Went to see Mark Steel at the Apex on Thursday night. We’ve seen him on a couple of occasions before but this was the first time at Bury St. Edmunds. This tour was built around his search for his birth parents, which he admits he had little interest in pursuing until the birth of his own son. As we shall see, his own sense of self was confused, not clarified by his discoveries.
Theatre, Film, Arts
A Sunrise in 1927
Another of the “Riverside Nights” at the Riverside Theatre in Woodbridge, this time featuring the British film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, author, and film editor Kevin Brownlow. A very interesting Q&A, followed by a screening of one of Kevin’s favourite silent films, the 1927 ground breaker ‘Sunrise’, made by the German director F. W. Murnau. Although the storyline was little thin (although possibly not for the …
Mavis!
A rare foray yesterday, especially for Denise, into Ipswich town centre – I think she’s even less inclined to visit every time she goes. On this occasion, it was to the excellent film theatre to see the documentary of the wonderful Mavis Staples. The film itself was a fairly orthodox biopic, but none the worse for that as it allowed the subject to shine without the distraction of unnecessary gimmicks.
Mirth, Mathematics and Music
Have you heard the one about a Sril Lankan British stand-up comedian called Jonathan, an Indian who forever changed the course of mathematics thinking and two guitarists called Martin, all of whom could be found in Bury St. Edmunds on a Friday and Saturday night? No, well read on…..
Beards, Sheep and Woolly Jumpers
There was a time (yesterday actually) when we took a drive all the way up to Aldeburgh on a pretty grey Easter Saturday afternoon to sit in a local, very old fashioned cinema to see a film about two middle aged, feuding sheep farmers in a bleak and remote part of Iceland that had little dialogue and was subtitled anyway.
Kelly + Victor at the Riverside
Exceptionally, out on a Sunday evening last night (13th March) to the Riverside in Woodbridge to see a screening of Kelly + Victor, followed by a Q&A with the film’s director Kieran Evans. These “Riverside nights” have been put together and curated by Neil McGlone, who is friend and was a work colleague of Denise’s, but who is also a local film advisor and researcher. A nice innovation, I hope they’re a success.
Hangmen at the Wyndham’s (via the Riverside)
As Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen is about to finish its run at the Wyndham’s Theatre on Saturday and we weren’t going to make it to London, last night we took the opportunity to do the next best thing and catch a live streaming of the play at the Riverside Theatre in Woodbridge. No substitute for the real thing but a worthy alternative, nonetheless.
Sean Lock at the Apex (2nd February 2016)
Another visit to the Apex in Bury St. Edmunds last night, this time to see Sean Lock’s latest stand up routine. Maybe best known for ‘messing about’ on panel shows (as his wife would have it), this was nonetheless a very funny return to stand up, a mixture of observations and ruminations on everyday life and growing older, coupled with occasional flights of surrealism. The silly …
Lady In The Van
Spent yesterday in Bury St Edmunds and managed to catch Lady In The Van at the “Picture House”. Very impressive boutique style film theatre (if such a thing exists) with excellent café / bar attached. Has two screens and the one we were in had very roomy seats, bags of space and a row or two of very comfortable sofas. As for the film, it was …
Ed Byrne at the Mercury (14/11/2015)
Popped down to the Mercury at Colchester to see Ed Byrne’s latest stand-up routine “Outside Looking In”. Having recently seen Andy Hamilton ruminating on the vagaries of change, it was interesting to get another comedian’s take on the ‘delights’ of getting older.
Two Nights in Colchester (28-29 October, 2015)
Two consecutive evenings at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester, so we decided to stay over for a couple of nights at a Wivenhoe hotel that we had previously visited for an evening meal with friends. We go to all the exotic places for a break!
Agatha at the Mercury: 20/10/2015
Having run for over sixty years in London, we have often wondered whether or not we are the only couple left in the UK never to have seen The Mousetrap. Despite that, the tradition that the audiences should never reveal the murderer’s identity seems to have worked well enough for us, so at least when we saw the touring production in Colchester’s Mercury Theatre last night, we weren’t aware whodunit!