5 I ,. Better or verse
Performance poetry is a slippery comedy avenue. How do this year’s well-versed performers measure up. Words: Allan Radcliffe
o" the phrase 'perforn‘ance poetr‘.‘ al“.'.a{.s hrri‘gs to mind Nike Mj.ers ll‘ So / .".xt'a"ried an Axe .D’i'ur'd'eie' as the coffee house wag. t:edo"nwng to a sotii‘dtrack of eait'pleeriwig OXI)(}l'lll"(}llI£il ia//. To controth int. l}l'(}}ll(ll(I(ES. | embarked on an lll‘.”(}SIl§]aIl()l‘. into the hes? of this year's stand-tip trouhadours. \."."itheut douht. John Hegley is the current Pope of Poetry. His verse is a 53(2I‘l/()l)Il"(}l‘.l(Z n‘lx. the bespectacled hard f3'.‘."’i(iIillitl tron: i‘athos to strut. tvch‘ ‘.'.'ord§. diatrihe to clipped ccup'et in an 'ostai‘t. llis ll(E‘.'.' shos.’ [rte Sound of Pace? /)"',".’T(,' O... 'I)l(‘:€if3{t'i(2(?.1'55)“ {Shot}.tiiiti1?t¥/\ug.riot 19.39)in fieas '.'.'i’.li (f'iiItl'l'ltl tiien‘es. shes: 'iotaitl‘. the i::>et's :t‘tirti‘ avert tli“ir:tilt relatior‘sl‘it '.'.'I'."i "is i21iI‘t‘:".(:£ll(Z'll’.. 1‘ :>'il'. for l leg (1-: 's 'At’tirri‘atio'“. ‘.‘.'h it.“ ‘taat1iies ti‘e iwe: ‘| pellet-e That Buddha '.'.«:>t;'<i haue r“a<:‘e a ;;:><>ri filiiléi3l(3.'
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Lute at me: John Hegley verbalises the sound of paint drying
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DON'T MISS
OMID DJALILI Colours between the lines 0000.
I've only ever seen clips of "the greats'. You know. Fddie lvltiririg. :n De/irious, Billy Connolly in the 70s. After semeg Oll‘ltt Dalili pla.’ to a packed heuse last night. i can't help feeling that people .'.'ili he talking ahOut. Behind Enemy Lines with the same rexerence in year‘s to come.
CirCLimstance trade it great. After Septerr‘l‘mr ‘i 1. the Iranian con‘ic felt obliged. nay morally bound. to make a stance. thh so many comedians Jumping on a hysteria trip. .tritnessing a than so completely moved and emotive about a suhiect. and soi‘.‘eho'.'.' managing to highlight the ridiculous and POI hype the inevitahFe .'.'as incredible. It was poignant. It was funny. It was sensational.
He tells us how his lzfe has changed since the terror st attack: he was asked to leave a lihrai'g, tor farting. he's I)(:(‘:'l salliertiezi to vaciai ahtise iii the street. he's hecoiue aii £1(I(Il(I(L-."I£il spokes'itan tor the Middle l ast; all thought provoking and hell‘ly ache l'l llifLI'ltl anecdotes. there's a tan hit of hell, dancing .'.'It(}l‘ the laughter chhs from its crescendo. He's a dab hand at shadoxr puppetry and I'lt: regional accents he deploys are sinipig,’ Siti’lXEI‘Jlltl.
One to tell your grandchildren about
this is what a festival show should lie. \.r"‘."tttt‘:f;s Hehgod / "en‘i lines or spend the rest of your life iegiettiiig it. :Mauieeri l Hm I Pleasa/ice. 5:56 (but). until (’6 Aug. [fill/w). 3‘70 3" ' I» .‘i .‘J’tl.
20 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE .‘I . :
NATALIE HAYNES Nice line in neurosis .00
the modern world is something of a struggle for Natalie ‘Nonetheless' Haynes. She trusts nothing. Things with more than four legs give her the ‘.'.’lIIl(§'fS. hut it's men that real/v have her quivering With tear: the chivalrous types who open doors for her. those who are older than her dad and a hit ‘nientalist': even her cuddly new Edinburgh fella. who she's coiwinced is concealii‘g his lliIlC'l't-‘flli evil.
Anuahle. giggly and gently semi- ottensive. she's let (I()‘.Vl! hi, a rapid fire deliveny' which swamps much of the material. For those anticipating a full- frontal allout sass Sl'tOW. you tray he disappointed; I suspect the tour middle aged hen night Sex and the C/fi/ wannabes in row four were certainly expecting more of a raucous affair.
But it yettr mind IS filled with utterly pomtless details about ‘r‘VOi‘ld War II codehreakers and obscure night-time menu's reporters. confess it all during the show and you may even have yourself a hest lit‘fi‘.‘ friend by the end of :t. (Brian Donaldsonl I /-’/easance. {$556 ($5550, l nt/l é’f)‘ Aug (no? 90/. ({‘Inlilifllll.
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