Spoken Word Reviews
ERSATZ NATTERJACK – SPONTANEOUS STORY MACHINE - MissImp
The premise is simple - one man creating a highly improbable story with his audience feeding him random words and phrases from two books (or three as it was in our case...)
We were small in number today but that actually made a pretty special, intimate gig and I haven't had as much fun in ages, judging by the reactions of fellow audience members that feeling was general. This was Improv at it's best, wildly silly, painfully funny and had us all (including Ersatz aka Nick) in fits of laughter.
Nick came up with a completely ridiculous, very clever and hilarious tale which, as he said, will never be heard again and we all relished our part in helping create it. Perhaps we invented a whole new genre......
Nick is enthusiastic, quick witted, has phenomenal recall and his love of words was evident.
Sadly, just the one performance in Buxton this year - I hope he comes back.
This is what the Fringe is all about.
Janet Payne
INTRIGUING BUXTON RESIDENTS & VISITORS - Julian Cohen
Positively fizzing with eagerness, Julian is bursting with interesting local history information that he just can't wait to tell his audience all about. However, this is not a tale of Buxton's glorious past featuring the usual suspects - Mary, Queen of Scots, Vera Brittain and suchlike - it is often ordinary folk doing extra-ordinary things. Expect surprises!
In between the years of 1716 and 1989, Julian relates his gathered stories, including such diverse subjects as strange memorials, amateur archaeology, escaping state oppression, amateur meteorology, escaping Nazi death squads and how to become Britain's best-known hangman.
The nation's most recent Blue Plaque, dedicated to Buxton-born England footballer, Frank Soo doesn't escape his attention, nor does the potential for Buxton's next one, which ought to be dedicated to Edith Winifred Pilkington, a weather-watching trailblazer!
The audience involvement and relaxed style made Julian's presentation into a chat amongst friends, the detail about Buxton's social heritage and development through tourism, immigration and diversification were truly fascinating.
Julian left no doubt that the Buxton of today was sculpted from its heritage, which in turn has been firmly formed by interesting residents and visitors, many of which he talks about! Accessible history!
It all happens again at 14:00 at La Gaby on Tuesday 21 July and is not to be missed!
David Carlisle
STORY NIGHT - Writers in the Peak
A balmy evening, upstairs in the elegant surroundings of No.6 The Square overlooking Pavilion Gardens, what could be more pleasant than to sit back and listen to twelve writers sharing their short stories, novels, poetry, and even a song.
Chris Eagles got us off to a very strong start with one of the highlights of the evening, her finely crafted flash fiction piece ‘Thirteen’, a mother’s sad lament for her son’s obsessive, compulsive behaviour, which as she remembers happier times, slips into a dark realisation.
There was a strong element of fantasy writing among the group. In the prologue to her novel, Matilda Dunning creates an atmospheric world in which a homeless boy meets a mysterious immortal woman with magic powers. Kat Zablocki’s short story features a coin that confers immortality and corrupts young love but there might yet be redemption? There’s a change of pace in Emma Lawrence’s flash fiction, ‘Hazel’, as one old lady expects to find her gossipy elderly neighbour dead as there’s been no curtain twitching for three days, only for the tale to take a ghoulish twist.
Nicola Briggs and Daryl Green featured women getting on with their lives post-divorce. In Daryl’s light-hearted ‘Second Sight’, a woman’s boring date perks up when she steals someone else’s glasses, whereas it’s a large stuffed rabbit brought out of storage that brings joy into Nicola’s tale, as it gets handed down to grandchildren. Mary M Hennessey’s poetry also features hand-me-downs in her lovely lyrical ‘Blue Flowered Frock’. And our song, ‘On Your Way’, a Paul Simon like number from Martin Coslett also celebrates the next generation and children growing into their lives.
Tim Leichtfried was a blast of energy in his poem ‘The Fly’, as he chased his pesky tormentor - his bad language was perfectly placed and oddly refreshing in polite company, and Andy Hyde took us on a curious adventure with a man hunting down his many doppelgangers. Adventure of a very different sort in Gaynor Lynn Taylor’s opening from her novel ‘When Raven’s Circle’ as she creates a sense of fear among women hiding in a church from rampaging Vikings.
There was time for a few bonus stories not on the programme and Joyce Janes, who had already entertained with her story of a chaotic Harvest Festival baking session, closed the evening ‘High on the Moors above Buxton’, an amusing take on ‘Hey Diddle Diddle, the Cat and the Fiddle’ - an appropriately local way to finish.
Stephen Walker
WORDS ON A STAGE! - Buxton Spoken Words
Creative writing and performance group Buxton Spoken Words is always full of surprises, this year devoting half its Fringe performance to four original short ‘plays for voices’, that term coming from Dylan Thomas’s description of Under Milk Wood.
The Woodman and the Sprite by Don Dolby features retired woodmen Walter and Albert, played by Dolby and Jim Morton, enjoying a woodland stroll. It becomes clear that Albert is the prosaic one whilst Walter is always on the look out for “the waft of a silvery wing”. He is rewarded by an encounter with a sprite, Starshine (Maggie Pollard), who says “You only need to believe in me to know where I am”, but her sister Moonshine (Alison Morton) warns that it is dangerous to talk to humans… It’s an enchanting tale laced with both humour and melancholy.
We also have Sales Talk written by Anne Shimwell and starring Anna and Roger Whitehead who impressively performed without scripts. This is a lot of fun with busy shopper Sue returning home from the sales eager to tell her husband everything about her bargains - aside from what they actually cost.
The End of the Line by Alison Morton brings together a motley crew of passengers sitting in a carriage and gradually realising they have no idea where their train is going. There is some great characterisation with Anne Shimwell in particular showing her acting chops as an 80something even more confused than the rest of them. No spoilers here but there is a chilling twist in the tale.
Poets Anonymous by Alan Budge very cleverly riffs on the idea of “recovering poets” attending a meeting designed to help them “stop spouting cobblers”. Group rules gradually become apparent with “accidental rhyming not an offence”...
Following a break there is a wealth of poetry and stories written and performed by the many members of the group. Ian Gregory, who has also performed solo at the Fringe this year, excels as a storyteller with a ghostly tale of espionage. Elsewhere many of the writers share deeply personal work, Sheila Cotterill reliving a special moment on a beautiful day against a backdrop of the all-powerful ocean, Anne Shimwell delivering a few surprises about herself to her grandchildren (‘once she was as modern as you!’), and Don Dolby expressing what we all feel about the reckless behaviour of Time. Overall the poetry proves inspirational, humorous, heartfelt, thought-provoking and adept at conjuring up pictures in our minds - indeed at one point there are actual artworks on stage.
The two-hour show overran on its first performance and I do wonder whether a little pruning might give the audience the breathing space to savour the work even more. However an embarrassment of riches still adds up to riches and it is great to see such creativity alive and well in our community.
Stephanie Billen
THE GIRL WHO COULD FLY - Stephen Porter
The Girl Who Could Fly is a 12 poem set that takes us on a journey through Stephen Porter's (as Saint Vespaluus) life. From growing up in Liverpool with a working class family; his new romantic phase that got him into trouble with the police; his admiration for Gary Numan, and later, his suicide attempt.
The set was performed to a full audience, who sat nestled among the many bookshelves of Scrivener's Bookshop. Sally Porter accompanied Stephen, and opened with a few poems from her new poetry book, detailing personal stories of love and pain, and old school bullies who attempt to haunt you later in life.
Each poem from the main set is deeply personal, some taking on a more brash and comedic tone, others hitting deeper and getting to the core of the problems Stephen has faced throughout his life. Stephen is a powerful storyteller, and his reflections on both minor and major events in his life, represents the way that we all keep and carry similar stories. As a more effeminate boy growing up, Stephen was no stranger to bullying, beatings and frequently receiving four of the best. From his father who would ridicule his interests (such as Top of the Pops) to both the men and women in his family, who would pester him about his dating life, to see if they yet had a reason to beat him up.
Later we learn of a betrayal in love that led to him waking up in a Manchester hospital. He reflects on his decisions, and everything that happened before and afterwards, ultimately showing us how we carry these memories inside, yet we choose to keep going. Stephen perfectly blends comedy and poignant storytelling, and concludes that whether it's wearing your Bay City Rollers t-shirt, reading copies of Bunty when you aren't allowed, or seeking a second chance at love: do what you want, who cares who is watching!
Amy Powell
POEMS FROM THE DAILY MAIL - ANDY GILBERT
I wanted to review Andy Gilbert because we went to one of his previous shows at Buxton Fringe (when I was glad my very straight-laced dad had forgotten to put his hearing aid in) and we've dined out on it ever since. At that performance he gave out copies of his book (The Chilli Sauce Trilogy and other rude poems), and my brother still does a reading from it every time he has friends round, to, I understand, great acclaim.
This show, Poems from The Daily Mail, took place at the Bramwell Memorial Institute (Taddington Village Hall), which is just outside of Buxton, only 10 minutes' drive away. I had some initial misgivings about whether we'd actually be able to get there given all the carnival day road closures; and, if we managed it, whether we'd be the only ones there, because everyone else might have thought the same thing. Well, I was delighted to be completely wrong on all counts. The room was full, with a very appreciative audience, and the Hall (Andy let us know this was the first time it had featured in Buxton Fringe - and we were all very pleased to be making history) is a really lovely venue - parking available, accessible, vases of flowers on all the tables, and tea and cakes available.
Fantastic all round, although a slightly incongruous venue for a show featuring some fairly close to the knuckle themes and poems - Andy really deserves a lot of credit for pulling it off! (so to speak). He is an excellent, engaging performer, and kept the audience with him all the way through - he started off with a joke about having written the show for Leicester and having possibly left some local references in, which kept popping up throughout and was very funny. A poem about getting an appointment at the doctor followed, with a joke about King Charles' prostate, and then a ballad which combined teenage pregnancy, a Daily Mail headline about penis shapes, and an unexpected ending.
His poems are witty, self-deprecating and likeable, and play with form and thematic connection in a down-to-earth way which works really well. It's worth noting that the Daily Mail headlines of the show's title were very random and quirky, ranging from varieties of penis shapes to people getting their penises glued to Henry Hoovers and people with fireworks up their bums (and indeed some not even involving genitalia) - this is a show which, although it touches on various things, isn't aggressively political, and it worked well that way. We learned things as well - about Andy's alter ego as Bogsy, the toilet poet (I wasn't sure if this was actually true - I hope it was!), and the academic word for toilet graffiti - Latrinalia.
The show ended on a very upbeat note, with a cheerful assertion that it is Cool To Be Kind. Andy would like to be the next Poet Laureate, and I think we all came away sharing his opinion that he would be more engaging and accessible than the present incumbent. In any case, I think it's safe to say he's currently the only living person to have made a (successful) joke about glory holes at the Bramwell Memorial Institute in Taddington. This was Andy's only show at the Fringe this year - for upcoming shows, keep an eye on his Facebook page. Recommended!
Susie Halksworth
THOR'S A DICK: VIKING LEGENDS NOT FOR KIDS - Sweet Productions/Stories Alive
The stage is dark, a simple wooden box. A Viking strides in and sits on the box. A pause and then we’re straight into the story of how the earth came into being.
Mostly storytelling, with little snippets of social history of the Norse men (there’s no such thing as a Viking!) between the stories aimed to evidence the show’s premise that, Thor’s a Dick.
Eden Ballantyne skilfully introduces the audience to the Norse gods, wonderful and terrifying creatures and brings Asgard and Ragnarok to life. Meet Balder, Odin, Frigga, Tyr, Loki, and of course Thor. Who is a dick. Mostly. Probably not any more so than some of the other gods though. There are giants and enormous dwarfs (I know, stick with it). There’s a great physicality to the show as Eden uses the stage, a few props and the occasional sound. In storytelling mode, Eden creates depth and atmosphere – the tale of Hymer, Fenris and especially Hel is dark and cleverly brought to life with a shadow show.
The skill of storytelling and performance is in engaging the audience and holding their attention – and this Eden does with extremely well. He moves comfortably between full-on storyteller mode, while dropping out occasionally to bring his own comment, reflections and knowledge which lifts the show beyond pure storytelling.
This is an entertaining show that highlights the art of the storyteller and brings the sagas of the Norse gods to life.
Further performance: Sat 11th 21:45-22:45
Maria Carnegie
THE MAN WITH A BROKEN NOSE - Ian Gregory
Buxtonian historian and archivist, Ian Gregory returns to Scriveners this year for his customary hour of story telling.
If, like me, you haven’t yet experienced a Fringe event at Scriveners, you may be curious as to how this much beloved but labyrinthine bookshop manages things. The answer is that it makes virtues of its size and intimacy. A small area on the first floor is cleared for a handful of listeners, who sit nestled amongst the collected works of Dickens and assorted Ladybird books. In many ways, it’s an atmospheric and apposite place for a spot for story telling.
Conditions were difficult yesterday though. The extreme heat meant that the windows and doors had to be left open and our host had to cope with noise from the other customers in the shop, the traffic outside and even a mobile phone from one of the audience members. Mr Gregory is to be commended for his unruffled demeanour and effective voice projection.
He gave us a suite of four interlinked stories. And with a little time in hand at the end, he was generous enough to treat us to a bonus fifth.
The stories this year concern his hero, Chad Parry, the town where Parry lives and - no spoilers! - his very specific community within the town. The tales are all set in the 1940s just after the end of the Second World War, and the shadow of that appalling conflict falls across all of them. Some end well, some are more ambiguous. But they all highlight quite pointedly the specific time and context which Chad Parry and his peers have to negotiate. The details are lightly given but nonetheless shocking for all that. I was reminded throughout of the French idiom, ‘tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner’. And I'm grateful that, eighty years later, our understanding is so much better.
Further performance: Sat 11th 15:00-16:00
Anna Girolami
THE BEAT GOES ON - The Glummer Twins
“I used to be glum and now I’m glummer…” If this was coming from any other act you might be worried, but The Glummer Twins, who have been performing at Buxton Fringe since 2016, are funnier than ever, their disparaging view of themselves proving instantly relatable to the delighted audience at their first night performance.
The Twins, aka David Harmer and Ray Globe, were once upon a time concerned about being 60 and famously “tekking it badly”. That bit older, they now have eight decades to play with, riffing on life in the 1950s right up to the present day. And just when you think it’s all over, the show’s brilliant final chapter considers where those hippies and mods are now - I particularly enjoyed the mod transitioning from a moped to a mobility scooter.
Nor do they skimp on those decades with seemingly less of a clear identity - the early 2,000s prompting a brilliant spoof on Nordic noir on TV such as The Killing, complete with a chorus celebrating all those crisp Danish words we started to think were our mother tongue.
With Ray sporting a designer guitar (or “lump of wood stuck on an old cigar box” as his partner describes it), and David gamely tuning up his maraca, the Twins ensure that much of their ingenious, highly rhythmic wordplay is performed to music but even when they appear to have forgotten their words or started adlibbing, the beat goes on, and then you realise it was all part of the script after all!
Especially if you haven’t seen The Glummer Twins before, give yourselves a treat. It’s also a particular joy for fellow northerners with in-jokes a-plenty. I would say that we hope they return but as they say themselves, though “it is better to live in hope”, that’s not something you want to go shouting about in Buxton…
Stephanie Billen
LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU - Chapel Arts Creative Writing Group
Chapel Arts Creative Writing Group have chosen the 100th Anniversary of Television to delve into all things to do with electronic entertainment, from Radio to Virtual Reality headsets, in a range of entertaining memoirs, stories, poetry and a sketch, all linked by Cheryl Baker’s narrative.
Caroline Vallance opened by taking us back to radio, and how every Sunday the family gathered round the radio and her father set himself on fire! The details were wonderfully observed, and she skilfully maintained the perspective of the ten-year-old girl throughout.
Throughout the evening, the use of memoir to tell the story of listening and watching, gave the evening a dual sense of reminiscence and valuable social history. We heard how people experienced major events that could now be witnessed immediately through TV. Anne Cawthorn told the story of the gathering of the neighbours to watch the Coronation, a seminal moment in the history of TV, and Pauline Cartledge poignantly linked the crushing of young love with the assassination of President Kennedy.
Television was fun too. Ann Orrett entertained us with a couple of classic TV theme tunes sung unaccompanied – apart than by the audience joining in on the choruses! – and a comical look back at her attempts to emulate her TV heroes. A short sketch entitled “A Trip Down Memory Lane” is exactly that, a reminiscence about our favourite old shows, not to mention the ads and what they persuaded us to buy.
In fiction, Julie Harratt’s Armchair Detective was a witty homage to the classic murder mysteries that her narrator appears to decry, and Peter Stelling’s Mephisto was a very atmospheric adventure in the company of a magical barman.
Later tales spoke of how older technologies become superseded, and a funny tale by Simone Hubbard from the perspective of the almost disregarded TV in the corner illustrated how we now stream radio and music, and people are distracted by other smaller screens.
Stephanie Billen’s essay on how she fell out of love with film had a clear-eyed nostalgia for what we like when we are young, how that changes as we age, and how that’s all right. She closed the evening with a very funny poem about the domestic trauma involved in trying to turn on the television and just which remote control does what.
The light hearted theme has freed up the writers to enjoy themselves, which has translated into a series of texts that were of high quality and very good fun.
Stephen Walker
FIFTY SHADES OF ARCHAEOLOGY - Enrichment Through Archaeology
James Wright’s (FSA) hour-long talk, Historic Building Myth Busting – What Is a Castle?, is exactly the kind of event that makes a fringe programme so enjoyable: warm, accessible, surprising, and packed with details that stay with you afterwards. From the start, James brings a relaxed and engaging style that draws the audience in, inviting us to think again about how castles are presented in modern media, education, and popular imagination.
Using the castles of Derbyshire as lively reference points, he explores the question of whether castles were purely military buildings or whether that familiar idea is only part of a much richer story. The talk moves confidently through who built castles, how they changed over a 600-year period, what we actually mean when we call something a castle, and the importance of spaces such as the great hall.
One of the strengths of the presentation is that it is not simply about buildings. James also introduces us to some of the people behind them, including a memorably gruesome story involving a widow and what can only be described as a hostile takeover. These human details add colour and pace, making the history feel immediate rather than remote.
This is a really enjoyable talk for anyone with an interest in historic buildings, local history, or simply a good story well told. It is pitched at a welcoming level throughout, so you do not need specialist knowledge to get a lot from it. For local attendees, there is the added pleasure of discovering places nearby that may have been overlooked — including, perhaps most surprisingly, the fact that Bakewell has a castle. Friendly, thoughtful, and genuinely interesting, this is a fringe event well worth making time for.
Further performances Thu 16th, Mon 20th.
April Irwin
