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The cause was a brilliant one: fundraising for a world premiere of ‘Missa Humana’, an extraordinary secular mass by poet Maureen Duffy and the late Dolly Collins (sister of folk legend Shirley). And the tack was a sort of musical bring and buy sale, to which beat poet Gary Goodman brought bathos-packed impressions from the big freeze; The Hamilton Yarns their wooly and woozy experi-folk spun with accordion, harmonium and comically muted cornet; and dapper percussion duo Adam Bushell and Tom Norrell a fascinating range of pieces for marimba, from South Africa to Japan via a Shoreham-based composer inspired by the Hindu god of music and dance. Shirley Collins herself brought a fragment of her sister’s forgotten mass, from which she read a few lines to kick off the evening. And folk singer Mary Hampton, a driving force behind the project, closed the evening with a batch of her eerily beautiful, shivering folk songs. “Excellent, we have beasts!” she said with relish as a latecomer’s dog trotted up to the stage. Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone should have been broadcasting live.
Unitarian Church, 16 May
3/5
Bella Todd

Loosely based around the things our parents tell us to keep us on the straight and narrow, this was a highly entertaining evening of comedy from three bright female comics. First up was Funny Women competition finalist Marie Vagen, whose tales of her Norwegian parents’ phone calls and specialist subject of philosophy warmed us up nicely – even if they did stray off the chosen theme. Following her was the laid back laugh-it-up stylings of Alison Leitch whose family tales were as fresh yet familiar as her affectionate verbal abuse of her brother and useless but well-meaning help from her dad. The final act was Kerry Herbert, acidic yet cheeky, scary yet sexy and with fistfuls of tight gags – she rocked! Great fun.
Caroline of Brunswick, 14 May
3/5
Victoria Nangle

In the intimate surroundings of the New Steine Hotel we were treated to a cabaret of songs from old blue eyes. And indeed, Scott Free does have those twinkling blue eyes. He pretty much has all of Sinatra’s telltale phrasing and mannerisms off pat, too. Not that it is a slavish impersonation – well for a start, Frank was never gay, was he? Choosing a selection of his greatest hits but including a few less well known numbers was a great idea, too. From time to time he was joined on stage by a dancer who was clearly held back by the lack of space, but this did nothing to detract form the fact that this show is pure fun and she certainly added to that. I felt that the entire thing would have been raised a bar had there not been flashing lights behind the act and had the format been perhaps darker and the seating more cabaret style with small tables and chairs, perhaps candle-lit. But these are small points compared to the obvious vocal talents of this man and his easy, natural charm.
The New Steine Hotel, 15 May
4/5
Andrew Kay

A compelling drama drawing on The Odyssey to portray the deep effects of post war trauma continued to display the Three And Ten’s commitment to programming quality theatre. The distant returning soldier and his partner struggled to come to terms with their situation through a series of scenes in which they used both words and physicality to display their anguish. An uncomfortably real and often moving play, it saw the two performers give a compelling performance that was captivating from the clever opening scene through to the final moment. Making brilliant use of the tiny space and utilising only a few well conceived props, they brought the story vividly to life, and whereas some theatre might be hampered by the confined circumstances of this excellent theatre space, this team used it to their best advantage. Claustrophobic, intense and disturbing stuff but delivered with wit and class – a polished performance.
Upstairs At Three And Ten, 16 May
4/5
Andrew Kay