Street Theatre Reviews
THE SHAKESPEARE JUKEBOX - Buxton Drama League
What an utter joy it is to be in the company of The Shakespeare Jukebox. 45 minutes of sheer delight thoroughly lapped up by the audience as well as by those who just happened to be walking by and just got caught up in the sheer colourful madness of it all.
Eight items were played from the jukebox playlist including audience favourites The Rude Mechanicals and that very wet scene from The Tempest. The Pavilion Gardens on a sunny day are a perfect backdrop for these Shakespearean antics, made even more surreal with the sounds of the funfair drifting down from the market square. What a delicious afternoon treat!
The players threw themselves into each scene with gusto and as always, brought new (and sometimes unintentional) insights into each iconic extract. There was even the world premiere of THAT very famous scene from Hamlet featuring a hapless actor reciting To Be or Not Be whilst a trio of wannabe directors circled giving completely contrary directions to the poor thesp whose performance changed accordingly, then descended slowly into madness. Any directors watching that would surely feel a twinge of guilt here.
It’s a fabulous introduction to Shakespeare which should certainly be replicated in every school. It’s so much more inspirational than the dry reading out in class of Macbeth and Hamlet that this reviewer was subjected to, leading to a life long avoidance of Shakespeare. How brilliant to actually hear the wit and passion in their interpretation of those famous lines.
Audience participation is of course key to this, as first of all jukebox items have to be selected and props given out. It was brilliant to see two young brothers throw themselves completely into their acting roles. During The Tempest scene, one brother circled the cast menacingly, armed with a very dangerous water pistol, drenching all as he went. His brother provided sound effects. They were so good, an encore was called for. The boys reprised their roles but swapped over, and not to be outdone, the second brother not only drenched the cast but also came round generously soaking the audience, especially their parents. Luckily, it was a hot day. I had seen an adult do the water pistol thing the year before but in a very polite way. Not these two monsters. They looked positively evil. If this experience in any way introduced these children to the joys of Shakespeare, then job done!
I urge everyone to catch one of their remaining performances on Friday 17 - Sunday 19, as well as Friday 24 and Saturday 25. Don’t just pass by, join in!
Bring cash please as all donations go to the Samaritans. You can also donate at https://samaritanscommunity.enthuse.com/pf/shakespeare-jukebox-2026
Moira Kean
HUBERT'S BUXTON GHOST WALK - Hubert Hobux Haunted Hevents
If the sound of a summer time meander through our beautiful town of Buxton while learning new things about this fair place sounds like a good evening, then this is the Fringe event for you.
Spend an hour or two with Hubert as he regales you with interesting and often unknown historical facts about Buxton and the paranormal incidents that have been witnessed, at times by Hubert himself. A man who has spent a lifetime hunting ghosts and tracking the paranormal across the country.
One of my favourite tidbits was learning about the Canadian hospitals set in the UK during the war and the correlation of those buildings to people experiencing phantoms and voices in the night.
Enjoy the town at your leisure as you stroll between some of the more magnificent buildings our predecessors have left for us. In particular, Hubert took us down some ginnels and into a graveyard in the heart of town I didn't know existed.
Ask him any questions you have, and you never know, he may turn a sceptic into a believer, although my logical mind remains the latter.
If you're concerned about the walking, it's a gentle stroll, and on a golden evening like last night, being outside was a tonic.
So why not give in to your ghostly curiosity and meet Hubert on the Opera House forecourt for the start of the tour? You can't miss him in his theatrical paisley jackets and shirt of ghosts!
Further performances: Mon 13th 19:00-21:00 / Fri 17th 19:00-21:00 / Sun 19th 16:00-18:00 / Mon 20th 19:00-21:00 / Fri 24th 19:00-21:00 / Sat 25th 16:00-18:00
Toni Saxton
THE TOTALLY MADE-UP TOUR - Discover Buxton Tours
This totally new tour by Discover Buxton was a riotous retelling of Buxton’s story involving devil-worshippers, jails, treason, trials, hanging and much urine. They really are taking the piss!
The tour is researched, written and led by Ali Quas-Cohen whose gentle and wry humour very much set the tone. Ali has led tours around Buxton for many years and it’s clear this kind of tour has been brewing in the back of her mind for some time. It was a joy to hear her tell completely made up tales about the buildings, people and places she has been telling tourists about since the dawn of time.
We started in front of the Crescent which is not a building at all but something quite different. But what, I hear you ask? Well you’ll have to go on the tour to find out. Buxton’s rich Roman, Georgian and Victorian history has been replaced by something much more sinister all wrapped convincingly around Buxton’s existing buildings and folklore. Some on the tour even began to be converted to this new viewpoint. It’s all completely believable after all.
Each stop bore a meaningful retelling of its history with quiet patience followed by a terrible pun or reinterpretation of a saying. ‘And that’s where the saying All Hell Was Let Loose comes from’. I’ll just leave that there along with ‘Coming To Take The Piss’.
Ali was decked out in a fetching, green be-ribboned top hat bearing a joker card as well as some bluebells. Bluebells appear all over the town if you peer hard enough. And they now have a terrible reputation. I never knew flowers could be so evil.
This totally made up tour will certainly resonate with people who know Buxton well but will certainly be a lot of fun even if you don’t. Locals on the tour were heard to say ‘Well I’ve lived here all my life but never seen that before’ as well as feeling inspired to go on other ‘real’ Discover Buxton tours. But will anyone believe a word Ali says from now on?
The tour stops at around a dozen locations in and around the Crescent, an easy walk but not all of it is accessible.
The Totally Made Up Tour continues on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 23rd July. Booking ahead is advised. Meet on the Crescent forecourt.
Moira Kean
