Author Archives: garylongden

Unlucky 2013 by Paul Francis

Posted on May 18, 2014 by garylongden

Poets were once feared and jailed for their forthright and controversial views, yet the contemporary view of poets ,and poetry, tends to be rather more soft than that, with absent punctuation and rhyming the main source of consternation amongst a … Continue reading →

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UB40 at Uttoxeter Races

Posted on May 18, 2014 by garylongden

I have always had an ambivalent relationship with UB40. I still recall the excitement of hearing their debut single, King/ Food for Thought in 1980, and going out to buy it immediately. Like everybody, I assumed the lead singer was … Continue reading →

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Black Adder Goes Forth, Dudley Little Theatre, Netherton Arts Centre

Posted on May 14, 2014 by garylongden

Stage adaptations of television comedy series have a chequered history , but when the script is as well written as this, by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, the company has a head start , and so it proved for this … Continue reading →

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At the Crossroads- Bible, Burlesque and the Blues, Lichfield Garrick Studio

Posted on May 10, 2014 by garylongden

Cities have always , since Sodom and Gomorrah , attracted and repelled in equal measure . In modern times , the grandeur of Place de la Concorde and Buckingham Palace are counterpointed by the festering banlieue and council tower blocks. … Continue reading →

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At the Crossroads- Bible, Burlesque and the Blues

Posted on May 5, 2014 by garylongden

At the Crossroads- Bible, Burlesque and the Blues will be playing at the Lichfield Garrick Studio on Friday 9th, and Sat 10th May. Garyswordz managed to grab some time with the show’s writer Mal Dewhirst to find out more. Mal … Continue reading →

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The Kingfisher, Sutton Arts Theatre

Posted on May 1, 2014 by garylongden

This was a left-field choice by Sutton Arts, a seldom performed piece written over a quarter of a century ago. Author William Douglas Home’s lineage is as the maverick brother of Tory PM Sir Alec . He lived in the … Continue reading →

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Midlands Poetry What’s On May 2014

Posted on April 29, 2014 by garylongden

A mad month packed full of great poetry with the festival season in full swing. Local events are equally strong too with Poetry Alight in Lichfield playing on Tuesday 13th May with Jean Atkins and Tony Stringfellow. If all the … Continue reading →

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Wenlock Poetry Festival 2014

Posted on April 28, 2014 by garylongden

This was my third visit to the Wenlock Poetry Festival, and for the first time I stayed overnight locally to maximise my time. As always, a diverse, eclectic programme had been laid down by organiser Antonia Beck such that many … Continue reading →

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Midlands Poetry What’s On April 2014

Posted on April 28, 2014 by garylongden

Festival News The big poetry festival is in Much Wenlock on 25th-27th April. Now an established event, highlights include Simon Armitage, John Hegley, Emma Purshouse, Sally Crabtree and Frieda Hughes. The slam on Saturday night is the traditional highlight. Nine … Continue reading →

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The Mousetrap, Garrick Theatre, Lichfield

Posted on April 14, 2014 by garylongden

This was part of a 60th anniversary tour, over 60 weeks, for a show still running in its home theatre of St Martins in London, coincidentally almost identical in capacity to the Garrick. The Mousetrap opened at The Ambassadors Theatre … Continue reading →

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