September was a month of plenty – lots of theatre, culture and comedy plus a decent dip into the Great Outdoors.
At the Old Joint Stock Theatre, Mark Farrelly gave a superb performance in Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope. There was no nudity but ‘an uncanny feat of resurrection’ (according to Time Out).
Mark Farrelly depicted Quentin throughout two distinct phases of his colourful life. Alone in his Chelsea apartment in the 1960s, convinced that life had passed him by (“I’ve come to the end of my personality”) and a second phase thirty years later, when Quentin performed in his one man show in New York.
Mark Farrelly depicting Quentin
There was no shortage of funny little wittisms either:
“Don’t bother with cleaning, after the first four years the dust won’t get any worse.”
“Life will be more difficult if you try to become yourself. But avoiding this difficulty renders life meaningless. So discover who you are. And be it. Like mad!”
Mark nailed the transition between these two phases of Mr Crisp’s life into a short, powerful masterclass.
Having read the book and seen the film, it was time to check out The Lovely Bones at Birmingham Rep.
Here’s an edited review with photo by Stephanie Balloo of Birmingham Live:
The Lovely Bones is the tragic – and horrifying – tale of a teenage girl, who has been abducted, raped and murdered.
But in a quirky twist, Susie Salmon’s story is told from the strange vantage point of the 14-year-old victim herself, as she looks down upon earthly trials from Heaven.
The clever set design of Bryony Lavery’s adaptation, which features a vast titled mirror, grants us a simultaneous dual-perspective of the afterlife and the world below.
A tilted mirror gives the audience a dual-perspective of afterlife and life on earth
Now dead and in Limbo, Susie desperately tries to guide her family as they try to deal with both grief and tragedy. Iconic 70s and 80s songs by The Stylistics, Tears for Fears and David Bowie formed the soundtrack for the play, making the overall performance surprisingly light-hearted and even amusing in parts.
Charlotte Beaumont playfully embodies Susie’s teenage irritability and innocent charm that creates an uplifting effect. The cast were incredibly resourceful as they flit between human, animal and spirit roles in the bizarre and busy plot.
The Lovely Bones is a powerful and thought-provoking production that’s well worth a watch.
Glee Club Birmingham celebrated their 25th anniversary with comedy stars Sara Pascoe and Guz Khan. Knitting it all together was regular compère Andy Robinson, who is worth the admission fee alone. Although Canadian Mike Wilmot topped the bill (possibly stretching one joke a little too far for some tastes) it was the quirky Angelos Epithemiou who shamelessly stole the show.
The annual Ludlow Food & Drink Festival (amazingly taking place in Ludlow) was ripe for a college coach trip out into the sticks.
Chiefly celebrating culinary and imbibeable delights from Ludlow and the Welsh Marches, a whole array of producers, cheese mongers, chocolatiers, butchers, winemakers, bakers, brewers and baristas was on show. Cooking demonstrations featured heavily, catering for vegans, vegetarians and carnivores alike. Ciders, ales, cheeses and chutneys were abundant and, if nothing grabbed you, there was always Aldi in town where you could buy a chicken and bacon wrap for £1.49.
The West Midland Bird Club kicked off the new season with a visit to Frampton Marsh.
With freshwater habitats, mature saltmarsh, reedbeds, ponds and abundant birdlife, Frampton Marsh is one of the RSPB’s flagship reserves.
With decent weather, an equally decent coach-load of fellow enthusiasts and a Meal Deal from Tesco, a splendid day was had scoping around the Marsh for avian treats such as Yellowhammer, Ruddy Shelduck, Yellow Wagtail, Curlew Sandpiper, both Godwits, Avocets, Pintail, flying Spoonbills – and a Turtle Dove.
Frampton Marsh rubs up alongside an estuary known as the Wash (where naughty King John lost his crown jewels after misjudging the tide), and wide, panoramic views can be enjoyed from the sea bank over one of the largest expanses of saltmarsh in the world.
Rare sighting of Paula bird-watching…
Bournville seemed like a reasonable spot to do a bit of exploring during Open Heritage Weekend.
Bournville village was a worker’s Utopian dream, created by Quaker, philanthropist and social reformer George Cadbury to instill a sense of spiritual and physical well being into his employees. Cadbury’s was probably Birmingham’s most famous export before Ozzy Osbourne and Peaky Blinders came along.
First on the list was the stunning Lazarica Serbian Orthodox Church where it soon became apparent that the best Bournville landmark was never going to be saved until last.
Photos by Christopher Thomond
The church catered for those who came to Great Britain after the Second World War, building this magnificent temple for all their spiritual needs.
Rowheath Pavillion was built in 1924 by Cadbury’s as a sports and social club for the factory workers. At the time it had 14 football pitches, 13 cricket, 4 hockey and 2 rugby, 31 tennis courts, 2 bowling greens, 2 croquet lawns, an athletics track, clock golf (whatever that is) and a boating and fishing lake. Having recently seen the algae-covered lake in Victoria Park by the Smethwick Heritage Centre, it’s a pity there weren’t other rich, social benefactors doing the rounds in other parts of Birmingham and the Black Country.
Victoria Park (with algae)
Rowheath fishing lake…
As if all that sports stuff wasn’t enough for some, a lido was added later.
Originally a large farmhouse, Selly Manor and the medieval hall of Minworth Greaves were two timber-framed Tudor buildings saved from demolition by George Cadbury (didn’t this guy ever sleep?) He had the buildings dismantled, moved and rebuilt in Bournville. The medieval hall is possibly the oldest building in Birmingham, dating from the 1300s.
Selly Manor with Minworth Greaves to the left – Tony Hisgett
The Flat Disc Society also returned with a new season opener, taking inspiration from the European Day of Languages (26th September). The United Nations has declared 2019 as The Year of Indigenous Languages.
Thus a sensible opener was a Stephen Fry short feature – Fry’s Planet World: Babel, and a weird 4 minute showing of Skwerl, which attempted to demonstrate how English sounds to people who don’t speak English.
The main feature starred Captain Kirk in the 1960s horror movie Incubus filmed entirely in the constructed language of Esperanto. Captain Kirk (AKA Willaim Shatner) scarily embodies all that is pure and thus hateful to a cohort of demons and devils. One of the demons professes her love of the dying, unblemished Kirk and gets set upon by a goat.
Rebel Music was a remarkable piece of theatre, celebrating the 70’s teenagers who wanted to break down barriers against intolerance, hatred and racism. The play referenced the whole Rock Against Racism movement, which started at the Birmingham Odeon with Eric Clapton’s infamous racist rant. Performed in the Rep’s smaller Door Studio, Rebel Music blared out a great Punk, Reggae and Ska soundtrack to accompany some fine acting by Lauren Foster, Hannah Millward and Nathan Queeley-Dennis. It received a deserved standing ovation at the close.
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