Tag Archives: Poetry

Writer: Oliver Lansley Directors: Oliver Lansley and James Seager Reviewer: Scott Matthewman As the centenary of the Armistice approaches, it feels an appropriate time to revive Les Enfants Terribles’ 2012 show The Trench, set in the muddy battlefields of World War I – and far below them. Lansley’s script takes the form of an epic poem: the combination of battle ...

Creators: FeliSpeaks and Dagogo Hart Reviewer: Laura Marriott Boy Child begins with a dark stage. Performers are dressed in black and the use of props is kept to a minimal. It was clear from the off that this is a production that sets out to paint a story with words. The background is kept clear to avoid distracting from the poetry ...

Writer: Genevieve Carver Reviewer: Christie-Luke Jones The Unsung stands before its audience wearing two equally impressive hats. On one hand, it’s a globe-trotting, heartbreaking eulogy for musicians who lived and died in varying degrees of obscurity. And on the other, it’s a joyful celebration of music as an undying beacon of hope and inspiration. Poet Genevieve Carver and her three-piece ...

Devised by Rosie Wilby, featuring Sophia Blackwell, VG Lee, and Paula Varjack Reviewer: Richard Maguire  Neil Sedaka famously sang that ‘Breaking up is hard to do’, but in The Blue Elephant’s night of spoken word the performers suggest that breaking up with a lover can be liberating and transformative. Unfortunately, comedian Rosie Wilby, who curated the evening, was ill and unable to ...

Writer: Zodwa Nyoni Director: James Brining Reviewer: Rich Jevons At first, upon entering the auditorium, it could be easy to feel disappointed by the five microphones arranged neatly in a line. Not so, the stage is set for five poets, ready for their turn under the spotlight in the poetry slam. As the show progresses it becomes much more of ...

Writer: Victoria Willing Director: Marie McCarthy Reviewer: Sophia Moss Spring Offensive is an intelligent, bleak and ambitious exploration of war tourism, disappointment, loneliness and life as a British expat. The first half of this play is compelling but, as the evening wears on, tensions rise and the laughter is replaced by awkward silences, the audience may be confused and a ...

Reviewer: Katherine Kirwin Pen:Chant is a neo-variety night, an alt-cabaret, an indefinable shambolic mix of artforms in one evening. Pen:Chant occurs throughout the year in fringe venues across Manchester as a platform for known and unknown artists in various artforms; spoken word, poetry, live music, comedy and anything else that has slipped between the cracks. In a special PUSH 2017 ...

Writer: Howard Barker Director: Gerrard MacArthur Reviewer: Scott Matthewman In the depths of the countryside, there is a bottomless well guarded by a poet. Citizens pay him to throw themselves in – or, if they choose not to commit suicide, pay again to leave. A local gentlewoman is a frequent visitor, who pays over and over but always chooses not ...