STARTED: 20th August 2022
FINISHED: 20th February 2023
Over a period of up to six months attend, read or watch at least five of the following write a review of each one. You can review 2 of the same type of event - for example 2 plays or 2 gigs as part of the 5. What did you love? What did you not like? How did it make you feel? Would you recommend it to a friend?
✅✅ 01 - AN EXHIBITION
20th August 2022 - Back to the Eighties @ Felixstowe Museum
The room was floor to ceiling 80s; an absolute smorgasbord of neon, chunky technology, and cheaply made plastic trinkets. I was transported back to my childhood home, listening to Kylie Minogue, watching Big, and playing with Care Bears. The toys were the best part. Both myself and my other half let out an excited scream - it wasn’t too loud - when we saw a couple of A-Team figures. My other half has two sets of the exact same thing!
We then turned the corner and found computers set up with Pac Man and Space Invaders, so obviously we had to play those games. Frustratingly, other people wanted to play those games too. But if they hadn’t been there, I know we wouldn’t have left for days!
There was so much to take in and so many memories unlocked, which leads to my two criticisms of the exhibition. Firstly, I wish there had been more stuff. The 80s is such an iconic decade; so much happened in the world of technology, politics, royalty, music, sport, and film. It felt lacking in some respects. However, the volunteer on duty told us that everything had been donated, so people can only donate the things they have. And my second criticism is about the size of the room. The room was too small. I know this can’t be helped, they can only work with what they have. But I felt like I couldn’t absorb everything without being moved on quickly by the people behind us.
I would definitely recommend this exhibition. It took me back to my childhood as soon as I stepped through the door, and we couldn’t stop smiling the whole time we were in there.
The Felixstowe Museum costs £4 to get in, but we bought a combined ticket for there and Landguard Fort, which saved us £1.30. Both are well worth a visit.
*****
17th September 2022 - Letting in the Light Exhibition, Heritage Open Days
The exhibition consisted of artworks produced by local Suffolk artists, who belong to the group Easterly Artists. There was a mixture of styles and media, which excited me. It was dynamic and vibrant, and there were only a few pieces which didn’t interest me.
I was unsure whether or not I could take photos, so I erred on the side of caution and just took photos of the artists’ names so that I could look up their work online when I got home.
Ni Gooding’s work stood out to me immediately. He makes screen prints, and I liked the simple shapes and colours forming unusual patterns. I also liked the simplicity of Amy Stock’s prints, with bright colours and uncomplicated shapes. I don’t normally like pottery or ceramics but I was intrigued by Fiona Shreeve’s pieces, which were painted to look like buildings. Again, very simple but impactful. Two of the artists were at the exhibition - Ally Marriner and Paul Zawadzki. We talked to them both about their work and how they create it. Ally uses concrete to make her pieces, and encouraged me to touch what she’d made. So often I want touch paintings and statues, especially when you can see the texture in the paint. But art galleries frown upon that behaviour. However, when the artist tells you to touch, you just have to! Paul’s work was mixed media using oil paint and rust, and possibly fabric. He told us he is inspired by the coastline, and how nature changes the shape of the landscape. In contrast to the free flowing pieces of these artists, Bill Haward presented clean lines and muted colours in his collages, which initially didn’t look like collages. I thought they were architectural prints, but on closer inspection you could see they were layers of paper. Simon Wilde’s paintings were quite haunting. Although seemingly abstract, like the paint has been applied with a fork, he’s managed to scrape layers away to give light and shadow, creating shapes of people. I very much enjoyed his work.
This was an enjoyable exhibition. Not too intense or overpowering. Varied enough with tactile pieces that you’re encouraged to touch. I also enjoyed the fact that it was local artists with a passion for the local area. I have signed up to the mailing list to be notified of future exhibitions. I’d like to see more work from the Easterly Artists.
✅✅ 02 - A COMEDY SHOW
Thursday 6th October - Arthur Smith @ The Bear and Bells, Beccles
My other half and I went to see Arthur Smith at The Bear and Bells in Beccles. I’ve only been to a handful of comedy shows, and am never sure what to expect. Arthur Smith was brilliantly funny, but he should be - he’s been in the business for over 40 years. Watching him took me back to my childhood watching classic comedians on The Royal Variety Show. He threw out funny one-liners, knock knock jokes, and an array of “a man went to the doctor …” jokes. But my favourite part of his set was his poetry. He gave us a rendition of “If” by Arthur Kipling, ending with the line “You will be a van my son”, as well as a deliciously tongue-twisting adaptation of a Shakespearean soliloquy, where most of the words had been replaced with British town and city names. Frustratingly, he performed these poems too quickly, so you couldn’t really absorb everything he was saying, but they were fantastic nonetheless.
He was supported by three other comedians, and there was a compare who introduced everything. First up was Ross McGrane. I quite liked him. He told stories about his family and how he and his wife were from two different social backgrounds. He’s working class and she’s middle class. Coming from a working class background myself, I could understand his frustrations about never going to Center Parcs as a child. I’d always wanted to go but my parents could never afford it. However, this was a regular holiday for his wife when she was younger. As an adult, Ross went to Center Parcs with his family and he realised what an expensive waste of money it was. I still have yet to go to Center Parcs.
Up next was Alexis Roy. I quite liked her too, but her set was very much rehearsed. Now, I’m certainly not going to criticise her for that, because doing comedy is one of the bravest things anyone can do and I certainly don’t think I could do it. She was funny, but I felt that it was too scripted and not relaxed enough. And she did compare having a favourite Wetherspoons to having a favourite STI. I do have a favourite Wetherspoons. It’s Colchester.
Steve Whitaker was the last of the support, and he was my type of comedian. I absolutely love one-liners. Milton Jones and Tim Vine are amazing at this. They’re so straight faced and quick witted, and Steve Whitaker was just the same. His jokes were fast and punchy, and yes a lot of them did make you groan, but I loved it.
And finally was the compare, Kai Barron. Sadly, he was not my cup of tea. He spoke for a few minutes before and after each comedian, to try and hype up the audience. But I didn’t find him funny. He told one good joke about Philip Schofield claiming he’d not had Covid-19, but he had had Michael, 15. Topical and true. But other than that, I didn’t enjoy his parts in the show.
Overall, I had a really good evening. Lots of laughs and groans. A fab atmosphere in the back room of a pub. This is a monthly thing, so will certainly look at who will be appearing at upcoming gigs.
*****
Thursday 3rd November - Gareth Richards @ The Bear and Bells, Beccles
My other half and I went to another Shaft of Wit comedy show at The Bear and Bells in Beccles. We went last month to see Arthur Smith headlining, and it was a really good night, and as it's a monthly thing, and as it's pretty close to where we live, we thought we'd go again. There were three comedians on the line up. Andy Storey, who was advertised on the poster, was not there but he was replaced by John Mann. He was followed by Louie Green. And the headliner was Gareth Richards.
The same compare was there - Kai Barron - and I feel like I should apologise for my review of him last time. I thought he was supposed to be a comedian, and an unfunny one at that. However, last night, we learned that he's a drama teacher and not a comedian. This explains a lot!
Anyway, let's move on to the actual acts.
John Mann was very funny. Apparently I've seen him before, as my other half told me, but I couldn't remember! He had a board on stage with him, covered in numbered cards. He asked the audience to shout out numbers and he talked about whatever was written on the card. He was trying this out to see if it worked, and if he needed to develop anything for his upcoming shows. Some bits were funny and some bits weren't, but I liked the structure of this, as it meant everything was a surprise. So even if we went to see him night after night after night, it would be a different show each time depending on which cards the audience chose. Some of the jokes were one liners and others were stories, but they were all told with great confidence. John Mann is a very funny guy.
He was followed by Louie Green, and I enjoyed his set very much. I like comedians that can just talk about their life but see the funny in everything. He talked about becoming a dad and what it was like for him during lockdown when he had to take care of his 92 year old grandmother. He was extremely relateable and his set was over far too quickly for my liking. (Some of the set he performed last night can be found here Me vs My Gran During Lockdown)
And the headliner, Gareth Richards, was someone I'd never heard of, even though the advert shows that he's been on a bunch of BBC channels, and has supported Frank Skinner, and has been on Russell Howard. So, before we booked the tickets, we did a little search of him, and found this video where he sings a song called Disappointing Towel.
It was okay, kind of funny, could have been funnier, but maybe it wasn't fair to judge him based on one song. He might have had a great back catalogue of comedy songs, like Victoria Wood. Nope. Rather than a disappointing towel, this was a disappointing set by an unfunny comedian. He spent a good portion of his set burbling on about his life, but unlike Louie, he wasn't finding funny things in his life to talk about, or at least putting a funny spin on anything. He talked to the audience, picking out people near the front - which is to be expected (and that's why I like to sit near the back!) - but he chose a couple and made them both extremely uncomfortable, and not in a funny way. While he was talking, I was wondering when the comedy was going to start, but it never did.
Prior to his set, he'd spent some time connecting his (pretty cool) musical instrument to the speaker system ...
We will just have a brief interlude to appreciate this musical instrument. It's called a Qchord and looks something like this -
... so I assumed his set would be full of comedy songs. But it wasn't. He talked for too long about his unfunny life, then made members of the audience really uncomfortable, then then said that the song he was about to play would be the end of his set. It was Disappointing Towel. I hadn't found the song that funny or clever the first time I heard it. Hearing it live did not change my opinion.
I could have listened to John and Louie for a lot longer, and cancelled Gareth completely. He was an extremely disappointing (towel) end to a really good night.
✅ 03 - A PLAY
Saturday 19th November - The Weir @ The Seagull Theatre, Pakefield
I don't like to be too critical of amateur theatre because I know I don't have the confidence to do it. However, the acting isn't always going to be the best, and I felt that the actors were quite wooden and the dialogue didn't feel natural.
This play is set in Ireland, but the actors did not speak with Irish accents, which did sound weird especially as there was a lot of Irish vernacular. English people don't tend to say 'Mammy', but Irish people do. So it felt a bit unnatural.
There were 5 actors in this play; 4 men and 1 woman. It's set in Brendan's pub, with Jim and Jack being regular patrons. Later, Finbar arrives with a woman, Valerie, who is not local to the area. They all drink - a lot - and start telling stories of supernatural things that have happened to them while living in the village. There were stories of fairies and ghosts, and as Valerie starts to feel more relaxed, she shares her own horror story which shocks the room. The actor playing Valerie was the best part of this play. She shared Valerie's story with so much conviction, I could see tears in her eyes, and I believed her. I was drawn in by everything she was saying. She emotionally entrapped me.
As far as the play goes, I thought it was a very compelling story, but the acting did let it down. It needed to be performed with Irish accents. It needed to recognise that Ireland was another character in the story. I would like to see this again, but performed the way it was intended when written. It was haunting and dark and intriguing. Sadly the acting did let it down.
✅ 04 - A MUSICAL
Thursday 24th November 2022 - Only Fools and Horses - The Musical @ Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
I was quite excited to see this musical, however, I was a little bit concerned that the actors wouldn't be able to pull off these well known and well loved characters. Within the first few minutes, the actor playing Rodney showed just how amazing he was. If you closed your eyes, you would believe it was the real Rodney on the stage. He was not the billed actor, but an understudy - Chris Kiely. Grandad (and Uncle Albert) was played by Les Dennis, and Del was played by Tom Bennett.
I wasn't sure what Les Dennis would be like, as I don't think I've ever seen him in anything before. But he was a great Grandad, shuffling about in his slippers. Weirdly, I think the biggest disappointment was Tom Bennett, who was the one I was most excited to see. I first saw him in Channel 4's PhoneShop, and thought he was brilliant. And don't get me wrong, he is a really good actor. However, it took a while for his Del Boy to convince me. He didn't quite have the right voice, although his mannerisms were there, so I felt it wasn't quite right. But as the show went on, he became more like Del Boy.
The story was speckled with songs, none of which I can remember (other than the obvious theme song), as we met Rodney and Cassandra trying to save up for a deposit on a flat and arranging their wedding, Boyce and Marlene trying to conceive, and Del Boy joining a dating agency, ultimately meeting Raquel. Trigger was there, as was Mickey Pearce and Denzel. They got in all the jokes - Trigger's broom, the chandelier, falling through the bar, Del's fantastic French phraseology. It was all there and it all worked.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. The energy was high. The acting was great. The songs were fun. Definitely one to go and watch.
❌ 05 - A PANEL DISCUSSION
✅ 06 - A GIG / MUSIC FESTIVAL
Thursday 17th November - Luke Wright & John Osborne @ The Fisher Theatre, Bungay
Although not a musical gig, this was a gig nonetheless. Local poets, Luke Wright and John Osborne, put on a fundraising show for Bungay Library and the Fisher Theatre. I've seen Luke Wright perform at various shows throughout the years, but this was the first time I saw John Osborne. Both were very different, but still very good.
John's poetry was right up my street. It was real and unpretentious, which is what poetry should be. He started off with a poem he wrote while taking a walk around the area in which he lives. It was simple and effective, noting the changes in house size the further he walks from his home. He then shared poems from his new book, 'A Supermarket Love Story', which narrates a couples' meeting in a supermarket, to their first date in a supermarket cafe, to them finding love together, with all poems set in the supermarket. They were romantic and poignant and realistic.
Luke exuded a lot of confidence and drama in his set. He's a poetic Russell Brand, with over the top gesticulation and beautifully exaggerated language. There was a lovely mix of funny and serious poetry, mixed with technical brilliance. He's a man who plays with words, and I've always enjoyed these types of poems. He performed a univocalic poem, which was written using only the 'a' vowel (any consonants can be used, but none of the other vowels). I like Luke's confidence when he performs, but before this poem his arrogance shone through a bit too much. He wanted us to be impressed that he'd written a univocalic, because it is indeed a very difficult thing to do. It takes time, patience, and a lot of editing to make the poem coherent and tell a story. And don't get me wrong, I am impressed when people write things like this. But I also write things like this. I've written my own univocalics so I can appreciate the difficulty. But I do not appreciate being told "I bet you couldn't do something like this" as though he's the only one who's ever done it or knows how to do it.
However, he did redeem himself with some beautiful poems about his family and a funny one inspired by a comment he saw online asking whether or not seeing a bird murmuration was "worth it".
He is a performance poet. He performed with characters and voices and drama, and he was a delightful counter balance to John's quietness, demerit, and humility. And what surprised me the most was that my other half enjoyed both performances. He's popped into the Latitude poetry tent to see John Cooper Clarke, but never hung around for much longer. He's not a poetry reader or writer. But he came away saying that he really liked the evening. Bonus!
✅✅✅ 07 - A BOOK
I've been making TikTok book reviews for about 2 years (my account is Rebeccah Reads if anyone is interested!), give or take, so here are a few book reviews I've made over the past few months.
📚 In. by Phil McPhail
❌ 08 - A MUSIC ALBUM
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