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Hiccup Theatre’s The Owl and the Pussycat was a great load of lovely quince, mince and runcible spoon nonsense. Owl and Cat made their way through this enchanting performance (based on Edward Lear’s poem), with imagination, and inventiveness; Their pea green boat was a fallen step ladder, then an up-ended umbrella; leaves plucked from the colourful set turned into boats and bees, woods and trees. Claire Harvey (Cat) and Simon Kerrigan (Owl) gave accomplished, humorous, and touching performances, accompanied by composer Ivan Stott who wove singing narrations and plucking instruments from a tree. John Barber (puppet maker) surpassed himself with the pig and turkey. Pig danced around the bong tree, watering his umbrella flowers and making jokes with Ivan’s hand up his back the whole time… but nobody seemed to notice. The audience sat wide-eyed with mouths open, drinking in the magic.

P.S. my mum told me a runcible spoon was a double-headed devise from which you could eat cheek to cheek.

8 May, Sallis Benney Theatre
Rating:
Fleur Shorthouse

This charming show – which saw musical comedian Frieze demonstrating his theory about the seven different kinds of song – is the definition of warm, light-hearted entertainment. Frieze himself was affable, endearing, laugh-out-loud funny, and importantly, a skilful, knowledgable musician. His passion for both music and performing was infectious, bringing the most out of his audience. A few skits missed the mark – the Spandau Ballet quiz being a notable weakpoint – but otherwise, this was a very funny (and educational!) show from a genuine and talented performer.

The Hobgoblin, 7 May
Rating:
James Hamilton

Expensive and highly trumpeted outdoor installations can so often disappoint, particularly when involving large crowds trying to understand the visuals and language behind the concept. Not so this extraordinary installation by French outdoor alchemists Compagnie Caraboose, which utilised every nook and cranny of St. Anne’s Well Gardens, including the pond and the scented garden.

Transforming this already gorgeous inner-city oasis with fire sculptures, candles, moving metalworks (including lots of swings!), and the odd live performance, the space was meticulously and magically altered, transfixing the huge audiences who for the most part couldn’t believe their eyes.

On the surface, The strangely subdued health and safety aspect was a surprise, but acted as a strong reminder that yes, we know fire is hot and dangerous – so, don’t treat us like idiots! But what the largely fire-based installation was ultimately trying to say, is of course open to interpretation; but like the best abstracts it invited everyone to partake and enjoy it in any way they wished, almost invariably positively. This event will live long in the memory…

7-8 May, St. Anne’s Well Garden’s
Rating:
Jeff Hemmings

In 5×15’s first ‘conversational cabaret’ in Brighton, author William Fiennes charmed the audience with inspiring stories from the First Story charity. He included a prize-winning, six-word short story by his student that was printed on a pencil: it read ‘Went to shops. Won Lottery. Sorted.’

And sorted the evening was, with intimate harp playing by Lucinda Belle, stripped of her orchestra, and an impassioned, poetic memory piece performed by Lemn Sissay, based on his fostering experiences.
Rebecca Frayn privileged us with insights into the writing of her upcoming film ‘The Lady’, about Aung San Suu Kyi.

Pavilion Theatre, Brighton Dome, 7 May
Rating:
Jim Milnes