All the World’s a Stage

Wise Saws and Modern Instances

All the World’s a Stage

compiled by Anne Warrington

Poetry Performance at Hampton Hill Theatre, 28^th January

Review by Ian Moone

A delightful evening of poetry and song was enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience at All the World’s a Stage, a one-off event to aid with much-needed fundraising for the continuing repair and maintenance of Hampton Hill’s much-loved community theatre.  The performance was introduced by Lottie Walker (Chair of the Teddington Theatre Club), and showcased the works and talents of Poetry Performance, an Arts Richmond affiliated group consisting of local poets, singers and actors, who meet monthly at the Adelaide Pub in Teddington to share their works.  The evening was compiled and produced by Anne Warrington and directed by Ken Mason – both also contributing to the evening with their own works.

The programme was divided into three sections, each examining theatre through different lenses.  The first was a historical examination of theatre, focussing on some literary and theatrical heroes (Shakespeare and Chaucer), some theatrical villains (Oliver Cromwell and Panto!) and looked at the works of some of the shining lights of Variety and opera.  The second section explored theatre tales, including some hilarious poetic anecdotes, poignant verse and entrancing song.  The third and final segment explored the theatre of war, including some truly moving, sombre and thought-provoking pieces.

Following the prologue, which was a piece named A World Stage, written by Anthony Josolyne and delivered in the rich and silky tones of Robin Legard, the first section began in earnest with an hilarious poem written and performed by the hugely talented Sam Ball with the aid of his hand-made puppets.  Based on Chaucer’s The Miller’s Tale, Ball’s abridged version encapsulates the essence of the original but in a fast-paced, hilarious and hugely enjoyable manner.  So effective was his delivery, that one couldn’t help but wonder whether Ball had similar such pieces in his repertoire.  If so, where could one go to see more?  If not, please do get writing, Mr Ball… your newly acquired fans would like to see more, as, we’re certain, would local schools.

For most poetry lovers, no recital would be complete without an excerpt or two from Shakespeare.  Tonight, these were delivered superbly by Graham Harmes, in his performance of an extract from As You Like It, and Francis Abbott, through his chosen excerpts from Hamlet and Henry V.  As a perennial member of the Richmond Shakespeare Society (RSS), Abbot has been delighting audiences with his thoughtful and skilful delivery of Shakespeare’s works for many years, and he was able to draw on this wealth of experience to deliver his chosen pieces with passion and great conviction.  It was a pleasure to watch both Abbott and Harmes bringing Shakespeare’s works to the stage and to life, as they also did with other pieces throughout the evening.  Closing on the theme of Shakespeare, the audience were then treated to Nathan Haisley’s confident and thought provoking delivery of Caliban’s Lament, a beautifully crafted piece by local poet, and co-founder of Poetry Performance, Anne Warrington, in which she explores Caliban’s emptiness and regret following the abandonment of his homeland by its previous incumbents… well worth Googling if you’re unfamiliar with this piece.

Next up was a poetic examination of theatre closures enforced by Oliver Cromwell.  Considering them to be dens of sin and ill repute, Cromwell demanded their sudden closure.  In her piece, titled, Thank You Oliver (Who Knew Not What He Did), the poet, Patricia Cammish reviews Cromwell’s actions and examines their impact upon Stuart society.  This informative piece, delivered by Francis Abbot, was highly engaging on many levels.

Three comedy pieces then followed.  With his poem titled, What’s a Pantomime, Grandad, Connaire Kensit charmed the audience with the delivery of his own work.  Connaire has a great talent for telling stories through poetry and this one, as its name suggests, tells of a Grandfather’s attempt to explain the idiosyncrasies of panto to his young grandchild.  A well-delivered piece which strikes a chord with those of us with young children or grandchildren, and on a number of different levels.  A comedic look at Little Red Riding Hood then followed, written by the late Bob Sheed and performed flawlessly by Heather Moulson, Connaire Kensit and Robin Legard and, closing the panto themed sub-section, a fine rendition of Fran Thurling’s Jack and The Beanstalk was stylishly performed by Sue Bell with help from the chorus.

Next up was a look at Opera and Variety Theatre, which opened with the hilarious, and ever popular, musical cautionary tale, Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs Worthington.  Performed perfectly by Robin Legard, one couldn’t help but clap along with a laugh and a smile, as one marvelled at the fine delivery of this marvellous Noel Coward classic.

Continuing on this jaunt down Memory Lane, the audience were then treated to Anthony Josolyne’s piece, Memories of a Variety Artist, and then by Kenneth Mason’s memories of 1950’s opera, with his piece titled ‘At the Opera’, performed enthusiastically by Connaire Kensit.  In this piece, Mason took a nostalgic look back at his student days, where opera rehearsal tickets could be obtained for free.  The “rotund performers” had giving him so many memorable moments, which he shared so vividly through this descriptive and amusing poem.

Act One closed with a hugely enjoyable segment from Lottie Walker.  Not only is Walker a regular on this stage, but, via the vehicle of her own theatrical company, The Blue Fire Theatre Co., also tours the UK, performing original pieces such as Marie Lloyd Stole My Life and Chopped Liver and Unions.  Indeed, it was in the guise of Marie Lloyd that she presented to us.  An active member of the British Music Hall Society, Walker’s enthusiasm for Variety and local theatre and entertainment history is infectious.  Opening her segment with an extract from Noel Coward’s wonderful piece, The Boy Actor, Lottie took us back to the golden age of West End theatre.  A semi-biographic poem, this is a piece which resonates with so many; those of us who were blessed to have been taken to witness some of the greats of British theatre in our youth and whose eyes and minds were opened to the wonders of the stage by loving parents and grandparents; those of us who never really cared for sport at school, but who yearned for the musty odour of the Barbican’s ‘Pit’ at the weekend instead; those of us who felt out of place in nightclubs but perfectly at home in dusty rehearsal rooms and upon church-hall stages and who dreamt of one day ‘treading the boards’ of the West End ourselves … not for financial gain but for the sheer love of theatre.  At the poem’s end, Coward sums up this childhood passion perfectly:

          “I never cared who scored the goal, Or which side won the Silver Cup,

          I never learned to bat or bowl, But I heard the curtain going up.”

Is there really anything more exhilarating than that?  It brought mist to the eyes.

Lottie closed her segment with a number of wartime Variety favourites and the audience needed little encouragement in singing and clapping along enthusiastically.

After a pleasant interval (great mulled-wine, HHT), Heather Moulson kicked off Act Two’s Theatre Tales section with the performance, A Lesson Learned  by Heather Montford, and then one of her own poems, a haibun titled Baron Bolligrew Gets Thwarted.  There is something about Heather’s poetry and performance which is always so honest and endearing and her delivery of these two excellent pieces warmed the audience up nicely for what was to come.  Next up were Sue Bell and Andrew Evzona performing Lines in Defence of the Stage by William Topaz McGonagall, a wonderful piece of poetry, delightfully delivered, which seeks to defend the theatre as a place of high morality, extolling the virtues of theatre and her ability to educate audiences through her cautionary tales.  “The theatre is useful in every way, And has no inducement to lead the people astray.”  The Grand Old Dame, by Sarah Boyd, was next, followed by a comedy piece written by Andrew Evzona and delivered in tandem with Sue Bell.  Evzona writes his poetry from the hip as well as the heart, with many of his pieces taking less than ten minutes to compose.  This particular piece was an amusing look at one actor’s desperate, and ultimately failed attempts, to ‘make it’… eventually brow-beaten by the audition panels, represented by the parallel narrative, read fittingly sternly by Sue Bell.

Still on the theme of Theatre Tales (literally in this case), the audience were then entertained by Robin Legard’s reading of T.S.  Elliot’s Gus the Theatre Cat.  This timeless piece, taken from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, tells the story of AsparaGUS, an old and frail cat who suffers from palsy and pines for the days when he graced the greatest West End stages with his magnificent performances.  It is a touching poem, relatable on so many levels and beautifully read.

Next up was Connaire Kensit’s reading of At the Theatre: to the Lady Behind Me, written by A. P. Herbert.  Who hasn’t been driven to distraction by annoying audience members?  Those that rustle sweet wrappers loudly or who insist on giving a running commentary on the play, announcing what is about to happen with a ‘oh watch this bit, he’s about to die, it’s soooo sad’.  This poem addresses just such an annoyance.  As the lady’s behaviour becomes more and more aggravating, we can picture the carnage as the victim, blood boiling, finally turns around and snaps, sarcastically venting his frustration.  A brilliant piece of observational poetry and very well delivered by Connaire.

A mind-bending, poetic brain-teaser titled A Play on Words or a Word on Plays then followed, written by Ian Lee-Dolphin and performed by himself and Sam Ball.  This clever piece needs to be read a few times to better understand it, and it’s a shame that there wasn’t a copy of this, and indeed all of tonight’s poems, to allow a more thorough examination.

Closing the Theatre Tales section were Ian Lee-Dolphin and Annie Morris with a fine rendition of Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind.  Their simple acoustic arrangement was moving and poignant and lead one’s train of thought perfectly on to the final section of the night, Theatre of Politics and War. 

This section commenced with Francis Abbot’s wonderful delivery of the prologue from Henry V.  His performance of this excerpt from Shakespeare’s masterpiece was worthy of any professional stage.  Next came Robin Legard’s recital of Blighters by Siegfried Sassoon, a simple piece but incredibly thought-provoking.  Through this piece, Sassoon embellishes a theme that will define him in years to come.  The ‘blighters’ that he refers to here are actually the British public, whom he finds in music halls revelling distastefully in war-centric satire.   For Sassoon, on medical leave following the death of two close friends in the trenches, seeing the war ridiculed in this manner, fuelled this piece and many other of his future works. 

The audience are then taken from the First World War to the present day through Greg Freeman’s The Beast of War, performed reverently by Sam Ball.  An incredibly powerful piece, this poem examines modern conflicts, such as Ukraine and Gaza and looks at how quickly these shocking events slip from our consciousness; the British people seemingly more concerned about the felling of a tree than the invasion of one nation by another.  It ends with a line which forces the listener to stop and think, “Shalom, said the freed old woman, To her captor.  A moment we cling to,”

Sue Bell and Francis Abbot return next for their excellent recital of Fran Thurling’s Play Without End before we hear what, for this reviewer at least, was the piece of the night, The Script by Anne Warrington, performed by Heather Montford.  This beautifully crafted piece examines the history of the Jewish people through the analogy of an unfinished script.  Its writer, trying to finish Act Five, in the wake of the suffering, war, bloodshed and torture outlined in the previous four acts, fails to find the resolution and is forced to lay down his pen.   The Script is a poignant and thought provoking piece that continued to affect me long after it was performed.

The evening ended with a number of songs written and performed by the talented Annie Morris, supported by the chorus.  Each were great examples of how powerful and effective poetry can be when performed to music.  The evening was a huge success and was well compiled and structured.  The chosen poems provided the perfect blend of comedy and tragedy, ensuring that there were moments of light and shade throughout.  Even the space between each poem was filled with a thoughtful musical introduction, sung by Annie Morris to the tune of Greensleeves, helping to keep the audience engaged throughout.

It is nights such as this that make one realise just how blessed we are to have such artistic talent within our community and such wonderful venues within which to showcase it.  Tonight was a fundraiser to help with the continued provision of one such space, but at the same time it was also a celebration of the artistic diversity found within the neighbourhood of just one local theatre.  It was also a great example of how art can be used to support the community.  Not content with simply making a donation to Hampton Hill Theatre’s building repair fund, Poetry Performance members wanted to do more, deciding to put their collective artistic talents to work instead, producing an evening which was entertaining, engaging and effective.  Well done to all involved and thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Ian Moone, January 2024

Photography courtesy of Poetry Performance and Cottonbro Studio