Margolyes & Dickens: More Best Bits, EICC, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Outspoken, hilarious, talented and with her heart in the right place, Margolyes is always good valuie to watch.  This show mixed stories from her life, with short performances of Dickens characters, bring them fully to life within a few seconds.  Her ability to swap around during dialogue, to introduce the right levels of pomposity, or avarice, or innocence, the swiftly changing body language, is a mini master class.  And the intonation and expressiveness of her voice shows just why she is in such demand to record audio books.

As an added bonus there was a short Q&A session, with her tour manager reading out a few queries from the audience.  As unfiltered as ever Miriam was swift to give her opinions.  It was good to hear a prminent Jewish voice condemning outright the current criminal and genocidal actions of the Israeli government, and saying what needs to be said about the likes of Trump and Farage - she is very defintely not a fan of either of these manipulative liars.  

Wonderful entertainment, a standing ovation, and it all felt far too short a time...

Luke Wright : Pub Grub, Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Pub Grub as the opening poem, the sometimes-need to slum it a bit, to ignore the fine dining and go for the comfort food.  And if there's a theme then maybe that's it, but this show ranges far and wide, covering family and friends and the past and telling stories.  All done with sparkling verses and bucket loads of humour.

There's also fun ways for Wright to show off his technical mastery of the language and form.  A poem using no vowels but 'O'.  Another where every noun, vern, adjective and adverb staerts with 'D'.  And then there's the pub joke - an old fashioned one, mildly amusing at first telling.  But as the show goes on further versions emerge, five in total, so that the joy of wordplay becomes far funnier than the joke itself.

It's a joyful hour, witty, clever, and sometime sthought provoking.  With the ocaasional groan at the lunguistic tortuosity he indulges in to make hsi monovowel verses work out!

I've loved Luke's work since first seeing him over a decade ago, and this show is one of his best.  Not to be missed.

Words and Music, Stockbridge Parish Church

 A low key event of poetry, song and music.  The music came from the cello of Clea Friend, two beautiful classical compositions.  And from the a capella singing of duo Gail Turpin and Kerry Houston, a varied and often joyful couple of short sets.

Two poets read from their work, with the theme of mothers and fathers, and played compere - Diana Hendry and Hamish Whyte.  Some interesting poems, some laughs, some sadness, and interesting imagery.

The star of the show was former Makar Liz Lochhead, aided by a crutch as she recovers from a knee replacement. Her work is as imaginative, as funny and as intriguing as ever, as she deliverd both old and new works.  But her performance, as with Diana and Hamish, was slightly marred by a poor sound system which made for some lost words - not ideal!

An unusual feature of the show was an invitiation for anyone from the audience to come up and read one of their own poems.  Four did, including myself.  If nothing else it added further variety to an already varied show.

Spell Songs, Usher Hall

The Lost Words and The Lost Spells are the two books, combining the poetry of Robert MacFarlane and the artwork of Jackie Morris, which form the inspiration for the Spell Songs project.  Bringing together a variety of top class folk musicians (mostly Scottish) to transform the words with music, and adding in Morris' beautiful illustrations as an integral element of the show.  The end result is a concert/multimedia entertainment with some unique qualities.

Eight artists grace the stage.  Karine Polwart and Kris Drever on guitar, Jim Molyneux on keyboard and percussion, Julie Fowlis with her whistles, Seckou Keita with his kora, Beth Porter playing cello and fiddle, and Rachel Newton on harp.  Every one of the septet a lead vocalist in their own right, with singing duties spread across the set.  And the eighth member of the group?  None other than Morris herself, on a raised dias at the back, painting live  with the songs.  Often this flowing creativity would be filmed and projected on to the screen above the stage, bringing to life, in a very real sense, the subjects of the lyrics.  

This is a show dedicated to nature, with various plants and animals showcased (and two of Morris' stunning illustrations of otters on large banners either side of the stage).  But it's also a celebration of beauty, of life, and with some political comment - because it is politicians who refuse to act in saving the natural world now under threat from climate change.  

It's beautiful.  Almost soporific at times - not in the sense of being boring, but of being so relaxing that the mind wants to float away, the audiovisual equivalent of a nice warm bath.

The music brings the beauty of nature to life, as you would expect from such high quality performers, and it would be unfair to pick out any single performance from what was very much an ensemble work.  Great solos and harmonies, imaginiative arrangements, and always somethign to watch on screen.  It's the kind of show where there's so much going on that you know you must have missed out at times, and want to see it all again.  Wonderful.

Roger McGough : Alive and Gigging, Stand 3, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 Alive and Gigging says the title of the show. And at 86 years old that is indeed something to boast about. McGough became something of a cult figure in the 60s, but is very much still relevant today. While some of the show looked backwards, and included poems from his early days of fame, there was plenty of contemporary material.

Not just poems, but stories. Stories from his life, both real and fictional (he probably wasn't the man who changed Jimi Hendrix's career!), all delivered with humour and sharp observation. And plenty there about the general imbecility of humans, and the love of hatred that so many exhibit - Ukraine, Gaza and the recent far right #FarageRiots all get into Roger's verse.

It felt like a very quick hour. Nostalgia, political comment and a lot of laughs. Excellent.

Luke Wright - Joy!, Pleasance Dome (10 Dome), Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 A poet for our opening show, and one with whom we're already familiar, have seen several times before. And he's so much more than a poet. Comedian, raconteur, showman. Even, as he demonstrates in this show, a bit of a dancer.

Wright explains that he had to choose the title, Joy!, almost a year ago, when he was feeling particularly joyful with his life, both personal and professional. But writing joyful material proved a lot harder in the chilly greyness of a January afternoon when he made a start. So this is not a parade of joys, but a look at the ups and downs of life. Because without misery how can there also be joy? Life is all about context.

So there's sadness, anger, affection, guilt, love, mundanity and, yes, joy, in Luke's writing. He shows off his technical mastery of complex verse forms, makes us laugh, makes us think, makes us feel. There's a lot cleverness, both linguistic and emotionally, and much to ponder on. How our words can affect others, how the ephemera of social media is a joy killer, how much family and friends are important to a joyful life. Even a bit of song and dance and an audience singalong!

It's a fast paced hour that never drags in the slightest, and makes you feel involved with a witty and very humane man. Highly recommended.

Brian Bilston and Henry Normal, Assembly Rooms

 Henry Normal in the first half, Bilston in the second.  A strong start when Normal came on to the Thurderbirds theme - he's very much of my generation!

Poetry and stories and jokes from Normal, in his own understated style.  Mostly very funny, but with occasional moments of thoughtfulness or sadness, or even anger about the horrors of the world.  And love.  His style is generally whimsical, full of clever puns.but there's some steel lying under the covers.

Bilston is more acerbic in his language, with well direxcted poetic gems against the monsters of today, like Trump and Johnson and the ridiculous Musk.  He's stronger on wordplay and structure and double meanings than Normal, with, at times, an intentionally cerebral approach, challenging his audience.  Well structured set that moved on rapidly across the wonderful and the bizarre.

A very enjoyable, and at times thought proviking, two hours.

Luke Wright's Silver Jubilee, Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Wright has been a performing poet for a quarter of a century. So this a show to mark that significant milestone, which provides something of a life review - but with the political comment he's know for still a strong force within the work. His problem is that while he personally has never been so happy, he feels guilty about it because he can see the UK becoming ever more shit under the tories.

So the poems cover his life as a baby who was adopted, links to his birth family, his development as a performer and writer, and more. The verses are funny, poignant, responsible, with moments of genius thrown in. Particularly impressive were the univowel offerings, one using only the vowel A, another only O. And 7 versions of the notice of his birth, in varying poetic and musical styles. There's clever use of a screen too, with images of his life and clips of text from the internet, that demonstrate his life and interests.

Luke's machine vocal delivery gives you more words for your money, but his clear diction ensures that few get lost along the way. He's informative, teasing, joyous, life affirming. Here's the the next 25.

This was the final performance of Silver Jubilee at this year's Fringe.

Salute Ukraine!, Usher Hall

 A big gala event bringing together Scottish and Ukrainian musicians and writers.  Plus video messages from Ukrainians both here and back home in the war.  The number of acts was too long to list here, but it really did have something for everyone.  Scottish folk, Ukrainian pop and opera, storytelling and poetry, with three songs from the mighty Lau to close the event, before the Ukraine national anthem was sung - are there were a lot of emotional Ukrainians in the audience to add volume.  

There were a few technical hitches, but that felt entirely forgivable on such a worthy occasion, and one that had had to be thrown together at short notice.  With so many acts to cope with the sound check must have been a lengthy nightmare!  And the occasional glitch served as a reminder that this was an event with real human urgency behind it, that there are innocent people dying in this war, as we sat there and enjoyed the tunes and the words.  

Memorable.

Luke Wright: The Remains of Logan Dankworth, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Logan Dankworth is about to make it. His career as a stand up wasn't really going anywhere, but now he's writing a well paid column for a big newspaper. Make it funny, make it controversial, make it large.  But when you make a living from bating public opinon, and lose your own sense of what you really do believe in, what's left?

Set against the background of the UK political scene over the past decade, it's a strong reflection of the amorality that appears to dominate so much of public discourse, and the damage that does to society and individuals.    A storming performance from Wright, with not just a play for our times, but a lyrical treat, his poetic impulses shining through in sudden couplets and shifts of rhythm and mood.  

Excellent.

 

Henry Normal - The Escape Room, Liverpool Philharmonic

 A small smiling man in cardigan and glasses walks on to the stage to huge applause and a sense of anticipation.  This is a poetry show, but not in the least highbrow.  Normal's verses are short, funny, poignant, thought provoking.  Plus he has a deep well of stories to draw on from his time as a TV writer and producer.  His tales of the antics of Caroline Aherne as Mrs Merton were a powerful reminder of what a talent she was.  He also talks touchingly of his wife and son, and the humour in their lives, and his own working class upbringing in Nottingham.

The poems are smart, witty, revealing an oblique look at aspects of everyday life.  Lots of clever rhymes, alongside groan inducing puns, and moving images.  All interspersed with much laughter.   Wonderfully original, although many of his his references are probably more meaningful to a more mature audience.  (But since Henry is the same age as myself this wasn't a problem for me at all.)

And I'll always remember that nobody talks about haemorrhoids in Hollywood.

Henry Normal : This Phantom Breath, The Poetry Cafe, London

Drinks and chats in the cafe, downstairs for the performance.  The Poetry Cafe is an immediately welcoming place, friendly, casual, easy to feel at home in.

First up was poet, painter and sculptor Pete Ramskill. Dryly amusing in his introductions, calm provider of clarity and humour in his poetry.  He switched between verse from his latest published collection, some newer works, and a series of hilarious limericks.  His subject matter is his everyday life, memories of the past, and politics (especially in the limericks).  Most combine humour with sharply thoughtful observations on the oddities of human behaviour.  Consistently entertaining and worthy of further reading.

And then there was Henry.  I'll admit here to being biased here for, unknown to me, my wife had made previously contact with him and the result was him reciting, and presenting to us, a poem he wrote for our wedding anniversary.  So I couldn't write a bad review, could I?

Fortunately there's absolutely no need for me to make any compromises with my principals.  Normal the poet is a natural comedian writing language of such simplicity, but filled with such unlikely juxtapositions and sideways observations that you wonder how you never thought of it yourself.  Which you wouldn't, of course, because Normal is blessed with a way of looking at the world that combines a surreal imagination with a warmth of humanity and empathy that very few people have.  It's a  natural talent for seeing the eccentricities and struggles and love in others and repackaging them into a form that makes us look at ourselves and others from fresh angles.  How many people would come up with "a speedboat drags what looks like a cheap sofa full of masochists", or create a poem out of a to-do list?

Go see him if you can.  He'll make you laugh, think, feel and be a better human.  You won't forget a Henry Normal gig.

Like It or Trump It, Traverse

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The Janice Forsyth Show, BBC Tent, Edinburgh Fringe

Janice Forsyth's regular Radio Scotland Show is, for most of August, being recorded in front of a live audience in the BBC's big blue tent.  Taking advantage of the talent in the city around them, each show features an array of Fringe and other Festival acts, performing and discussing their work.  Clearly the quality of the product is very dependent on the acts on that day, and for this one, on 15 August, there was plenty of variety to enjoy.

This was also the last in a series where Forsyth shared the host duties with Sonya Feldhoff of ABC's Radio Adelaide, and the show is also to be broadcast in Australia.

After the usual volume level checks, getting the audience to clap and cheer at nothing very much, the two presenters, very much a double act, got proceedings underway.  Six pipers and two drummers from the Tattoo house band played a short set which heralded a chat with Brigadier David Alfrey, the Tattoo's producer.  Some interesting facts and tales about the history of the event, the planning involved, and it's worldwide popularity.

The first of four Fringe shows being promoted, Saquatch: The Opera is an experimental piece about the legendary Bigfoot.  A short excerpt, with two singers performing, had sparse instrumentation, clear and intriguing vocals, and was very different to classical operatic works.  Writer Roddy Bottum explained the origins of the piece, driven by his desire to tell stories in his music.

In contrast the next song, from Frightened Rabbit front man Scott Hutchison, was a lot more accessible, the first of three he'd contribute to the programme, although his real reason for being there became apparent later.  The next guest on the sofa was Selina Thompson who performs salt. (no capitalisation), a dramatisation of the journey she and a companion made over the old slave trade routes via Ghana, Jamaica and Britain, and the lessons they learned of those dark events of the past.  It sounded excellent, with some innovative ideas, but I see from the Fringe site that all performances have already sold out.  The return of the pipers and drummers ended the first hour of the show.  Good musicians certainly, but their faux shortbread tin Scottishness holds little appeal for me (Playing Scotland the Brave without any hint of irony in 2017?  Really?), but went down well with a large section of the audience.

After the news break we were back with American Apphia Campbell singing a song from, and discussing her one woman show Woke.  This contrasts the stories of real life 1970s Black Panther Assata Shakur and the contemporary but fictional Ambrosia, a young woman losing her innocence and becoming a part of the Black Lives Matter, and the ongoing struggle against racism in the US.  With events in Charlottesville still resounding this couldn't be more relevant.

Another excellent song from Hutchison and then he was on the couch alongside local poet Michael Pedersen.  The latter's latest volume, Oyster, is to be launched at the Book Festival this Friday, and is illustrated by Hutchison.  Pedersen was hugely entertaining, a non stop ball of energy, and his recitation of the title work from the book was one of the best moments of the show.

The final guest was MJ McCarthy talking about his show Turntable based around conversations with people around the city and the memories that music stirs in them.  He demonstrated the process with Forsyth as his subject and she found herself relating more about her past than she'd bargained for.  A last song from Hutchison brought things to a close.

Forsyth's not the sharpest of interviewers (Feldhoff was often the more astue of the pair), and the quality of the show is heavily dependent on the guests on any given day, but as a way of coming across acts which you might otherwise miss it's a worthwhile way to spend a morning.  And all for free of course....

The Janice Forsyth Show is on in the BBC Tent at 10.00 until 24 August.  Apply to the BBC for free tickets.

Paterson

Every weekday Paterson wakes early, kisses girlfriend Laura, has breakfast, walks to work, and drives a number 23 bus through the streets of Paterson, New Jersey.  After work he walks home, eats dinner with Laura, takes Marvin the bulldog for a walk and has a beer in Doc's bar.  It sounds like a mundane, dull existence, except that it frees his mind for his great passion in life, writing poetry, taking his inspiration from the minutiae of life.

Each day has it's small differences too, not least those provided by Laura who likes to experiment.  Food, decor, clothes, career path are all full of possibilities to her imagination, even if the results don't always match expectations.  But she also wants his to share his poems with the world, while he's content to write for his own satisfaction.

Paterson's equilibrium is challenged by events, and his reactions can sometimes surprise, but throughout it all he displays an inner calm, even a hint of heroism.  Adam Driver is superb as the lead, a man at peace with his world, and Golshifteh Farahani's Laura is a high-energy visual and verbal rollercoaster, rushing from one high to the next.

There are some striking images, and several recurrent themes that add to the overall coherence of the movie, and the sense of beauty in the mundane.  It's a reminder that the key to contentment lies less in possessions and more in finding out what really makes you happy, and that life continues despite the bumps in the road.  Some might think the ending contrived, but it provided a strong illustration of the verbal magic that good poetry provides, and a reminder that it's magic of that kind that makes life worth living.

Paterson is that kind of magic.  Certainly the best film I've seen this year.

Poetry Can F*ck Off, Stand 3, Edinburgh Fringe

A celebration of the power of language to help bring about change, the show weaves a narrative of resistance and revolution against oppression across the centuries.  With musical accompaniment the speakers quote poets from Catullus to Ginsberg and beyond and link their words to events they helped precipitate and the tyrants they pissed off along the way.  It's an intriguing concept and mostly works well, making a strong case for the power of the poet.  A couple of guest versifiers each day add contemporary voices on current issues.

The music added value at times, but was too often repetitive to the point of being soporific and made it hard to concentrate.  And although the coverage of events spreads across continents, there isn't a single mention of Burns, never mind the whole Scottish tradition of radical verse, which felt a strange omission for an Edinburgh show.

Despite these flaws it's an entertaining hour and well worth a look.

Poetry Can F*ck Off is in Stand 3 until 28 August.

The Secret Sex Life of Robert Burns, Storytelling Centre

Adapted for the stage from a radio show of the same name, we were provided with music, drama, narrations and a good number of laughs.  After a few tunes on the lowland bagpipes the action commenced.  The writer, Keara Murphy, provided narration from the side of the stage, and took a couple of parts in the action.

It tells the story of some of the many women Burns seduced during his all too short life, concentrating on four who left pregnant, plus a poignant retrospective on life from his long suffering and inspirational wife, Jean Armour.  The poet found himself on the wrong end of kirk sermons many a time, but never seemed to care much about the words.  the lassies meant too much to him.

Leading the dramatic action Martin Haddow delivers a convincing Burns, with the requisite mix of swagger, sensuality, laddishness and lyricism.  Backing him up in the many female roles are three actors, with Trish Mullin the standout, especially as the widowed Armour.  There's plenty of humour in the tale, and some insights into Burns' life if you aren't familiar with the story.

An enjoyable evening.

Chris Wood, Traverse

A Soundhouse gig in the bar of the Traverse Theatre and a rare visit to Scotland for the much celebrated Chris Wood from Kent.  From the start he's engaging with his audience, making them laugh with background to the songs and a steady dose of self deprecation.  'Not nervous, just stupid' he tells us, but the songs belie that judgement.

There are a few traditional folk songs, albeit given the Wood treatment in their arrangements, and that unique approach comes over strongly with his interpretation of Blake's Jerusalem.  I can honestly say that it's the first time I've ever enjoyed listening to this song, the usual sentimentality and bombast sloughed off and replaced by thoughtfulness and caring.  Sung like this it becomes a lyric the English political left could claim back from the 'patriots' and used as a statement of intent to bring a better life to all.

But the great strength of the set lay in his own compositions.  Wood's relaxed vocal style is complemented by his very professional guitar work.  There are no musical fireworks, but enough clever playing to give depth to the overall sound.  There were no outstanding tunes among the songs either, no really memorable hooks, just a steady competence.  So far, so pleasant, with one further ingredient that makes the listening experience so memorable.

There are some wonderful lyrics contained within this selection of love songs, political rants, observations on everyday life.  Lines like 'The Argos catalogue is our tormentor' (from None The Wiser) provoke laughter, recognition.  Wood has that magical ability to be both everyman and storyteller.  Tales of middle aged love, a song about the police killing of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, and a bleak analysis of recession Britain.

My companions commented that they found the whole set too one paced, with nothing upbeat to break the monotony, and this is a complaint I've made about other artists in previous reviews.  Yet I don't feel able to make that complaint on this occasion.  In part because his patter was so entertaining, but mostly because I found myself absorbed in those lyrics and the images they created.  Best not to treat this as a folk gig, and think of it more as poetry with music.  Even the most austere reality he portrays has an underlying warmth and sense of hope, the possibility that it could all be so much better.  What more can you ask from a poet?

Luke Wright : Stay-at-Home Dandy, Underbelly, Cowgate, Edinburgh Fringe

Performance poetry is a term that puts a lot of people off.  It shouldn't, or at least not when it's the performance and poetry of someone with charisma, a mastery of words, an eye for absurdity and a cutting sense of humour.  Someone like Luke Wright.

He's a compelling presence on stage, a foppish dandy bursting with energy and life.  Yet much of his subject matter is the mundane, the minutiae of his other role as a stay at home dad looking after two small boys in a small Suffolk town.  There are tales and verses about the school run, the other parents, his own father, the characters around the town, and the occasional political rant.  He rages against the injustices and pomposities of life whilst displaying an intimate love of his life as a father.

All of this delivered in soaring passionate language, using a vocabulary and structure and rhythm and beat and style to make any pop song seem vapid.  Don't let the word 'poetry' put you off seeing this man, this is pure entertainment, engaging and unpretentious.

Highly recommended.

Luke Wright : Stay-at-Home Dandy is on in Underbelly, Cowgate at 18.20 until the 30th.

Porky the Poet in Apologist Now!, Liquid Room Annexe, Edinburgh Fringe

Aka Phill Jupitus

Once again Jupitus revives his original performance incarnation and brings it to the Free Fringe.  Old poems, new poems.  Funny, political, quirky.  With some old fashioned comedy thrown in.

Jupitus clearly has a way with words, a feel for language, and an ear for the rhythms and cadences of speech.  There's everything from a seven verse epic to a series of haiku.  And his project to produce a ten line poem for every day of the Fringe, using only show titles for each line, is fascinating.

Don't come to see a comedian, come for the words, the meaning, the poetry.  And get some comedy as a bonus.

A very enjoyable hour.

Phill Jupitus is Porky the Poet in Apologist Now! is on in the Liquid Room Annexe at 17.20 until the 30th.

PS I wonder if any member of the audience will impress Phill more than my wife did when she admitted the first gig she ever went to was The Beatles....?