Author Archives: garylongden

Pure and Good and Right

Posted on May 1, 2017 by garylongden

I haven’t been to this event for a few years, but this headliner looks interesting: PUREandGOODandRIGHT  Open Mic Poetry Event  This month taking place at THE TREE HOUSE BOOKSHOP 4 The Square, KENILWORTH, CV8 1EB Thursday, 11 May 7.30 p.m st.art … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Leave a comment

Northanger Abbey – Derby Theatre

Posted on April 11, 2017 by garylongden

  Annabelle Terry as Isabella and Eva Feiller as Catherine Morland     Two hundred years after its first publication, Jane Austen’s Gothic homage is given a reboot by the Bury St Edmunds Theatre Company under the direction of Karen … Continue reading →

Posted in Behind the Arras Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Highbury Theatre , Sutton Coldfield Programme 2017/18

Posted on April 2, 2017 by garylongden

I was pleased to see the above programme, with dates yet to be set. It is a good combination of some tried and trusted favourites, the offbeat, and obscure, here is a preview: Hobson’s Choice by Harold Brighouse is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged | 1 Comment

NaPoWriMo April 2017

Posted on April 1, 2017 by garylongden

I shall try hard to write a poem a day, this list of prompts from Jo Bell will surely help: Day 1   Write to yourself as a sixteen year old. What warnings, what advice would you give? If you have … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Leave a comment

Ladies in Lavender – Grange Players, Walsall

Posted on March 21, 2017 by garylongden

*****   Although a successful film release at the cinema in 2004, the stage adaptation is recent (2012) . This has the disadvantage that it is unfamiliar, but  the advantage that it provides a pretty blank canvas for a Director. … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Streetcar Named Desire – Sutton Arts Theatre

Posted on March 15, 2017 by garylongden

****   This multiple prize winning drama from Tennessee Williams rightly remains a favourite with audiences and theatrical companies alike. It is also hugely challenging. Its reputation guarantees a good house, but the roster of actors who have taken parts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Anita and Me – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on February 18, 2017 by garylongden

**** There were two home fixtures in Wolverhampton on Tuesday night. The first was at Molineux, where Wolverhampton Wanderers were at home. The second was at the Grand, where Meera Syal’s play was opening for the first night of its … Continue reading →

Posted in Behind the Arras Reviews | Leave a comment

Monstersaurus – Derby Theatre

Posted on February 13, 2017 by garylongden

**** A stage adaptation of this hugely popular story , written by Claire Freedman, can only be judged by the reaction of the children in the audience. They loved it. Featuring Monty, his Mum, and invented monsters, the performance culminates … Continue reading →

Posted in Behind the Arras Reviews | Tagged , | 2 Comments

What Do Serious Poets Do?

Posted on February 8, 2017 by garylongden

I am fortunate. I have been Staffordshire Poet Laureate, I curate the long running Poetry Alight in Lichfield and my poetry has taken me from  Malvern to Stornoway, from Shrewsbury to Leicester. Along the way I have met some fabulous … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Problem With Poetry

Posted on February 8, 2017 by garylongden

I like poetry. I like it best read aloud, maybe in a pub or café. Sometimes I enjoy reading it when I am alone. Yet I hear, and read, much poetry that I do not care for much. I don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment