Tag Archives: Bedfringe

Bedfringe 2024 Interview: Louise Atkinson: She’s Got The Look

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“I thought I was running incredibly late, was going to miss the start of my own show, sprinted to the venue knocking over a small child in the process only to realise I had read the time of my own show wrong and was an hour early.”

WHO: Louise Atkinson

WHAT: “With this new comedy show, the Amused Moose Best Debut Show winner revisits the unsolicited feedback she once received; ‘Louise Atkinson – sounds good, looks like a mess’; and discusses our incorrect assumptions about people. Includes a joke about a fire extinguisher.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 20 July 2023 @ 21:30 (60mins)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

No, I had the pleasure of coming last year. I remember it mostly because I thought I was running incredibly late, was going to miss the start of my own show, sprinted to the venue knocking over a small child in the process only to realise I had read the time of my own show wrong and was an hour early.

Hopefully won’t be rugby tackling young children en route this year.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Many things. I rewatched the tv series Pride and Prejudice, that was nice. I discovered the art of placing peanut butter on a knife and the pressing a bit of ritz cracker either side to make a new type of Oreo. Oh, and I went to the Edinburgh fringe last year with my debut show, won an award, got nominated for 2 others and had some nice reviews. The biscuit creation was probably the best bit though, if we’re being honest.

Tell us about your show.

It’s based aroun a piece of unsolcited feedback I recieved which was from a judge in a comedy competition early in my career who told me that I ‘Sound Good, look a mess’. Yeah. So the show is exploring the absurdity of making assumptions about people based on their physical appearance when really we should be judging them based on their biscuit preferences. Also talk about my love for Masterchef and have a joke about an egg, so I’ve tried to cover everyone.

What should your audience see at Bedfringe after they’ve seen your show?

Well, you’ve got a great selection, so the people fo Bedford are very lucky, but some top people for me:

Phil Green. Top show. Top comedian. Top lad.

Chelsea Birkby. Lovely, smart, silly bit of comedy.

Sasha Ellen. The pun-derful show title already has you invested. And she’s hilarious.

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Bedfringe 2024 Interview: Adrian Poynton: Ashes

Posted in *Written Interviews, Bedfringe 2024 by

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“Fringes should feel accessible and exciting and like you stand chance of discovering something new and different and unexpected. Many ‘Fringes’ I’ve been to recently seem to have lost that somehow… but not Bedford.”

WHO: Adrian Poynton

WHAT: “Recently, I’ve been thinking of a thing.

It’s a collection of stories about some stuff that happened. Stuff that plays on my mind.

Exciting huh.

In a nutshell, my Dad scattered my mums ashes without me.

I’m an only child.

So… yeah. That happened.

Anyway… I started thinking I’d maybe turn them into a funny film or a play or something, like I normally do. For other people to read and perform.

But recently I’ve realised that these are my stories to tell.

So… please come join me as I bumble through them on stage, laugh a lot, cry a bit , laugh some more and — hopefully — make you do the same.

Life-affirming comedy from the award-winning creator of BBC Three’s WHITE VAN MAN, returning to the stage for the first time in over a decade with his most honest, personal, hilarious and heartbreaking of shows.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 28 July 2023 @ 18:30 (60mins)

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Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

Yup, newbie first timer here, but I’ve heard it’s an absolute delight of a fringe (a delight I tells you!) run by brilliant people. So no pressure at all… but I have high expectations.

I think many fringe festivals that exist these days sometimes seem like they’ve forgotten about the actual ‘fringe’ part of their remit. Fringes should feel accessible and exciting and like you stand chance of discovering something new and different and unexpected. Many ‘Fringes’ I’ve been to recently seem to have lost that somehow… but not Bedford. The line up I’ve seen is really exciting and my experience of dealing with them asa performer/producer has just been excellent.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Well, most of 2023 I was on strike. I’m a member of the Writers Guild Of America and therefore wasn’t really allowed to do much of my normal job as a writer for TV. So I started playing about with some other stuff… and this is sort of what came out of it. I haven’t been on stage performing properly in over a decade so this is all very exciting for me and I’ve been really enjoying it. And to be a completely arrogant tool about it… I found the performing part of it pretty easy to fall back into. So yeah, still got it. Hee hee.

Tell us about your show.

So, the show starts with the death of my mum (and I’m hyper aware that when I say that people will roll their eyes and think “Oh god – another comedian doing a ‘dead parent ‘show”)… but its not really about that. What happened next was that I found out that my dad has scattered her ashes without me. I’m an only child. So the show is me exploring what made him do that and the affect it had on me, our relationship and my mental health. Hilarious right?!?!? I promise you it is. But also it’s emotional and raw. It will give you all the feels (as I believe the kids are saying these days… which is both annoying and grammatically incorrect).

What should your audience see at Bedfringe after they’ve seen your show?

Well, Bedford fringe has attracted some excellent acts I can recommend this year.

Of the people you’ll already know about (who let’s honest don’t need any help shifting some units) category I’d say Paul Foot (who once made me an exceptional quiche!) and Ivo Graham are always worth your time.

But (perhaps more importantly) in the “People you may not know but are doing brilliant and interesting things’ category; I’d say you really should check out Chelsea Birkby and Luke Rollason. Both annoyingly young and talented and therefore make me feel a little sick when I look at them. But also annoyingly excellent.

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Bedfringe 2024 Interview: Too Young to Stay in, Too Old to Go Out!

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“What helps to make a Festival extra special for a performer is if you feel really wanted as opposed to simply paying an application fee and knowing somewhere will take you.”

WHO: Nigel Osner

WHAT: “Nigel Osner takes a quizzical look at the daunting challenges and unexpected opportunities for those no longer young. He examines dating, love, work, holidays – even the gym! There’s a lot of humour but with a bittersweet edge.

Nigel illustrates his theme with original songs and stories by male and female characters. These include Gerald who is having a taxing night out in central London; a rich designer who falls for his hunky gardener; the man who falls in love with a wheelchair bound woman only once he needs a wheelchair of his own; Rosie, driven mad by her companion on a river cruise; and a fading star on an endless tour.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 24 July 2023 @ 18:30 (60mins)

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Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

It’s my first time at this Fringe. I’ve been at several other Fringes, including Edinburgh. What helps to make a Festival extra special for a performer is if you feel really wanted as opposed to simply paying an application fee and knowing somewhere will take you. There is no such fee for Bedfringe, so that’s a plus from the start, together with the feeling the shows have been carefully selected and a friendly Director.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’ve been doing a bit of writing and performing in the last year – and obviously failed to absorb the lesson that it is always best to go with your gut feeling. I knew the arrangements for my last performance wouldn’t work, but still went ahead and, as anticipated, the thing didn’t work! On the plus side I’ve been to an all day seminar by Paulus called ‘Get your show on the road’ about touring small shows, solo shows especially. The occasion was warm and encouraging. I have started booking more venues, both for the Bedfringe show and another show. The two acorns haven’t yet produced mighty oaks, but definitely twigs are appearing.

Tell us about your show.

I’ve been doing a bit of writing and performing in the last year – and obviously failed to absorb the lesson that it is always best to go with your gut feeling. I knew the arrangements for my last performance wouldn’t work, but still went ahead and, as anticipated, the thing didn’t work! On the plus side I’ve been to an all day seminar by Paulus called ‘Get your show on the road’ about touring small shows, solo shows especially. The occasion was warm and encouraging. I have started booking more venues, both for the Bedfringe show and another show. The two acorns haven’t yet produced mighty oaks, but definitely twigs are appearing.

Question 3: Tell us about your show.:
I take a quizzical look at the challenges and opportunities for those no longer young. On the one hand, there are daunting realities and cruel setbacks. On the other, we can learn what’s best for ourselves, find ways to enjoy life and have unexpected victories. I examine dating, love, work, holidays – even the gym! There’s a lot of humour but with a bitter sweet edge. The show is directed by Janine Wood. Whilst this show is for everyone, it is particularly aimed at an older audience.

I illustrate my theme with original songs and stories by male and female characters. These include Gerald who is having a taxing night out in central London; a rich designer who falls for his hunky gardener; the man who falls in love with a wheelchair bound woman only once he needs a wheelchair of his own; the woman driven mad by her companion on a river cruise; and a fading star on an endless tour. I’ve written all the stories and lyrics. Melodies are by various composers, sometimes even by me.

I’ve performed the show at various Fringes, including Edinburgh, and other venues. Excerpts from reviews will be found on the Bedfringe website, where you go to book – well that’s the hope!

What should your audience see at Bedfringe after they’ve seen your show?

Max Fulham, comedian and ventriloquist

Sophie Duker is clever, funny and engaging.

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Bedfringe 2024 Interview: outside, in the laneway, under the stars – Part 1 (Childhood)

Posted in *Written Interviews, Bedfringe 2024 by

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“Will folks in Bedford relate to stories about a gay young man in Canada in the 1970s and 1980s? I feel more confident that they will than I might have a year ago.”

WHO: John Arthur Sweet

WHAT: “From Canada. Navigating one’s queerness is a lifelong odyssey! Three-time Prague Fringe Award nominee John Arthur Sweet continues his B-eautiful B-espoke tour of English Fringes beginning with the letterB. After Brighton, Barnstaple, and Buxton, John will be thrilled to arrive in Bedford.

John is bringing an autobiographical mélange of theatrical monologue, storytelling, and spoken word. This is the tale of a gay, bullied smalltown Canadian kid who found refuge in theatre. The show is in two parts: Part I (Childhood) and Part II (Adulthood). You can enjoy each of them separately, or you can choose to see both! Content warning: Numerous pop culture references from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 20 July 2023 @ 15:00 (60mins)

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Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

This will be my first time at Bedfringe. I’ve done a fair number of festivals over the years, going back to 1998. Most of them have been in Canada. In 2009, I did my first international fringe when I applied to (and was accepted by) the Prague Fringe, and I’ve been there five times altogether (most recently last year). My first UK Fringe was Brighton in 2016, and then again last year.

Generally speaking, as both a performer and a punter, I’ve preferred the smaller Fringes, where you get more of a sense of community, you keep bumping into the same people, you ask them what they’ve seen, what they liked. It feels like a celebration of life! Those chance encounters are lovely! To date, the place I’ve most had that feeling was in Prague, and then last year at a small Fringe in Canada (North Bay). Paradoxically, at a smallish festival, you feel as though you’re part of something bigger, whereas a very large festival can make you feel small, almost invisible, which isn’t the greatest feeling. I love the fact that Bedfringe seems to be quite contained, geographically speaking, with the shows all taking place in more or less the same location.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The highlight of 2023 for me, performance-wise, was doing my show at the On the Edge Fringe in North Bay, Ontario, last August. My show is about growing up as a queer kid in a small city in Ontario, so it felt in some ways as if I was going “home” to talk about my misadventures of 40 or 50 years ago. The big surprise was that my show attracted a lot of young folks, in their late teens and early twenties! Maybe being gay in 2023 or 2024 isn’t that different from when I was young? Anyway, they really embraced the show, and it felt as though I was maybe giving back to those young folks some lessons I’ve learned the hard way, but also sharing hope that you can get through things and come out stronger.

The lesson I hope I’ve absorbed from that experience is not to form too-definite ideas of who your audience is! Will folks in Bedford relate to stories about a gay young man in Canada in the 1970s and 1980s? I feel more confident that they will than I might have a year ago.

Tell us about your show.

My show is actually two shows. The show on 21 July is totally different from the show on 20 July. They can be enjoyed separately, but if you see the show on Saturday and love it, then come back on Sunday and there are whole new tales to hear!

Do you know Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy”? My show is a bit of a twist on that story. I was a bullied gay working-class kid from a small town who escaped to the city (in my case, Toronto). But there my story goes onto a different track. Rather than embrace my gay self, as Jimmy Somerville did, I escaped into theatre and acting, and enjoyed being other people. Loving myself as the gay man I am would have to wait a very long time.

Taking the two shows together as if it was a single show, it’s the story of episodes of my life from 1971 through to 1985, with a few scenes that represent the post-1985 (adult) me. There are some scenes of straight storytelling, others of spoken word poetry, others of theatrical monologue. It’s not all serious! There are laughs to be had.

In a larger sense (i.e., beyond my personal tale), it’s about the way personal pain can inspire creativity, but it also asks the question: How far can a life of the imagination be a replacement for a physical life?

What should your audience see at Bedfringe after they’ve seen your show?

Okay, let me say at the outset that I’ve had a good look at what’s on in Bedford and I don’t know any of the other artists and haven’t seen any of the shows. That said, I decided to stay in Bedford for a total of six days so I can see other shows, and these are ones that I’ve already earmarked:

Transformations (in the Studio): because it’s storytelling and because the storyteller (Mark Steinhardt) is a Bedfringe veteran! Two very compelling reasons to see that one.

Kin (in the Theatre): because it looks like a real piece of theatre, and I sometimes find it hard to find full-fledged theatre at a theatre festival amidst everything else, wonderful thought that all might be.

Freud, Erikson & Me (in the Studio): because the performer is in the same age range as me and is using poetry and spoken word to examine his life. Can you imagine why I’d find this appealing?

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Bedfringe 2024 Interview: The Brain That Wouldn’t Die!

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“I’ve been too involved in the moment to know if I’ve absorbed any deep understandings from my recent experiences, but I imagine that I’ll have a moment of reflection one of these days to contemplate that.”

WHO: Jason Frederick

WHAT: “Experience an evening of Atomic Age horror with the classic 1962 film THE BRAIN THAT WOUDLN’T DIE, with a new original score performed live-to-picture by composer Jason Frederick, as well as an opening Atomic Age short film and excerpts from the documentary ‘Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad-Scientists! by Operator 13 Productions.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 24 July 2023 @ 18:30 (110mins)

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Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

It is not my first time, I’m pleased to say! And each year I find myself even more impressed with the evolving collection of creativity that they manage to organise and present for everyone’s enjoyment. Bedfringe seems to be particularly good at this. They’re also extremely together people to work with, and make it a lovely experience to be involved in.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023a and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The Classic Horror Experience (the banner under which I present these little evenings) has been in full swing since my last visit to Bedfringe. The soundtracks to The Brain That Wouldn’t Die! and Horrors Of Spider Island (the opening short) have been recorded and released to the world – find them on your favourite listening platform – and shows continue throughout the UK in 2024.
I’ve been too involved in the moment to know if I’ve absorbed any deep understandings from my recent experiences, but I imagine that I’ll have a moment of reflection one of these days to contemplate that.

Tell us about your show.

I’ve been too involved in the moment to know if I’ve absorbed any deep understandings from my recent experiences, but I imagine that I’ll have a moment of reflection one of these days to contemplate that.

What should your audience see at Bedfringe after they’ve seen your show?

Well, if I was getting ready to warm up for an evening of Atomic Age horror, I’d definitely start with Frankenstein (on a budget) on the 20/21 of July and maybe follow it up with The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde on the 28th of July for afters.

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Bedfringe 2024 Interview: Mat Roberts Live

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“I try to write and sing my songs from the heart and with great passion.”

WHO: David Alnwick: Writer & Performer

WHAT: “Mat has been writing, recording, and playing since October 4th, 1990, when he was just 13. Since then, he has recorded hundreds of songs, and in 1997, he had the mad idea of recording “an album a month”, which he released on cassette and gave to friends and family. He has since repeated this in Jan 2011 from Effort Studios.

He has released 2 official CDs. In 2001’s he released ‘The sound track to our lives’, and in 2002 he released ‘Counting on a second’.

Although his music can be described as guitar-based pop music, you can tell that his influences come from various styles, including Bolan (TRex), Prince, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and Neil Finn.

One of Mat’s proudest moments was singing “Kiss” onstage with Prince, at a small launch party for “Rave unto the Joy Fantastic”, in London in 1999.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 28 July 2023 @ 19:30 (30mins)

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Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

This is my second Bedfringe gig, this year playing the garden stage, my first year was 2023 on the bar stage. The festival atmosphere has such a great vibe to it, I am very much looking forward to playing again.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023a and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I have released my fourth EP which is different to my other releases, this one is a selection of self-penned folk songs. I have also released some music videos recently for the new EP and some of my other singles.

Tell us about your show.

I am a singer-songwriter, and play original material which I feel is thoughtful and philosophical, I try to write and sing my songs from the heart and with great passion.

What should your audience see at Bedfringe after they’ve seen your show?

Mat Roberts is a legendary Bedford singer-songwriter, who is also a stalwart of the Bedford music scene.

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Bedfringe 2024 Interview: The Untold Fable of Fritz

Posted in Bedfringe 2024, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“I am also from Bedfordshire, so performing here means a lot to me.”

WHO: Paige Canavan-Smith

WHAT: “A Piece inspired by Philip Pullman’s short story, ‘Clockwork’.

White snow seeps down from the mountain tops of the Neuchstein region, freezing over the valleys and the hearts of all the people that live within it.

At the foot of the tallest peak, resides the inhabitants of Brutzenvien and their King. Through this everlasting stone-cold ice age, the King’s son soon falls ill and the King makes a pledge to do all in his power to save his heir. But how far will he go?

Unsettled Theatre showcases their 50-minute live performance of The Untold Fable of Fritz, using puppetry, live music and physical theatre.

The only way to describe this show is if Narnia, Monty Python and Tim Burton were a 45-minute play … with puppets.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 21 July 2023 @ 16:00 (45mins)

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Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

This is our second time at Bedfringe!

We actually debuted this show in the studio space, since then we have toured across the country and are even heading to Prague Fringe in May 2024.

The team at Bedfringe are amazing and for our first show – having a sell out performance was insane!

I am also from Bedfordshire, so performing here means a lot to me and I can’t wait to bring Fritz back to Bedford but this time in the larger venue.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023a and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

We have been super busy.

Finalising the show, getting a new puppet and with local funding taking free puppetry workshops to young people and vulnerable adults across the South East.

We learnt so much from our time here before, it really did help us with the rest of our tour.

Tell us about your show.

Well… We are hugely inspired by Monty Python and Horrible Histories, we wanted to created a show that the whole family would enjoy – showcasing the magic of puppetry alongside a multitude of characters that you would only meet in the mystical world of Brutzenvien!

Come join us, for 50mins of laughter and maybe our fable might teach you something along the way.

What should your audience see at Bedfringe after they’ve seen your show?

Post Office Scandal – The Musical
Frankenstein: On a Budget
Siblings and Family Friends
The Family Magic Show

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Bedfringe 2024 Interview: Vince ‘Too Tall’ Taylor

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“If you like someone who doesn’t take themselves (or anything else) too seriously then I can promise you an entertaining time.”

WHO: Vince “Too Tall” Taylor

WHAT: “Despite his many years in the music business Vince “Too Tall” Taylor is still trying to make sense of a confusing world. If you sympathise or just want to hear witty original songs about dead cats, rucksacks, Gen-Z, AI and chucking phones away catch this tall but modest man.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 18 July 2023 @ 20:05 (40mins)

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Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

I played in 2023 – a beautiful evening, or at least it was until I hit my first chord and opened my mouth to sing. The birds stopped singing and the sun went in but I gave it my best to entertain and amuse.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023a and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Well, I managed to trim the hedge and …oh you mean musically. Well, I’ve played many gigs and plenty of local radio coverage (I have the looks for radio). I’ve also got a load of outdoor festivals lined up for the summer so it promises to be hay-fever all the way.

Tell us about your show.

Despite being in music for many years I have now reinvented myself as a tall man singing about life. In truth I have been a tall man for some time but now I sing about my love of opera (!) luggage, falling off roofs and numerous other daily catastrophes. But there is also hope – the hope comes in the form of the songs being very short. If you like someone who doesn’t take themselves (or anything else) too seriously then I can promise you an entertaining time.

What should your audience see at Bedfringe after they’ve seen your show?

I have met many musicians from the area and there is some real class about – check out the highly talented Sarah Chiari, Julie SImpson, Murray Easton for starters.

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‘Be Not Afeard: A Sensory Telling of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest” (Bedfringe, 22 July 2023)

Posted in 4*, Bedfringe 2023, Rated: Outstanding by

“Like all the best Shakespeare done proper, ‘Be Not Afeard’ can be enjoyed by those of us who live and breathe the bard as well as those who couldn’t give a honk about the Swan of Avon.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Outstanding)

Theatre is a sensory experience. Arguably, theatre was the first sensory experience conjured by the earliest humans that was indisputably distinct from the natural world. The Victorians liked their theatre grand and pagentrick, a feast for the senses, which is why they favoured scripts such as ‘King John’ with its many parading princes. The original Globe Theatre burnt down as a result of a prop cannon gone wrong. Costumes, properties, scenery, standing with one’s legs apart shouting lines at the audience – these are all variations of the conjuring art of Theatre.

The Tempest lends itself to such magic. It is possible that Shakespeare wrote the part of Prospero for himself at the end of his star-studded career – “Now my charms are all o’erthrown, And what strength I have’s mine own.” What a closing night that must have been. Percy Stow’s pioneering 1908 silent movie version of The Tempest makes this paragraph’s point far better than I can.

So it’s wonderful to see a live production, aimed at us CBeebies viewers, delivering such a wealth of sensory charms, none of which would be out of place in a grown-up version, and delivering the same with such artistic precision. For the script, Collar & Cuffs Co. have taken inspiration from the underpinning themes of The Tempest without getting bogged down in the occasionally cumbersome plot. It’s the elegant equivalent of summarising Sir Walter Raleigh’s The Discovery of Guiana with just a picture of a potato and a pipe of tobacco. Like all the best Shakespeare done proper, ‘Be Not Afeard’ can be enjoyed by those of us who live and breathe the bard as well as those who couldn’t give a honk about the Swan of Avon.

Daughter 1.0 (8yrs) wrote in her notebook – the one with Arthur Rackham’s etching of Disney’s Maui arm wrestling Caliban on the cover:

“Yesterday I went to the tempest. When I walked in I Saw a big mat and three bins and a tent. We were asked to sit on the edge of the mat. The story was about all of us going on a long journey to find a magic artist and take them home.

I liked when they sprayed us with warter and balls I realy enjoyed it and it looked like the little kids did too!”

What this show did need was more bustle and less bossy. Bustle is Widdow Twanky or Captain Mainwaring taking themselves far more seriously than anyone else in the room. We can all giggle at that. Bossy is being slightly hungover at a raucous kids’ show and being endlessly told what to do in a way that might make artistically-minded disruptive kids want to throw a chair at their constricting early years teacher.

This is the show that Shakespeare would have taken his son Hamnet to if the latter hadn’t been so taken with the snake roll’d in a flowering bank With shining chequer’d slough. It’s a show that will stick long in the mind for its artistry and ingenuity.

Reviewer: Dan Lentell

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‘The Hare and the Hedgehog’ (Bedfringe, 23 July 2023)

Posted in 5*, Bedfringe 2023 by

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“You have to take silly really seriously to make such magic happen.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

Children’s theatre is hard because you have to make it look easy. I once saw newsreel footage of Her Late Majesty inspecting preparations for a sumptuous banquet at Buckingham Palace. Wow, tough crowd. Britain’s longest-reigning monarch was not easily impressed. There was a cake which, a breathless royal watcher solemnly intoned, had taken a team of top bakers and pastry chefs so long to make that several of those bowing and scrapping in the royal presence were the children or grandchildren of the original egg crackers. There was enough gold leaf to Goldfinger a hippopotamus, more layers than a Scandinavia crime drama, and icing as intricate as the plaster cornicing in Brighton Pavillion. HM smiled thinly, nodded and passed on. Ostentatious and insincere displays of emotion were not her thing. The same applies to children for whom everything is a wonder and so nothing is a wonder. It takes a Merlin to captivate such open and shut little minds.

We enter to find Andy Lawrence looking younger than he did 12 months ago. This is a man around who time and space happily bend. As my brood of chicks grows, I am more and more impressed by those saints among us who can turn a gaggle of noisy brats into a gathering of earnest ears, eager to absorb the erudition coming at them. You have to take silly really seriously to make such magic happen and Andy’s tales are gorgeously silly – as light and fluffy as a cake fit for a queen. It looks effortless, but packed into each of Andy’s daily 40-minute Bedfringe morning sessions is the cumulated effort of years of storytelling, puppetry, stagecraft, and experience. Time bends. It folds neatly into a wizard’s bag of tricks.

Daughter 1.0 (8 years) wrote the following in her notebook, the one with sequins stitched onto the cover so that they show a rainbow when rubbed one way and a frog, sitting on a toadstool, playing what I think is a flageolet, on the other.

“Today I went to The Hare and the Heghog. At the front there was some cushions for children to sit on. On stange there was an old wooden chest an old seet and a few music boxes.

He lold a story of a heghog Who beat a Havisham hair in a race and how Havisham hair became kind.

I liked when he used Strings to make the hair move along, I also liked when he got big funny ears to make him look like the hair.

Last year and yesterday I saw pigs and bears don’t come in pairs. Pigs and bears don’t come in pairs is a show of two stories “the three little pigs” and “Goldieloks and the three bears” And I liked seeing the same man doing another funny show.”

Someone somewhere once described heaven as waking up each morning to a fresh P. G. Wodehouse novel on the bedside table. They neglected to follow up by saying that the next item on the agenda of eternal bliss is a saunter down to Bedfringe with your angels to watch Andy Lawrence doing something divine, bringing the young and the young at heart together in another masterclass in the power of theatre.

 

Reviewer: Dan Lentell

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