Sat 1st Feb A Brief History Of Music 2 Musicians, 600 years, 90 Minutes blastfromthepast.org.uk/
‘A Brief History Of Music‘ takes in 600 years of musical history in 90 minutes! Beginning in the Middle Ages and ending up in the 20th century (and incorporating everything in between!) this fun and fast-moving show is a whistle-stop tour of Western musical history.
Featuring long forgotten songs and tunes (not to mention jokes!) Blast from the Past paint a vibrant and vivid picture of our musical DNA, mixing the familiar and the obscure, the raucous and the reflective and the courtly and the commonplace.
The show combines the vigour of the medieval period, the musical intricacy of the Renaissance, the grandeur of the Baroque and the pomp and bombast of Victoriana. Add to that the wit of Blackadder and 1066 And All That and the stage is set for a veritable musical feast!
Complete with a bewildering array of instruments such as virginal, rauschpfeife and lute (and that’s just the first 100 years!) ‘A Brief History of Music‘ uses tunes, songs and humour to take you on a musical journey from which you won’t want to return!
Sat 1st Mar Dean Taylor Productions present 'The Actor’s Apology' www.deantaylorproductions.co.uk
Dean Taylor Theatre Productions will be known to many of you for their much acclaimed Shakespeare performance across the North West every Summer, at such venues as Whalley Abbey and Skipton Castle, They have just completed their 9th outdoor summer tour of "Twelfth Night."
Tonight however the comedy by John Cargill Thompson tells the true story of George Frederick Cooke, the 18th Century classical actor who was recurrently held to be drunk in performance and as a consequence ordered by the theatre management to apologise to his audience.
The piece was written for Gordon Rowe, the Chorley actor known for stage and television, most noticeably, ’Last of the Summer Wine'. He died in 2007 aged 70 from cancer and asked Dorothy his wife to pass down the play to Dean Taylor believing he might make use of it. Do come along and see if you think he has done.
Sat 5th Apr The Remedy youtube soundcloud
The Remedy are an up and coming, mellow, acoustic duo consisting of singer-songwriter Hannah Spurgeon and creative bass player Elliott Dryden. Formed in and inspired by the picturesque Ribble Valley, The Remedy, who are both 18, won The Reidys Home of Music Talent Competition 2013 playing their own brand of inspiring acoustic music.
Described by a local journalist as "tall and skinny and tight and melodic" their self-penned songs are said to be "captivating, carefully crafted and tasteful". Comments made upon their live appearances include "you took me on a journey that was so beautiful I felt part of the performance" and praise including "they project optimism from the stage".
Sat 3rd May Library Theatre Touring Company presents Weekend Breaks by John Godber
Martin, a budding novelist and would be stand-up comic invites his parents away for the weekend. He may be over 30, divorced and have children but to them he is still the seven year old who picked his nose in the nativity play.
Martin believes his parents are totally embarrassing; his Dad won't eat after 7 'cause he gets wind, his Mum thinks her ears will bleed if she gets too much fresh air... and they both do the 'slosh' in public! Martin may harbour socialist and humanitarian ideals but his parents are driving him to murderous distraction. Will he or won't he, that is the question.
With his unique, incisive humour, Godber shows a mastery of capturing the awkwardness of a family with not just a generation gap but a class divide as well, since Martin - the son of a miner - has married into the refined southern bourgeoisie... exactly the kind of people, in fact, who would drip condescension about Godber plays. As stoical, long-suffering father Len (Roger Cook) and incessantly complaining mother Joan (Debbie Kelly) demonstrate their love of Martin (Michael Brooksbank) by driving him to distraction with their banality, nit-picking and repetition, he decides to kill them - only to be pre-empted by Joan's heart attack.
Author John Godber was born the son of a miner in Upton, West Yorkshire. He trained as a teacher of drama at Bretton Hall College. He has won five Edinburgh Fringe First Awards and in 1984 won the Laurence Olivier Comedy of the Year Award for UP 'n' UNDER. His plays
Sat 7th Jun An Evening with Mervyn Stutter www.mervynstutter.com/
Making a welcome return appearance, Merv is best known for his comedy shows on Radio 4 and he has performed at the Edinburgh Festival for 27 years.
Like the host of a dinner party, he treats his audience as welcome guests. He chats a bit, tells a few jokes, makes some pithy observations, with lots of clever comedy songs on guitar. He is an accomplished singer and guitarist but what makes his performances so very good is the intelligence and the fun. His sometimes wicked but always affectionate sense of humour brings warmth and joy to an audience that is happy to laugh both at his life and their own.
"Celebrating the trivial and attacking the absurd he gives us a seriously funny show." - The Scotsman
Probably not suitable for children.
Tickets for any of these events, at the very reasonable price of £6
can be obtained at Jim's Garage, 21 King Street, Whalley
or Whalley Post Office or from David Balfour on 01254 822350
can be obtained at Jim's Garage, 21 King Street, Whalley
or Whalley Post Office or from David Balfour on 01254 822350