of heartwarmth in their books.
It was a delightful surprise when an opportunity to review Roman Mornings landed in my inbox from Simon & Schuster. Check it out below the cover you can just walk into for a perfect summer escape and my review and blurb below.
Full of heartwarming wit and encounters as an adventure on a mint-green Vespa ensues to seek out hope and new way of living life.
Roman Mornings takes readers between 1952, Trastevere, Rome and 1976. The sense of place draws you into the old narrow streets, adding an air of intrigue and mystery and wonderment as to who lives in these crammed streets and what are their stories. This is when readers meet some rather interesting eccentric characters. Clementine Severs is the main character, who in 1952, arrives with a certificate in teaching and a whole lot of idealism, enough to fill many Grecian urns, certainly more than realism. She has many hopes, dreams and an urn-full of spirit.
By 1976, times from those days of surviving through World War 2, she is wilting, she and readers are reminded we all need something fun and happy in our lives. For Clemmie, it comes in the form striking up an unlikely friendship with young carpenter, Mongomery Marsh and a journey to find new hope and new ways of living life.
They also meet a cat called Octavian, who, if you’re a cat-owner, is so recognisable in manner and behaviours right down to a whisker twitch. Readers can be right into this feline and understand exactly what it’s doing and thinking, just like how cats communicate with humans in real-life and in some mysterious way, we understand them. Octavian is a great cat character.
Well-observed, are the changing times in culture and how young and older people can be both seeking out something similar and also become friends. The writing style has you hanging on every word as, cleverly he ensures his reader is absolutely with them every bit of the way, through potholes, the surrounding scents, food and growing friendship.
Roman Mornings is immersive, full of universally, heartstring tugging and heartfelt relatable themes that are emotional yet also upbeat, full of humour, hope, poignancy, whilst encompassing some healing along the way.
Roman Mornings may well make you want to wake up in Rome. If you don’t find yourself in Italy, it still may we’ll have you wake up to searching for hope and a new life.
I highly recommend Roman Mornings for your summer read or anyone looking for a heartfelt pick-me-up, perhaps with your favourite Italian food and tipple.
Blurb
A glorious novel of hope and healing for fans of Armistead Maupin, Fredrik Backman, Kate Atkinson and Sarah Winman.
1952, Trastevere, Rome. An idyllic maze crammed full of narrow streets and eccentric characters. A young English woman, Clementine Severs, arrives armed with a teaching certificate and enough idealism to fill a host of Grecian urns.
By 1976, she finds herself wilting, her youthful dreams squashed by time and tide. A chance encounter between an angel and a speeding mint green Vespa brings her into contact with a troubled young carpenter called Montgomery Marsh. Clemmie and Monty forge an unlikely friendship that takes them on a magical ride through the Eternal City in search of fresh hope and a new way of living.
Fun, spirited and full of heart, Roman Mornings, like the city of Rome itself, is a novel of mysterious beauty that you will want to revisit time and time again.
Bookmarks and Stages by Lou 