FineCity Magazine - April 2016

Issue 53 April 2016

Tony Cooper, wallows in the Broadway musical, Guys & Dolls, which returns to the Theatre Royal in May

Interview

We are honoured and privileged to present Colin Lang MBE, one of the county’s most prolific fund raisers, in this months Interview with Pete Goodrum.

Spring in our step

A fascinating walk along the Peddars Way with Steve Browning

FINEFood FINEplaces FINEpeople FINEarts FINEAdvice

PLUS

We have an insight into what’s coming up in the Norfolk and Norwich Festival 2016.

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Issue 53 April 2016

Tony Cooper, wallows in the Broadway musical, Guys & Dol which returns to thels, Theatre Royal in May

INTERVIEW

We are honoured and privileged to present Colin Lang MBE, one of the county’s most prolific fund raisers, in this months Interview with Pete Goodrum.

SPRING IN OUR STEP A fascinating walk along the Peddars Way with Steve Browning

FINEFOOD FINEPLACES FINEPEOPLE FINEARTS FINEADVICE

FINE people

26

FINE places

We have an insight

PLUS

into what’s coming up in the Norfolk and Norwich Festival 2016.

NOR WIC H

58

Issue 53 Your community magazine FineCity Magazine would like to thank all those who have contributed to this issue. This includes but is not limited to: Pete Goodrum, Stephen Browning, Harry Farrow, Tony Cooper, Stephen Forster and Tim Barnes-Clay Images courtesy of Daniel TInk Cover Image courtesy of: Theatre Royal Norwich

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FINE arts

Jonathan Horswell @JonathanHorswel

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2016 April | 05

06 | April 2016

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Colin Lang MBE

W

Pete Goodrum spends time with Colin Lang MBE for an in depth interview. e’re in a busy coffee shop, just outside the city centre.

Colin has arrived just before me, and by the time I have a cup in my hand we fall to talking about just how complicated it is to buy a coffee nowadays. Americano?

Latte. To drink in or go? Full milk or semi skimmed? Chocolate on top? So many decisions! And it takes time. The mostly young staff are stretched and the queue is lengthening. It would be easy to get annoyed. Colin Lang doesn’t because, as I will discover, it’s not in his DNA to be anything but positive about young people.

I’ve interviewed a lot of people for this column, and it’s true that I’ve found a disarming

modesty in many of the high achievers. People who have done remarkable things, but don’t exactly shout about them.

Colin Lang is something else. This man redefines ‘unassuming’.

We get down to the biographical details. Colin was born in Oulton Broad and ‘crossed the border’ as he puts it, into Norfolk, whilst very young. He went to Loddon Secondary Modern School, and had a very clear ambition. He simply wanted to be a superstar rock drummer. This goal was not realised. I sympathise as mine, to be a superstar rock singer, also strangely floundered in much the same way.

It’s not that he didn’t try. ‘We had

Picture courtesy of Archant/EDP/Denise Bradley

a band, at school. We’d rehearse and play in the Crypt at Norwich School’.

His father however thought there might be a more stable future and dependable income from other employment. A precedent existed in that his grand father had been a policeman, and so it was that Colin joined the force straight from school at 16.

After training he was posted to The Norfolk Constabulary at King’s Lynn. ‘This was 1978. It was a good training ground for a young officer.

The fact is that it was deprived area, and Saturday night fights on the docks were pretty frequent’.

Married by 1979, Colin realised he did have a professional aim.

‘I wouldn’t say that I was overly ambitious in the sense of relentlessly chasing promotion. But, I was, and still am, a bit of a ‘petrol head’, and I really wanted to work in Traffic’.

He got there. Three years later, and still based at King’s Lynn, he was on the Traffic squad, doing the driving that he loved. ‘It was my dream job. Driving high performance cars’.

He moved back to Norwich for a while, as his father was ill, and had a short stint ‘in the office’ but overall did 17 years ‘in the car’ and ‘loved it’.

Something did tempt him away though. ‘I heard about a Youth Officers role, in Norwich. It appealed to me and I applied for a secondment. I got it, for what was initially supposed to be for three months. It proved to be a unique challenge. ‘I was working with disengaged young people, some of them on the brink of crime’.

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Colin became involved with not just his local school at The Heartsease, but also The Prince’s Trust.

‘I was working with youngsters who could so easily have taken the wrong road’ he says. Out of this work, which saw him in the school for three days a week, came another rather special development. With help from The Prince’s Trust, Colin was instrumental in launching the XL Clubs. In fact Norwich was the first of these ventures.

‘It meant engaging with students at around Year 9, and giving them direction. Getting them out of the spiral that so often starts with exclusion and on to a course that would result in a qualification. It helped me see a different side to life. And it did good’.

He pauses for a moment and then, with more pleasure than pride, says, ‘I still see some of those kids. They’re grown up now, but they’ll still cross the road to say hello to me’.

Another project had emerged at the same time as XL. Colin was involved, along with Crime Watchers, in bringing into Norwich the club called SNAP. The idea was to launch a club for young people, but aim it at the under 18s. There would be no alcohol, no machines to play and you’d be searched and

feature by:

Pete Goodrum Writer, broadcaster @petegoodrum

2016 April | 07

FINEPeople

Picture courtesy of Archant/EDP/Antony Kelly

breathalysed before you came in.

In other words, all the music, all the volume, would be there, but in a safe, drug and alcohol free environment.

SNAP was set up on week nights in the premises then used by TIME nightclub, and tickets went on sale for £5. You bought them at the police station. They sold out.

Very soon there were appearances at SNAP by top pop stars and DJs. There is an irony here. So popular were the £5 tickets to SNAP that they could be found on the ‘black market’ for £15.

I know that sounds wrong. It sits uneasily. Black market? For tickets to get into a place dedicated to keeping kids safe and away from drugs, alcohol and crime?

08 | April 2016

I don’t care.

Kids prepared to pay over the odds to engage in something so rooted in good sense and their wellbeing is a measure of success not a crime.

And anyway, all the income went to the community.

‘It was’, says Colin, ‘a phenomenal success. I knew the potential was there, so with five years to go to retirement I set the goal of establishing a purpose built, or permanent, club for young people’.

The idea came to fruition in the form of OPEN. We digress for a moment to put the story into perspective.

‘At the same time as these plans were coming together we had

a dreadful period in Norwich, directly related to youngsters not getting home safely’.

It’s when he adds, ‘Three of them found dead. Two in the river. One in a toilet,’ that it hits you. It hits you as a terrifying statistic. It jolts you into realising the dangers. And it reminds you that this genial, kindly, caring man has also been a copper. He knows about the rough side of life. And death. But, when you see the sudden sadness in his eyes as he recalls those three lives that end-ed in the river and a toilet you get a glimpse, just a tiny insight, into what makes him special.

‘My Chief Superintendent wanted to find a way to help young people get home safely, and he asked me to take on the project, which I did’.

With the help of local businessman Graham Dacre the SOS Bus was up and running within six weeks. And it was Mr Dacre who put together the deal for purchasing the old Barclay’s Bank building to create OPEN the permanent site for a club that didn’t have to rely on week nights only because it was borrowing space from a, generous, nightclub.

The SOS Bus went on to be developed for 12 more locations, becoming part of the ‘Home Office Toolkit’ for protecting young people. It was replicated in towns including Belfast, Luton and Leicester.

But Colin didn’t stop there. In 2008 he was immersed in a fund raising campaign to buy more buses. It was successful, of course. www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPeople In fact it raised so much money that specialist buses, carrying medical units were also kitted out to deal with emergencies on the street, and lessen pressure on A and E departments.

He’d been concentrating on the OPEN club, working with The Prince’s Trust and organisations like The Matthew Project, to bring in partners, explaining to them the benefits of the club in its Barclay’s building position.

In 2008 he left. The same Chief Superintendent who’d been so influential before now suggested to him the possibility of working with St John’s Ambulance.

‘I joined them, and I worked hard at new youth and community projects. We also developed awareness of first aid in schools’.

Not sure of his place in a changing organisation, and wary of the likelihood of extensive travelling, he moved on to his next role, as Chief Executive of Nelson’s Journey.

Once again, he was at the forefront of fund raising and heightening awareness. Under his watch this outstanding organisation, dedicated to helping bereaved children, raised over £1m to help build Smiles House, their premises in Little Plumstead.

There followed a brief tenure with Norfolk and Norwich Scope Association, which brings us up to date. Almost.

He’s been working as a ‘freelance’, offering his skills on a consultancy basis to companies. ‘I suppose I could best describe it as helping organisations distribute their money more effectively. What I mean by that is helping them to help their charities in the best possible way’.

This freelance role comes to an end this week. He’s just been appointed to work with the East Anglian Children’s Hospice as Development Manager. ‘They need to raise money for their new hospice at Framingham Earl. There’s around £2m raised already. That means £8m to find. www.finecity.co.uk

It’s a big challenge. But then I like a big challenge’.

We’ve been talking for quite a while now. He’s not mentioned it.

So I will. The MBE? ‘Ah, yes. That was a surprise. I really, genuinely, did not expect that’.

He goes on to explain that he was, of course, thrilled to be awarded the MBE in 2008, and that it was a great day. He was particularly pleased to receive his from The Queen (‘because that doesn’t always happen’). ‘The fact is though that you don’t go out there to do things to win acclaim or awards’.

When you meet Colin Lang, you learn to take that as a given.

Interestingly he adds, almost whimsically, ‘To this day I don’t know who nominated me’.

Colin lives in Norwich . “Inside the ring road’ as he describes it.

He and his wife have two grown up children. His interests, when you press him are centred on the family, and golf, and travel. ‘I love to travel and I’ve been to a lot of places. New Zealand is a target, we’ve not been there yet’.

Oh, and cars. He still loves cars.

He’ll admit two things. Some of the pleasure of driving has gone nowadays. And that he’s ‘probably spent too much money on cars over the years’.

There’s a third admission actually. If he sees a ‘chase’, blue lights flashing on a police car, he gets a twinge of nostalgia, a frisson of excitement for those days.

It takes our conversation back to police work and the cars he drove.

He recalls the Lotus Sunbeam. I’m not going to record here what he claims he could do with a Lotus Sunbeam. I’m prepared to believe this innately honest man that it’s true. But I’m not sure it’s legal!

We’re coming to the end of our conversation and he searches his memory banks for a moment to see if there’s anything of interest he’s missed. He drops in a mention, as you do, of the Prince Michael of Kent Road Safety Award for his work on an extraordinarily innovative scheme to teach road safety in schools.

Think the Junior Highway code and getting youngsters to come up with their ideas in the form of a rap. Yes. Honestly.

But, for all the memories he’s shared with me today Colin is really about the future. He talks of a new phase coming. A phase when the charity sector will need to gear itself up for withstanding changes and cuts as government involvement will go ‘no further than their legal obligation’.

There’s no reason to assume his predictions are wrong, because he’s about as informed and knowledgeable a person as you’ll meet in this area. But, if there are new ways to raise awareness, raise funds and raise the bar in creating ways to help good works I have little doubt that Colin Lang will find them.

There's a cliche that people use when they’ve met someone to look up to. ‘It’s been a pleasure and a privilege’ they say. Sometimes, the well known phrases are the best. They sum it up. They do today. I’ve spent an hour or more talking with the worldly, but never world weary, open minded but never not focussed, successful but not self centred, kindly, intelligent and articulate man that is Colin Lang MBE. And you know what? It’s been a pleasure and a privilege.

2016 April | 09

Peddars Way A Walk along the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path Text Stephen Browning Photos Daniel Tink

feature by:

Steve Browning Writer @returningperson

10 | April 2016

S

pring has truly sprung and many of us will be dusting down the outdoor clothes and boots. Where to go for a bracing walk is not a problem at all here in the Fine City or lovely county of Norfolk. There are innumerable short excursions of great interest. At the same time,

Norfolk is blessed in having one of the country’s great walking trails totalling about 93 miles. The first section – the Peddars Way – is 46 miles long and travels, more or less, in an extraordinary straight line through perfect Norfolk countryside from Knettishall Heath to Holme.

The second part – the Norfolk

Coast Path – could hardly be more different, edging Norfolk’s wild and magnificent coast from Hunstanton to Cromer.

How Did The Peddars Way Come About?

This is a great mystery and there are all sorts of theories from serious to crackpot. Some say that the route was formed just after Queen Boudicca’s very-nearlysuccessful attempt to drive the Roman invaders into the sea. The www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPLACES

track for traders to get to markets on the Continent.

Part 1 Knettishall Heath To Holme: Total Distance 46 Miles This first part is best considered in manageable chunks: of course, what you consider the right length of each will depend very much on how fit you are and also on how fast you wish to proceed.

On our journey, we split it into four, the longest being the first, at 14.5 miles; the second, from Little Cressingham, to Castle Acre is 11.7; the third, to Sedgford is 13.9, and the last, to Holme and Hunstanton, around 8.9. It is marvellous in that, although brimming with interest both on and just off the path, all of it is pretty much accessible to all ages and abilities. You can also cycle most of it and horse riders will find few problems, although they may have sometimes to take a special parallel route.

theory is that the Emperor Nero ordered the path to be built in order to move his troops quickly over the area and inflict vengeance on the troublesome East Angles, which, by all accounts the Romans did with terrible ferocity.

Others say that the route was part of a much longer pathway extending to Cornwall but the purpose of this has never been satisfactorily explained.

The most intriguing claim is made www.finecity.co.uk

by those who point out the incredibly straight nature of the path: they pose the very relevant question ‘who would have wanted to take a super-fast route to Holme? Why?’ (Sorry present day Holme, no offence – we highlight your incredible beauty in the book). The solution, say these folk, is to be found in the fact that 500 million years ago Norfolk formed part of what is known as the ‘Avalonian Block’, which means that it actually was connected to Europe. Thus the route was a fast

Here are some features of special interest we found as we went along.

The first section is very easy and popular with many folk for a walk prior to Sunday lunch. You will cross streams, walk beside dark, tilled fields edged by magnificent trees (the Jay is responsible for many of these as each bird will ‘hide’ several thousand acorns each spring to theoretically retrieve in the winter) and you may be lucky enough to spot a Red, Roe or Muntjac deer. The Woodlark, Stone Curlew, Woodland Jays, Sparrowhawks and Crossbills are a few of the birds who have taken a liking to the relatively newly planted Corsican pines.

Rabbits The land has always had precious little commercial value. Once wild horses were to be found here and the Normans introduced rabbits, protected by special ‘Warreners’: the rabbit industry was one of the mainstays of employment here right up to the 1930s. Thereafter, the UK government decided to plant hundreds of thousands of pine trees which, even now, you can witness struggling to gain the lifegiving sun by straggling upwards often to a great height. Thus was

2016 April | 11

FINEPLACES the salty tang of the immense ocean ahead and so you can both smell and see Holme-Nextthe-Sea before you. The Dunes are a wonderland of huge flat golden sands, wild grasses, fungi, moths – this is the ‘moth capital of England’ as up to 900 different varieties are blown over from the continent - butterflies and dragon flies. A sign near the dunes tells you that you have completed the first section of the journey – the Peddars Way itself.

produced the largest man-made forest in England.

Lucilla’s Tragedy You will edge the Stanford Battle Area which is a training area for the British Army. In 1942, the government decide to evacuate the villages of Buckenham Tofts, Langford, Stanford, Sturston, Tottington and West Tofts, assuring the villagers that their homes would be available again after the war. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and the area remains today a training ground for UK troops going to Afghanistan and elsewhere. There is a tragic and legendary story – told in the book of our travels – of Lucilla, a resident who began a fruitless five-year campaign to regain her home. In 1950 she was told she would never be allowed to return and, on Remembrance Day, she hanged herself.

Pingos And Grimes Graves This is Pingo country and you will see some of these small ponds which, 20,000 years ago, were hills of ice.

Just off the path is Grimes Graves, a flint mining complex, where

12 | April 2016

Part 2 The Norfolk Coast Path This part of the walk could hardly be more different. It is undoubtedly more challenging and we divided it up into 7 shorter sections, ranging from about 5 miles to 9.

You cannot take horses here nor bicycles, although there is a special cycle way just a little inland. much of the exquisite flint from which many of Norfolk’s finest buildings were built, was extracted.

Deer antlers were used to hack out the flint and the site gained especial importance at the time of the Napoleonic Wars when up to 300,000 gunflints a month were supplied to Wellington’s men.

exquisite villages including Little and Greater Cressingham and Castle Acre, where the Cluniac Order became established just after the Conquest. You will also edge Houghton Hall, a fine Palladian house, once the home of Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first Prime Minister.

You will pass through some

Before long the air changes to

Beginning at Hunstanton (or Sunny Hunny to the locals), a complete new town built by Henry Le Strange in mid Victorian times and, before that, the landing place of St Edmund, the first Patron Saint of England, you retrace your steps past Holme and on to Thornham.

Here you will see a land of rolling mists and the legendary and mysterious Thornham stumps.

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FINEPLACES The path continues past Brancaster which, apart from being incredibly beautiful, is legendary in being the spot where Norfolk’s greatest sea hero, Admiral Lord Nelson, gained his love of the ocean. We took a breather in Burnham Deepdale as it is a good stopping-off point with a campsite, information centre, shops and cafes. The panorama is simply stunning.

From here it is about 8.1 miles to Holkham, along one of Norfolk’s most beautiful stretches of coastline. You may get blown about a little! You may like to visit Holkham Estate, home of the famous Thomas Coke whose ancestor, the 1st Earl of Leicester, built a beautiful house and began the task of reclaiming this hitherto barren land for agriculture.

For many, the next stage of the walk – about 7.2 miles to Stiffkey – is paradise and passes through Wells-Next-the Sea with its endless sandy beaches. It is also a site of international importance, as is much of this coast walk as well, for rare birds: autumn will see tens of thousands of Pink Geese crossing the skies in a V-shape formation as they begin their migratory odyssey.

You may well spare a thought for the Rector of Stiffkey, Howard Davidson, as you pass by. He was by all accounts a fine priest who fell fowl of some powerful local people due to his habit of travelling to Soho in London and helping the prostitutes there.

In 1932 he was found guilty of immorality and defrocked. Ever the showman and determined to demonstrate his innocence, he took to appearing in a fairground at Blackpool. He would enter the cage of a lion and lioness and talk to the ticket holders.

Unfortunately, in the performance on 28 July 1937, he stood on the tail of the lioness and was killed by the lion. There was great grief at his funeral and, right up to today, people talk of him, most considering him quite innocent of the charges laid against him.

Then the walk continues to Cley, to Weybourne and Cromer. You www.finecity.co.uk

2016 April | 13

FINEPLACES

14 | April 2016

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FINEPLACES will pass through Salthouse, once very prosperous as salt was a most valuable commodity in days gone by. It was also the home of one, Onesiphorous Randall, who built a lovely house. On the beach. He put a canon in front of his domain to stop prying eyes as often a carriage could be seen whisking along the sands carrying a beautiful lady. The ‘folly’ as it was known lasted until 1953 when it was duly carried away by the sea.

You will pass through East and West Runton, Sheringham and into Cromer, famed always and now for the ‘Cromer Crab’. Once also, as we highlight in one of our books ‘Norfolk Food Heroes’, this was the centre of the herring industry, probably the most important industry in Norfolk.

The area also has associations with the Black Shuk, a huge dog with glowing eyes who was partial to the throats of any foolish folk who ventured onto the cliffs at night.

In fact, it was here that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the most widely read author in the world, heard of the legend and based one of the greatest of the Sherlock Holmes stories on these events. It was ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’, and it gained immediate international attention just a year after his visit here in 1901.

Sir Arthur also based some of his best Sherlock Holmes stories on things he saw and heard about when on one of his motoring trips in the county. He used to play cricket and golf here sometimes – it is fascinating to wonder if Holmes’ chief antagonist, the infamous Professor Moriarty, was based on a man of that name who he would probably have known from Sheringham Golf Club.

Arguably, of even greater importance in the development of the area was a journalist named Clement Scott, who was sent here by his paper, the Daily Telegraph, to find out why this part of the coast appealed to so many. He came down and immediately fell in love with the area as well as a local miller’s daughter, Louie Jermy. The area is now known as ‘Poppyland’ and that is down to him. He wrote www.finecity.co.uk

the following famous verse in the churchyard of Sidestrand church, just a couple of miles from the end of this trail. He was waiting for his love.

that may be?

Was it hope or fulfilling that entered each breast, Ere death gave release, and the poppies gave rest?

In my Garden of Sleep, where red poppies are spread, I wait with the living alone with the dead!

For a tower in ruins stand guard o’er the deep, At whose feet are green graves of dear women asleep!

Did they love as I love, when they lived by the sea?

Did they wait as I wait, for the days

It is true that, if you wait in summer for the tide to recede and walk a little out on the sands, you can look back and see the cliffs, the green of the trees, and an arc of glowing red poppies under the limitless metallic blue sky with its characteristic Norfolk primrose edge. The effect is quite beyond beautiful and you may well be tempted to write a poem, too!

A book of their trip by Daniel Tink and Stephen Browning ‘Peddars Way and the Norfolk Coast Path’ is published by Halsgrove at £14.99.

2016 April | 15

Cologne

Euro travelling man, Tony Cooper, explores Cologne, one of his favourite German cities

A

fter Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, Cologne - a charming city located on both sides of the Rhine - is Germany’s fourth-largest city and if you want to enjoy a nice weekend break,

16 | April 2016

think no further, as Cologne, let me tell you, is a perfect destination: safe, sound and full of life! To give you a clue: the city boasts the most pubs per capita in Germany, enjoys a vibrant night-life and harbours countless of excellent www.finecity.co.uk

FINEPLACES

feature by:

Tony Cooper Writer tc@tony-cooper.co.uk

network and Eurostar’s service from London St Pancras to Brussels is not that much longer.

Cologne, as you would expect, is a city rich in history, heritage and all that goes with it and one of its popular attractions is its magnificent cathedral the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. Here you’ll find the shrine of The Three Kings containing the relics of The Magi. Amazing, I hear you say! But it’s true!

The city’s boiling over, too, with culture while it’s an educational stronghold like no other as the Universität zu Köln is one of the oldest and largest learning institutions in Europe.

It goes without saying, really, but all of Germany’s principal cities are awash with good orchestras and opera-houses.

Cologne’s no exception! Based at the spacious and comfortable Kölner Philharmonie, you have the Gürzenich Orchestra and the WDR Symphony Orchestra, while the world-famous early music ensemble, Musica Antiqua Köln, adds greatly to the city’s overall cultural scene.

restaurants to suit all tastes, pockets and desires!

And it didn’t take me long to find one of the city’s finest. Lying in the shadow of Cologne’s imposing Gothic-designed cathedral www.finecity.co.uk

(Kölner Dom), the restaurant was appropriately named The XII Apostles. It proved such a lovely experience that Miss X and I dined there on three occasions.

Travelling to Cologne, though,

proved an equally enjoyable experience as we let the train take the strain all the way from Norwich. The journey’s relative quick and easy, too, as Cologne’s only a couple of hours from Brussels on the hi-speed rail

But Cologne in the 1950s got up to steam and found itself an important hotbed for contemporary music, too, especially with the founding of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Studio für elektronische Musik. And two decades later, the public radio/ TV station WDR egged on the contemporary music scene even more by giving valuable air-time 2016 April | 17

FINEPLACES

And as I leave the station I always admire the Kölner Dom. It hits you in the face! It’s there!

18 | April 2016

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FINEPLACES to the musical genre Krautrock, a fusion of rock and electronic music aimed towards improvisation on minimalistic arrangements.

Although I’m familiar with many of Cologne’s orchestras and cultural attractions, I’ve never given it a thought as to how the city got its name. Until now! But if you think about it, the name itself should give you a vital clue. Think!

It’s a Roman town, I found out, established in the first century AD as Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium. But just like a crossword clue, it’s easy when you know the answer.

The city functioned as the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and as the headquarters of the Roman military in the region until occupied by the Franks in 462. And during the Middle Ages, it flourished on one of the most important major

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trade routes between eastern and western Europe.

And to catch up on Cologne’s rich heritage and to find out more about its Roman connections, look no further than the city’s Römisch-Germanisches Museum, which, incidentally, protects the original site of a Roman town villa from which a large Dionysus mosaic remains in its original place in the basement while the related Roman road is located just outside.

In this respect the museum’s also an archaeological site. But it also has the task of preserving the city’s Roman cultural heritage, too. It’s an archaeological treasure-house beyond measure and Miss X and I spent a good three hours there and wanted more. But three hours, I thought, is more than enough for a first visit.

The Romans were a clever lot in many respects and they were

spot on in locating strategic geographical sites in which to found and build their settlements.

Cologne still holds a strategic position and nowadays is an important European railway junction. For instance, Deutsche Bahn InterCity Express (ICE) trains link Cologne with Amsterdam and Brussels and the Belgian hi-speed Thalys service link Cologne with Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris while ICE trains will speed you across Germany without too much fuss to such vibrant and important cities (as well as important railway hubs) as Frankfurt-am-Main and Berlin with Poland and the rest of eastern Europe beckoning while Paris sorts out travellers en route to southern Europe and beyond.

But each and every time I arrive at Cologne’s railway-station the first thing I notice is the massive (and impressive) sign advertising Eau de Cologne 4711 (Kölnisch

Wasser). This world-renowned perfumed water was created by Italian immigrant, Johann Maria Farina, at the beginning of the 18th century and his family (now in its eighth generation) are still at the helm. But they sold the famous brand of 4711 a decade ago to Mäurer & Wirtz, a company based in Stolberg near the city of Aachen and not a million miles from Cologne.

And as I leave the station I always admire the Kölner Dom. It hits you in the face! It’s there! I don’t think there are many grand European cathedrals that you can reach by train but Cologne’s definitely one of them.

Another museum I was highly recommended was Museum Ludwig housing one of the most important collections of modern art in Europe which includes a Picasso collection matched only by

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FINEPLACES museums found in Barcelona and Paris while Museum Schnütgen centres upon medieval art and Museum für Angewandte Kunst, applied art.

But if you’re interested in European painting from the 13th to the early 20th century, make for the Wallraf-Richartz museum and for ecclesiastical art, head for the Kolumba Kunstmuseum des Erzbistums Köln (museum of the Archbishopric of Cologne) built round medieval ruins. The site was originally occupied by the Romanesque church of St Columba which was destroyed in World War Two and replaced in 1950 by a Gottfried Böhm chapel nicknamed the ‘Madonna of the Ruins’.

The museum has an amazing collection including paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, decorative art and religious icons from Late Antiquity to the present day. Apart from a few works on permanent display, the museum’s presentation features an everchanging selection of its fine collection. One fascinating display that more than caught my eye was a fine collection of rosaries.

But there’s another museum that’s a visitor attraction like no other but this one specialises in the art of the chocolatier. That was of particular interest to me and the Schokoladen Museum, nestling the banks of the Rhine, confirmed my sweet-tooth status. Don’t pass it by! At the end of the tour, it’s all there packaged and waiting for you!

full apron. Die Schokoladenmädchen is a simple, delicate and impossibly realistic treasure in the overwhelming collection of the museum. I meet her every day, though! I have a nice coloured print of her in my study along with that other smiling girl, the Mona Lisa, who has been hanging around the Louvre for quite some time.

If Cologne’s well known for its museums and so forth it’s equally well known for its beer, too. But so is Germany overall! There are breweries everywhere! But in Cologne, Kölsch’s the brew to go for and, funnily enough, it’s also the name of a local dialect. As such, this has led to a common joke shared among locals of Kölsch being the only language one can drink. Prost!

Miss X and I got down to the business of downing a glass or two at Brauerei zur Malzmuehle, a traditional Kölsch brew-house and, like The XII Apostles, situated at Heumarkt (Haymarket), slap bang next to the Maritim Hotel where we stayed in idyllic luxury surroundings. The hotel (in which we had a deluxe room with a wonderful panoramic view of the Kölner Dom) had everything you could wish for including a well-

Kranz (wreath) for carrying Kölsch glasses

kitted out leisure club. And that’s a necessity for me when travelling while the breakfast table was a feast (and, I mean, a feast) for the eyes.

Brauerei zur Malzmuehle, by the way, is the second oldest of its kind in Cologne founded in 1858 and it lived up to its reputation.

We enjoyed a super night out with good ‘down-to-earth’ food complemented by, of course, good beer. And so did President Clinton by all accounts. He waxed lyrical about the place on his visit in June 1999 while he tucked into a dish of marinated beef served

with traditional dumplings washed down, of course, by the local brew.

He remarked that it was the best brew-house in Koln. Would he say anything else, I wonder? But I wholeheartedly agree with Bill, it would be hard to better. I’ll be there on my next trip good and proper and also rekindle the flame at The XII Apostles.

Another discovery I made is that the waiters thriving in these traditional brew-houses are called ‘Köbes’. They are nicely turned out, too, dressed in the traditional costume of old brewery workers:

However, if you want to meet the ‘real’ Schokoladenmädchen you’ll need to visit Dresden and seek her out at the Old Masters’ Picture Gallery at the Zwinger Palace.

She’s pretty and you’ll find her on the top floor standing in profile to the viewer carrying a tray with a single cup of cocoa. Her hair is covered and her face is nearly neutral. A delicate pastel drawing it was completed by the SwissFrench-born artist, Jean-Etienne Liotard, whose fame mainly rests upon this work.

He put meticulous detail into the sheen of her velvet blouse while greatly detailing the creases in her 20 | April 2016

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The façade of the well-appointed Maritim Hotel Köln

a buttoned-up blue-knitted jacket with a double row of black buttons, black trousers and a blue apron while a leather purse hangs on their apron. They look smart from top to toe!

They’re a unique type of German waiter, I feel, and come in all manner of moods I steadily observed. Some seem cheeky or calm, some austere or taciturn, depending on the night, I suppose. But I think it’s fair to say that the one that Miss X and I encountered perfectly fitted the adjective ‘taciturn’.

They buzz about the restaurant like bees around a honey-pot topping up beer-glasses by the dozen while carrying the beer in a ‘Kranz’ (wreath), a round tray holding about a dozen glasses with a short pole sticking up in the centre acting as a handle. They actually fill the glasses directly from www.finecity.co.uk

the ten-litre barrels known as ‘Pittermännchen’ which are rather small and generally emptied very quickly to ensure that the beer is always fresh and cool.

glasses you’ve had in such simple fashion by marking the number on a beer-mat. Easy! Ours was well marked! But that equated to a good time, of course!

And as Kölsch is a top-fermented beer, it means that the yeast rises to the top during the fermentation process. It also has more hops than most German beers therefore it’s less carbonated than some which makes it particularly light, digestible and, from my point of view, more agreeable.

Famous Cologners: Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967), politician, mayor of Cologne (1917-33 / 1945) and the first West German Federal Chancellor; Heinrich Böll (1917-85), writer and winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1972; Max Bruch (1838-1920), composer; Max Ernst (1891-1976), artist; Jacques Offenbach (181980), composer; Wolfgang von Trips (1928-61), F1 racing-driver.

Traditionally, Kölsch glasses are long and cylindrical holding 0.2 litres and called ‘Stangen’. You only find them in Cologne. Oddly enough, you don’t have to ask the waiter for a refill either. It just happens! If you’ve had enough, you conveniently place a beer-mat over your glass and the waiter picks up on it and in due course brings you the bill. They work out how many

Cologne takes some beating! Auf wiedersehen!

The journey to Cologne was as simple as they come. On this trip Miss X and I took Abellio Greater Anglia’s service to London Liverpool

Street - fares between Norwich and London start from £9 one way booked in advance (www. abelliogreateranglia.co.uk).

We then crossed over to St Pancras to catch Eurostar to Brussels travelling the last leg of the journey to Cologne on board the Belgian hi-speed rail service Thalys.

Eurostar operates up to nine daily services from London St Pancras International to Brussels ( journey time: 2 hrs 1 min).

All routes can be booked via Voyages-sncf.com or on 0844 848 5 848.

Maritim Hotel Köln: www. maritim.de Brauerei zur Malzmuehle: www.muehlenkoelsch.de 2016 April | 21

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The Life And Works Of Charles Dickens In 30 Pictures

P

Part 3 (of 3)

reviously, we have looked at the life of the greatest of English novelists: firstly, from a lonely and miserable boy stuck in a blacking factory at the age of 12 to the first international literary superstar upon publication of ‘The Pickwick Papers’ twelve years later, and thence on to some of his finest work culminating in ‘A Christmas Carol’ in 1843 when he was 31; then, last month, we looked at his continuing success in his middle years. Here are ten final pictures encapsulating the end of his life and premature death, undoubtedly caused by too much work, in 1870. He was just 58.

Picture 21 (Below) Dickens is a lot of fun north of London. Whereas in the south it is not always difficult to place his characters – he loved to go to Brighton or Dover and then

across the Channel to France and Italy - he was not all that easy to trace when he ventured to the north of our country. A good many of his locations are generic – witness ‘Coketown’ above as a bit of Manchester and Preston (with some features of Birmingham!).

Little has exercised his fans so much – including me – as to the exact wanderings of Little Nell in The Old Curiosity Shop when she decided to venture and lurch northwards, not south, before her untimely death. Of which, by the by, Thackeray said, in despair, that there was no competing with writing like this and reputedly chucked the manuscript out of the train window in which he was travelling. Oscar Wilde, on the other hand said ‘You would have to have a heart of stone not to laugh’. At all events, it grabbed the attention of, not just England, but the world. It is reported that, when the latest monthly edition of the tale was about to be landed in New York, people lined the

quay, yelling ‘Is Little Nell dead? Is she dead?’ Publishing the novel in monthly parts, Dickens had left the world on a cliff-hanger – was she or wasn’t she? As we all know now, she was. This is a picture of the Old Curiosity Shop where Little Nell and her uncle worked before fleeing the capital.

Picture 22 (Top Right) This is a photograph of the Lizard, Cornwall by Daniel Tink. Dickens liked to escape to Devon and Cornwall on fact finding tours, maybe seeing first-hand the state of the tin mines or, more lightly, collecting material for All the Year Round and Household Words.

He took Wilkie Collins with him and sometimes Forster or Maclise.

One such holiday was when he was writing David Copperfield: the fresh air seemed to re-invigorate him and he returned to grimy old Wellington Street full of energy.

The Lizard and Kynance Cove

feature by:

Steve Browning Writer @returningperson

have a special connection with Dickens through Alfred Lord Tennyson, the Poet Laureate for much of the Victorian Era. This most southerly tip of our islands became very fashionable because of Tennyson’s love for the area.

Dickens and Tennyson were firm friends and dining partners, the latter agreeing to become Godfather to the novelist’s sixth child, Alfred D’Orsay Tennyson Dickens. The ‘D’Orsay’ part is in honour of the other Godfather, Count Alfred D’Orsay, and many people felt mightily sorry for the little chap saddled with such an unwieldy name. At the time of the christening a verse going the rounds asked: What eye but glistens And what ear but listens When the clergy christens A babe of 'Boz'?

Alfred led a full life, lecturing on his father and works in Australia and Europe. He died just before the First World War.

Picture 23 (Bottom Right) In June of 1865, Dickens was returning from a trip to Paris.

Near Staplehurst there was major engineering work going on and the track was up over a bridge.

For some reason, the train driver was not aware of this nor was he warned as he approached the bridge. He saw that the problem but it was too late. Part of the train lurched off the end of the track and into the ravine below.

10 people died. All but one of the 22 | April 2016

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first class carriages were lost and Dickens and his party were in the one that stayed up, precariously balanced over the edge of the bridge.

Dickens stopped to help with the rescue efforts for over three hours. There was one man under the carriage and all he could do was comfort him as he died.

Another time he gave a badly injured lady a drink of brandy from his flask before moving on: when he came by again she was dead.

When all was done that could be done, and he prepared to travel on, he realized that he had left something important in the carriage and he clambered back to fetch it. He emerged with a package that contained the latest installment of Our Mutual Friend.

Dickens never again felt safe on trains.

There is something else to the story, too. His travelling party consisted of Ellen Ternan and her mother. Dickens had met Ellen

three years previously when he co-starred with her in a charity performance of A Frozen Deep.

When Dickens had left his wife, he was very much concerned about any disapproval (and probably lessening of sales) from his adoring Victorian public. They did not approve of marriage split-ups.

Even less would they have been prepared to see Dickens having a relationship with a lady many years his junior. Did he have an affair? This question has spawned a great deal of literature. Yes, he did, say some – there is even talk of a baby that died at birth.

No, he didn’t say others – it was just platonic. It may cast a clue, however, on why he made a huge bonfire of all his correspondence in 1860. The answer is, we simply don’t know.

Picture 24 (Overpage T-L) This is Catherine Dickens.

Catherine bore Dickens 10 children. In the end he grew tired of her lack of energy in contrast to his own and decided to split from her. This was a very serious state of affairs as, apart from

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the personal tragedy, he and his publishers were concerned that his adoring public might turn their backs on the great man. He issued an almost hysterical press statement blaming her for many things. This was not at all fair but she stood by him throughout the rest of her life which by all accounts was a lonely one. One incredible thing she did, however, was write a best-selling cookbook called ‘What Shall We Have for Dinner?’ and became the Mary Berry of her day: the book was ahead of its time in balancing food flavours, textures and colours.

Picture 25 (Overpage T-R) Apart from his writing, Dickens also almost invented another form of – Readings of Charles Dickens.

The theatrical nature of his prose – Mamie Dickens (his daughter) tells us that once she watched him at work when he was completely unaware that he was not alone: he would get up from his chair, go to the mirror and exchange conversation with his image; then he would return for a few minutes to write the exchange down, and

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then, hey-ho, he was up again for another one man performance – lent itself perfectly to great dramatic monologues. Two of his most successful readings were the murder of Nancy in Oliver Twist and, for comedic contrast, the trial of Mr Pickwick for breach of promise.

These readings were to rapidly exhaust him. Afterwards, following the rapturous reception and many, many tears (from him mostly as the audience went bonkers, stomping and cheering) he could not eat, he could not sleep, he could not rest.

The readings were very popular in America. Against his doctor’s advice, Dickens took a second tour of the country in 1867. Many consider these readings were responsible for his death.

Picture 26 (Below)

Norwich by Daniel Tink. There was one place, however, where he did not do so well – Norwich. He gave two readings here – on March 29 1867 at St Andrews Hall, a medieval monastic complex where he spoke in the main hall which bears an uncanny resemblance to the great hall at Hogwarts and is a couple of minutes’ walk from where this paragraph is being written at the moment; and at the Royal Hotel which (now very grand offices) was once one of the finest hotels in Norfolk at the time which was the following day, March 30. The audience was ‘not magnetic’ by which he means he could not feel any bond with his audience. Being a native of the county, I think I can understand that Norfolk folk would possibly have been somewhat bloodyminded, determined not to be swayed by this famous author from the big smoke. We are still a bit like that, actually.

Norwich was possibly also the scene of the very funny Eatanswill elections in ‘Pickwick’, where he remarks that the local people had a very fine opinion of their own importance. This is contested vigorously by several other places, notably Ipswich, but I think that the size of the election and description of the town points to Norwich.

Dickens is reputed to have attended a public hanging in Norwich and was appalled at what he witnessed. They used to take place outside the Norman Castle; The Bell Hotel was a favoured place to rent a room for a good view.

Picture 27 (Overpage T-L) This picture represents Dickens and his humour. As he was flamboyant in his dress and very, very famous, he was a natural target for satirists. Yet he also put a great deal of, often wicked, humour, into his writing. One of my favourite scenes probably takes place not far from Norwich (I say ‘probably’ because it is not completely clear). It is the time that Mr Pickwick and friends attend the summer party of Mrs Leo Hunter. My friends thought I was quite mad when, some years ago, I first read this scene: I simply kept laughing in the most unsuitable places, like the checkout queue at Marks and Spencers, as the poem arose uninvited into my mind. Mrs Leo Hunter, renowned for her literary abilities and sensitivity, recites her latest work to an amazed Mr Pickwick.

It is called ‘Expiring Frog’. It goes like this:

‘‘Can I view thee panting, lying on thy stomach, without sighing; can I unmoved see thee dying on a log expiring frog!’’

‘Beautiful!’ said Mr Pickwick ‘Fine,’ said Mr Leo Hunter; ‘so simple.’

‘Very,’ said Mr Pickwick.

‘The next verse is even more touching. Shall I repeat it?’

‘If you please,’ said Mr Pickwick.

‘It runs thus,’ said the man, still more gravely. ‘’Say, have fiends in shape of boys, with wild hallo, and brutal noise, hunted thee from marshy joys, with a dog, expiring frog!’’

‘Finely expressed,’ said Mr Pickwick.

Picture 28 (Overpage (T-R) This is Great Yarmouth by Daniel Tink. Great Yarmouth features in key scenes in David Copperfield.

Dickens liked to walk here and get rid of his amazing energy.

Once, in 1849, he took a holiday in Norfolk, walking from Yarmouth to Lowestoft and back again in one go – a distance of 23 miles.

He found Yarmouth ‘the strangest place’ and set key scenes from Copperfield on an upturned boat/ turned home on the beach. Little Emily was taken from here and seduced by Steerforth.

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with a hoarse roar, it seemed to scoop out deep caves on the beach, as if its purpose were to undermine the earth.’

Anthony Trollope, Dickens’ famous contemporary, thought his affection for Great Yarmouth quite ridiculous and supposedly planned Can You Forgive Her? in 1863 as an antidote.

Picture 29 (Right) Steerforth was to perish in possibly the most terrifying storm in literature, which wrecked his ship off Yarmouth sands as he attempted to return to England following his fall from grace. This is how Dickens describes it: ‘The tremendous sea itself, when I

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could find sufficient pause to look at it, in the agitation of the blinding wind, the flying stones and sand, and the awful noise, confounded me. As the high watery walls came rolling in, and, at their highest, tumbled into surf, they looked as if the least would engulf the town.

As the receding wave swept back

When he was a small boy living in Rochester, Dickens would often walk past a house that seemed to him an enormous palace. On remarking of it to his father he was told that if, and only if, he worked very hard, then he may be able to buy it for himself in later life. He never forgot this and duly did buy it. It is where he died.

Before this, though, he loved to have weekend guests stay and would find any excuse to put on a ‘play’. It has often been said that Dickens’ literary talent kept a great actor from the stage. Certainly, he was always fascinated by the theatre and loved to take a leading role in plays and entertainments of all sorts – we have Mamie Dickens’ warm accounts of life at Gads Hill Place where, especially when he had guests and at Christmas, all manner of entertainments would be put on.

He also enthusiastically took part in semi-professional productions, which is how he came to meet Ellen Ternan. And, of course, he had the very greatest professional success when he wrote for the stage – witness No Thoroughfare, co-written with his great friend,

Wilkie Collins, which wowed them at the Adelphi in the Strand.

Picture 30 (Left) For me, there can be only one picture to end with and which represents his fantastic legacy. It is this one –‘Dickens Receiving his Characters’ by William Holbrook Beard. I can look at it for hours, checking which character is from which novel and marveling at his imagination.

The World of Charles Dickens by Stephen Browning is published by Halsgrove at £16.99

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Guys & Dolls Norwich-based theatre writer, Tony Cooper, wallows in the Broadway musical, Guys & Dolls

On tour with Guys & Dolls: Richard Fleeshman keeping good company with Miss Adelaide and her Hot Box Girls.

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FINEARTS A seemingly hopeless (but not impossible) challenge!

feature by:

Tony Cooper Writer tc@tony-cooper.co.uk

W

ith book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows and music/ lyrics by Frank Loesser (whose credits include How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and the popular song, ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’), Guys & Dolls, largely based on two short stories by Damon Runyon, The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown and Blood Pressure, has wowed them in the West End and on Broadway for years.

Now it’s back wowing them in the West End and, gladly, on its way to Norwich. (Incidentally, Burrows’ credits also include How To Succeed . . . and Breakfast at Tiffany’s while Swerling’s include the seminal film, It’s A Wonderful Life.)

Nathan, on the other hand, has to deal with a long-standing domestic situation all of his own making: his14-year-old engagement to night-club singer, Miss Adelaide, who’s tired of waiting for wedding bells. And when bets and love seem at odds, the characters are called to question their priorities to put things right.

Runyon - who was an avid newspaper columnist, reporter and short-story writer - was quick-thinking in his vocabulary and his writing is peppered with more than a touch of irony, especially in the short stories he wrote focusing on the sleazy side of Broadway and the Prohibition era, which, in turn, provided ideal material for Guys & Dolls.

To New Yorkers of his generation, though, a ‘Damon Runyon character’ evoked a distinctive social type in contrast to those denizens of society bordering upon the fringes of respectability.

For instance, the adjective ‘Runyonesque’ refers to this type of character as well as to the type of situations and dialogue that Runyon so gaily depicted.

His distinctive vernacular style also

combined a mixture of formal speech and colourful slang but always devoid of contractions.

Runyon - a heavy drinker in his younger years but a heavy smoker all his life; he died at the age of 66 suffering from throat cancer - is widely credited in coining the phrase ‘Hooray Henry’, a term commonly used nowadays to describe an arrogant and pompous member of the English upper-class.

But there’s little pomposity about Guys & Dolls - a raw, mean and crazy show all the way, renowned for its vivid fictional depictions of the gamblers, hustlers and nightclub singers of New York which received its première on Broadway in 1950 capturing the optimism and energy of postWorld War Two America.

The show wowed audiences over 1200 performances while winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. It features, too, some of Broadway’s most memorable numbers including such delights as ‘My Time of Day’, ‘A Bushel and a Peck’, ‘If I Were A Bell’, ‘Marry The Man Today’ and ‘Luck Be A Lady’ while the show-stopping number, ‘Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat’ - sung in the original Broadway/ West End production by none other than Stubby Kaye - leaves

you wanting and panting for more.

And you’ll get more!

Now it’s back in the West End in a marvellous, riotous and stylish production staged by Chichester Festival Theatre and finding new friends. And it will be finding even more new friends when it comes to Norwich Theatre Royal next month.

But Norwich - and, in particular, the Theatre Royal - happens to be an old friend of Guys & Dolls as following its transfer from Broadway to London in the glorious and seemingly-innocent 1950s, it premièred at the London Coliseum (now home to English National Opera) under the aegis of the impresario Prince Littler.

It ran for 555 performances and then toured to a select group of leading provincial theatres and Norwich, happily, was on the itinerary. It played the Royal for a couple of weeks in March 1956.

I well remember seeing the show with my parents and sister on a couple of occasions while Lily Ward, the theatre’s long-serving box-office manager, stood at the back of the stalls every night to catch the opening number of act II, ‘Take Back Your Mink’, sung by Miss Adelaide and her Hot Box Girls.

She found the number irresistible!

It’s a great, colourful and imaginative show with a host of larger-than-life characters going by such ‘loud’ and ‘vulgar’ names as Nathan Detroit, Sky Masterson, Benny Southstreet, Big Jule, Harry the Horse, Liver Lips Louie and Rusty Charlie not forgetting, of course, Nicely Nicely Johnson.

The show’s scenario centres upon New York’s most infamous crapgame organiser, Nathan Detroit, who desperately needs money for an illegal throw of the dice.

And just like any gambler, he’s hoping for that big pay day! He challenges notorious gambler, Sky Masterson, to a bet he’s sure of winning. And that bet is to take the devoted and straight-laced Salvation Army girl, Sarah Brown, to dinner in Havana, Cuba. In return, he’ll provide her with a dozen ‘sinners’ for her mission. www.finecity.co.uk

Havana nights!

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FINEARTS stage personalities, Richard Fleeshman and Maxwell Caulfield, are headlining the touring production and they’ll be joining the hugely-respected, Australianborn, West End musical star, Anna O’Byrne, who takes on the role of Sarah Brown. She has appeared in a number of hit productions recently including The Phantom of the Opera, Barnum and Sweeney Todd and, recently, was nominated for a Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Maria in an Australian production of West Side Story.

So did the rest of the audience.

And just like ‘Rockin’ the Boat’, it’s another showstopper! The cast included Frank Wilson as Nathan Detroit, Edward Devereaux (Sky Masterson), Roberta Huby (Miss Adelaide), Barbara Logan (Sarah Brown) and Jimmy Ventham (Harry the Horse).

Guys & Dolls has also had a couple of very good productions staged by Norwich’s Maddermarket Theatre. Dave Harris directed the first in 1994 as part of his final season as artistic director and it smashed box office records. Geoff Abbot played Nathan Detroit, Peter Howell (Sky Masterson), Susan Seddon (Miss Adelaide), Amanda Howell (Sarah Brown) and John Mangan (Harry the Horse) while Simon Goodman was impressive as Big Jule.

And as part of the Maddermarket’s celebration of the centenary of its resident company, The Norwich Players, in 2011, John Mangan directed another stunning production while taking on the role of Nicely Nicely Johnson, rocking the boat nice and gently. This time round, though, Trevor Burton played Nathan Detroit, Freddie Goymer (Sky Masterson), Louise Brighton (Miss Adelaide), and Melissa Sampson (Sarah Brown).

dating from the 1930s Old style: Norwich Theatre Royal’s iconic glazed-tile façade Guys & Dolls. which greeted the cast of the original touring production of

The Norfolk & Norwich Operatic Society also staged a memorable production, too, at the Theatre Royal in February 1987 which saw David Rees cast in the role of Nathan Detroit with John Millward (Sky Masterson), Pat Tabor (Miss Adelaide), Stephanie Timewell (Sarah Brown), Chris Speake (Benny Southstreet) and Michael Hudson (Harry the Horse) while Nicely Nicely Johnson was played

by John McInnes, who played Max in the company’s latest production, Sunset Boulevard. Alan Lee took on the role of Big Jule. Norma Wick (who recently passed away and a

long-serving performing member of the N&NOS) acted as prompt.

However, for the show’s imminent visit to Norwich, the production comes once again from the West End. It’s currently at the Phoenix transferring there from the Savoy Theatre. Funnily enough, the Phoenix was managed by Wybert R Allen for several years after he left Norwich. He was manager here for about 12 years and, coincidentally, was at the Royal when Guys & Dolls first rolled into town.

Two well-known television and

Many will associate Mr Fleeshman - who’s playing Nathan Detroit - with Coronation Street. He played the role of Craig Harris for four years from the age of 12. He’s a big hitter nowadays and blazes a trail for big musicals as he has taken the lead role in such fantastic shows as Ghost the Musical in the West End and Warner in Legally Blonde - also in the West End. And well-known American-born actor, Maxwell Caulfield - whose roles of late include Miles Colby in Dynasty and The Colbys as well as playing Nathan Wylde in Emmerdale - plays Sky Masterson.

He’s a big hitter, too! He played Billy Flynn in Chicago in the West End while starring in An Inspector Calls on Broadway and played

Roll that dice!

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FINEARTS Sophie Thompson (Miss Adelaide) and her Hot Box Girls clinging on to their mink.

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FINEARTS RF Simpson in Singin’ in the Rain, which played Norwich as part of a successful UK tour a couple of years ago.

Completing a hugely-talented cast are Jack Edwards (Nicely Nicely Johnson), Peter Harding (Arvide Abernathy), Anthony McGill (Lt Brannigan), Mark Sangster (Benny Southstreet), Craig Pinder (Harry the Horse/Joey Biltmore), Cameron Johnson (Big Jule), Christopher Howell (Rusty Charlie) and Melanie Marshall (sister of the celebrated organist/conductor, Wayne Marshall) plays General Cartwright. She recently delivered a marvellous and expressively-sung performance as Rochester’s mad wife, Bertha Mason, in the National Theatre’s outstanding production of Jane Eyre.

And let’s not forget the ensemble, the crew who make the show tick in more ways than one. They’re invaluable to any production and their number include Eamonn Cox, Jamal Crawford, Jonny Godbold,

Gavin Spokes as Nicely Nicely Johnson and the shoe-shine boys.

Shore leave - footloose and fancy free!

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FINEARTS wit, the pace of the dancers, the elegance and inventiveness of the costume - a wonderful evening!’

Picture Post said: ‘It’s only fair to say that this Guys & Dolls dodge is the biggest thing since nylons.

Furthermore, it’s our information that the show’s stars have laid them in the aisles.’ And the Daily Herald: ‘I think it’s a wonderful, crisp, brisk, witty and wicked show.

This is real Broadway. The music would have made Gilbert and Sullivan envious - a great musical comedy!’ There you have it!

Having a riotous time in Havana, Cuba.

Ross Lee Fowkes, Aron Wild, Kiel Payton, Matthew Whennell-Clark, Ruthie Stephens, Bethany Linsdell, Hannah Cauchi, Chloe Chambers, Danielle Stephen, Abigayle Honeywill and Lucy Ashenden.

The production boasts a strong and talented creative team.

Cuban-born ballet dancer, Carlos Acosta - a former principal with English National Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, Houston Ballet and American Ballet Theatre - is responsible for the choreography assisted by Andrew Wright. A master of his art he has created roles for productions worldwide while winning an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. Last year, he celebrated his farewell to The Royal Ballet after 17 glorious years.

Gordon Greenberg, who has been responsible for an array of musicals and plays at major venues across America and Europe, is the director. He wrote The Single Girls

Guide which updated Jane Austen’s novel Emma while also directed Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn and The Secret of My Success for Universal Pictures Stage Production. His directing credits also include the award-winning New York revival of Studs Terkel’s Working.

Performance schedule: Tuesday-Saturday, 3rd-7th May, nightly at 7.30pm; matinee performances on Wednesday,

Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm.

Audio-described performance: Wednesday, 4th May, 2.30pm; captioned performance: Thursday, 5th May, 7.30pm.

Photographs of the current cast by Paul Coltas.

Box office: 01603 630000; online booking: www. theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk Tickets £8-£44; discounts for over-60s, under-18s and groups.

Mr Greenberg said Norwich audiences are set to enjoy a fantastic show. ‘It has beautiful costumes and amazing sets, a cast that could not be better and some great dancing, acting and singing performances. It’s a delightful production and first class in every conceivable way.’ I can certainly vouch for that. I caught up with the show in the company of Miss X at London’s Savoy Theatre and it received a very elongated standing ovation from a full house who wanted more. You can’t get better than that!

And this is what the critic of The Times said of its London première: ‘Guys & Dolls is notable for the

David Haig as Nathan Detroit.

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 April | 31

FINEARTS

Luke Wright Luke Wright’s multi award-winning political drama comes to Norwch

H

Festival date for Norfolk poet’s theatre debut e’s best known for blistering, incisive and astute performance poetry and regular slots on BBC Radio, but it was Luke Wright’s first theatre show What I Learned from Johnny Bevan that took the Edinburgh Fringe by storm and then sold out three weeks at London’s Soho Theatre. Wright received a Stage Award for Acting Excellence for his hurricane performance and the show received a Fringe First for the quality of the writing. The London run added a nomination for the 2017 Off West End Awards and now this critically acclaimed solo stage show comes Norwich for the first time on 24 May as part of Norwich Arts Centre’s [Live] Art Club for Norfolk & Norwich Festival.

‘A pulsating piece of poetic

storytelling’ «««« Lyn Gardner, Guardian What I Learned From Johnny Bevan is a compelling, politically charged story encompassing shattered friendships, class and social ceilings, and The Labour Party’s battle for its soul.

‘Stirring eloquence and resonant delivery heighten the drama and clarify the emotional impact’ «««« The Stage At university the whip-smart, mercurial Johnny Bevan saves Nick, smashing his comfortable middle class bubble and firing him up about politics, music and literature.

Twenty years later, as their youthful dreams disintegrate alongside the social justice they hoped for, can Nick, now a jaded music journalist, save Johnny from himself?

‘An evocative, poetic monologue… anyone familiar with Wright’s work will recognise his deft hand’ «««« Time Out Luke Wright delivers an impassioned, spellbinding performance of his razor sharp script that is infused with humour, humanity and wit.

What I Learned From Johnny Bevan strikes at the heart of British politics, questioning the middle class value system that encouraged the rise of New Labour and David Cameron’s brand of Conservatism, and saw both parties abandon the working class. This gripping story is a modern fable that reflects today’s political polarisation and resonates with the disillusionment felt by many.

‘An astonishing, thought-provoking and original tour-de-force’ ««««« London Theatre1 Written and performed by Luke in deft visceral, punchy verse, with a score by Ian Catskilkin from the band Art Brut, tautly directed by Soho Theatre Associate Director and nabokov Artistic Director Joe Murphy.

‘It’s like an episode of This Is England, delivered by one man.

Brilliant’ «««« Daily Record Luke Wright tours the world each year with his unique brand of poetry and can often be seen opening for John Cooper Clarke.

His verse documentaries on Channel 4 have been enjoyed by millions of viewers and his poems can often be heard on BBC Radios 3 & 4, sometimes further afield.

He is a regular contributor to

32 | April 2016

Sony Award-winning Saturday Live and has numerous main channel TV appearances under his belt. He curates the spoken word line-ups at The Latitude Festival, Festival Number 6 and The Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Director Joe Murphy won a Fringe First with nabokov for BUNNY (Underbelly) and universal acclaim for BLINK (Traverse), both of which transferred Off-Broadway.

As Artistic Director of nabokov he also directed the hit production of Nick Payne’s INCOGNITO at the Bush. Most recently Associate Director on the mega-hit and Broadway transferred WOLF HALL, Joe is now Associate Director at Soho Theatre.

What I Learned From Johnny Bevan is also published in paperback and limited edition hardback.

‘This is such a rich piece of writing… resonant and timely’ ««««« Natasha Tripney, Exeunt

Listings info: What I Learned from Johnny Bevan by Luke Wright Multi award winning, searingly relevant political drama from leading poet Wright. Norwich Arts Centre [Live] Art Club at Norfolk & Norwich Festival St Benedicts St Norwich NR2 1PG 24 May 8pm £12, concessions £10 01603 660352 www. norwichartscentre.co.uk

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS love people of all ages and all genders to see our show with younger audiences especially important’, said Becca ‘It’s been variously described by critics as hilarious, irresistible, daring, outrageous, bang-up to date and a total must see, so obviously you must!’ added Louise.

They are Associate Artists at Camden People’s Theatre and live together in Hackney in what turns out to be an illegally sub-let council flat. They have been told many times by theatre professionals to change their name. Women’s Hour was commissioned by Camden People’s Theatre.

Women’s Hour in Norwich What happens when women are given a whole hour a day to think about what it is to be a WOMAN?

S

Edinburgh hit cabaret does it in Norwich

h!t Theatre had hoped to write a show about how great Dolly Parton is, but then they were commissioned by a man in London to write a show about women for his festival of feminism.

The result also went to become one of the big hits of the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe. It enjoyed sell out performances, 4 and 5 star reviews, a Three Week’s Editors Award and was hailed as one of the ‘Five Best Plays to see’ by The

Daily Telegraph. Now audiences in Norfolk can revel in its ‘giddy, freewheeling silliness’ (Exeunt) when it comes to Norwich Arts Centre on 4 May as part of an extensive national tour.

‘Swaggering, smart and side-achingly funny... A funny but fierce look at what it means to be a woman today’ WhatsOnStage Women’s Hour is a show that’s part comedy, part theatre, part cabaret, part performance art and

totally fun. Discover what happens when women are given just one hour a day to think about what it is to be a WOMAN. Feminist theatre for all genders. ‘surreal, clever and hilarious...the standing ovation at the end was equal parts male and female’ Daily Telegraph (‘Five Best Plays to see in Edinburgh’) Women’s Hour is a mix of satire, song, clowning, movement and mess akin to cabaret or sketch comedy. Combining newly written sections and verbatim text taken from advertising, news media and pop culture, it is constantly updated in response to current affairs.

There’s loads of new sh!t happening to women all the time…

Women’s Hour is funny, accurate and contains songs like Pregnant

by R. Kelly, Tyrese, Robin Thicke & The Dream. And they said true love was dead. ‘bang-up-to-date old-fashioned piece of feminist agitprop theatre… from a young company who are really finding their own distinctive voice’ Lyn Gardner Guardian Sh!t Theatre are Louise Mothersole and Rebecca Biscuit and they are really, really excited to be coming to Norwich ‘We’d

www.finecity.co.uk

Women’s Hour won a 2015 Three Weeks Editors Award. Their other recent shows (Guinea Pigs On Trial and Sh!t Theatre’s JSA) won a Total Theatre Award, The Arches Brick Award and been shortlisted for the 2014 Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award.

The Daily Telegraph ‘Five Best Plays to See in Edinburgh 2015 ‘ The Guardian ‘Top Tickets for the Fringe 2015’ Three Weeks Editors Choice Award Winner 2015 ««««« Three Weeks, Edinburgh Festivals Magazine, Scotsgay «««« Daily Telegraph, WhatsOnStage, Exeunt, The Stage

Listings info: Women’s Hour – Sh!t Theatre Theatre, comedy and cabaret feminism for all combine in a hilarious hour about what happens when women are given a whole 60 mins a day to think about what it is to be a woman. Feminist theatre for people of all genders.

4 May 8pm Norwich Arts Centre, St. Benedict’s Street, Norwich, NR2 4PG £pay what you can 01603 660352 www. norwichartscentre.co.uk

2016 April | 33

FINEARTS

First Highlights announced for Holt Festival 2016

Pop, poetry, chat, Chopin, comedy and mind magic for North Norfolk’s premier mixed arts festival Saturday 23 – Sunday 31 July 2016, Holt, North Norfolk

T

he award winning Holt Festival has announced its first dozen highlights for July 2016, giving an excellent taste of the full festival programme that will be revealed in May. Since its inception in 2009 the festival has featured an international array of music, drama, visual art, literature, comedy, kids shows and workshops, taking over the charming North Norfolk Georgian country town bringing it and its and venues alive with activity. In just 7 years the arts extravaganza has established itself as one of the East’s most anticipated events.

Gyles Brandreth

Household names are a feature of the festival. Familiar TV face, radio voice, former MP, Government Whip and master raconteur Gyles Brandreth brings his smash hit Edinburgh show Word Power! that takes an uproarious magic carpet ride around the world of words.

Comedian Jenny Éclair, a self styled Professional grumpy old woman, amateur soup maker and novice knitter brings her hilarious How To Be A Middle Aged Woman (Without Going Insane) which puts middle age under the microscope as she ponders whether to laugh, cry or buy a dachshund!

Al Pacino described Julie Christie as ‘the most poetic of all actresses’

and following her surprise appearance alongside friend and fellow thespian Sir John Hurt last year, she’s back again in 2016.

Fittingly she’ll be reading poems from the new book ‘Poems That Make Grown Women Cry compiled by father and son team Anthony and Ben Holden. In the book 100 prominent women including Yoko Ono, Dame Judi Dench, Miranda Hart and Norfolk girl Olivia Coleman reveal the poems that move them to tears.

Music includes a headline show from Dire Straits co-founder John Illsey and his band playing many of the songs that helped sell over 120 million albums (and counting) worldwide. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown scored a global smash in 1968 with Fire proclaiming their powerfully voiced leader to be ‘the god of hellfire’, a song that still sends a shiver up the spine. Merseybeat stalwarts The Searchers bring some welcome early sixties nostalgia with hits such as Sugar and Spice and Needles And Pins.

The offbeat dynamism of Royal Academy of Music trained electric string quartet Stringfever encompasses music from Ravel to Guns n’ Roses and most things in between - including the complete history of music in 5 minutes! There’s an exclusive from multi award-winning Polish piano virtuoso Mariola Cieniawa, honouring Holt with her very first UK concert outside London and The Good Gnus featuring Canterbury Cathedral organist and choirmaster Dr. David Flood sing a selection of the quirky songs of Flanders and Swann, Noel Coward, Richard Stilgoe, Peter Skellern, and Tom Lehrer.

The full list of literary speakers will be revealed when the full programme is announced in May but in these ‘early announcements’ the literary world is represented by internationally renowned

34 | April 2016

Lady Antonia Fraser DBE

chronicler of the lives of great men and women, Lady Antonia Fraser DBE. She will use this occasion to discuss her memoir of her own early life My History. Joanna Trollope, one of the UK’s bestloved authors, comes to Holt to discuss her modern day reworking of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility with Holt Festival Artistic Director Charles Pugh. They will compare current social attitudes towards love and marriage with those in Austen’s day.

Often described as the closest thing in the universe to a reallife Sherlock Holmes, forensic mind reader Colin Cloud mixes mind magic and brain science in an unbelievable and thoroughly unique and entertaining stage show. He can deduce everything about everyone and recall information from the recesses of his subject’s mind. Colin Cloud could potentially be the most dangerous man on earth – fortunately he is on our side!

‘It’s always a difficult job to match and surpass a successful debut ‘ said Charles Pugh. ‘My first festival last year was well received with lots of sell out shows, but I think these early highlights demonstrate that Holt Festival continues to astonish and evolve, and of course stimulate and entertain.’ www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS Mariola Cieniawa

Sunday 24 July 8pm £20/£5

Gyles Brandreth: Word Power! (talk)

He added ‘We have more big names in the pipeline too and I’m already looking forward to announcing the full programme in all its glory in May, which will also include international art exhibitions, drama and children’s events’.

Entry details for the Holt Festival Art Prize, which attracts submissions from far and wide will be announced soon.

The 2016 Holt Festival runs from 23 – 31 July.

Tickets for the early shows go on general sale on 7 March following 2 weeks of priority booking for Friends, Ambassadors and Sponsors. For full details of the programme, updates and how to become a Friend, Ambassador or Sponsor of the festival visit www.holtfestival.org Holt Festival is generously supported by Gresham’s School.

Early Highlight listings info:

Witty word-meister, former MP and Government Whip and Just A Minute regular in an uproarious magic carpet ride around the awesome world of words. A smash hit five star sell out at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival.

Holt Festival at the Auden Theatre, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA Monday 25 July 2pm £15/£5

Lady Antonia Fraser DBE (book talk) Author, internationally renowned chronicler of the lives of great men and women and the widow of playwright Harold Pinter talks about her memoir of early life ‘My History’.

Holt Festival at the Auden Theatre, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA Monday 25 July 6pm £15/£5

Mariola Cieniawa (classical music) First ever UK concert outside

String Fever

London for Internationally acclaimed, prize-winning pianist from the Krakow Academy playing Chopin piano solos as only a native Pole can.

Centre, Kerridge Way, Holt NR25 6DN

Holt Festival at St Andrew’s Church, Church Street, Holt NR25 6BB

String Fever (music)

Tuesday 26 July 8.15pm £20/£5

Colin Cloud (mind reader) Mixing mind magic and brain science the forensic mind reader will deduce everything about anyone. He has been described as the closest thing in the universe to a real life Sherlock Holmes.

Holt Festival at the Auden Theatre, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA Wednesday 27 July 4pm £12/£5

Anthony & Ben Holden with special guest Julie Christie: Poems that Make Grown Women Cry (poetry)

Anthony & Ben Holden with special guest Julie Christie: Poems Women Cry

www.finecity.co.uk

that Make Grown

Readings from the new collection from father and son team in which they ask 100 remarkable women which poems make them cry.

Guest reader is Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA winning film legend Julie Christie.

Holt Festival at Holt Community

Wednesday 27 July 8pm £18/£5

Fresh from a 30 date US tour these dynamic, virtuoso performers with electric instruments bring a whole new meaning to the string quartet.

Their set list ranges from Ravel’s Bolero to Guns n’ Roses combined with healthy slices of visual humour.

Holt Festival at the Auden Theatre, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA Thursday 28 July 4pm £15/£5

Joanna Trollope OBE: Love and Marriage from Jane Austen to Joanna Trollope in conversation with Charles Pugh (talk) One of the UK’s bestloved authors discusses her contemporary adaptation of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility with Festival Artistic Director Charles Pugh.

Holt Festival at the Auden Theatre, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA Thursday 28 July 8pm £20/£5

2016 April | 35

FINEARTS

Joanna Trollope OBE: Love and Marriage from Jane Austen to Joanna Trollope in conversation with Charles Pugh

Jenny Eclair: How To Be A Middle Aged Woman (Without Going Insane) (comedy) Professional grumpy old woman, amateur soup maker, and novice knitter (younger than Madonna but eats crisps and likes wine) puts middle age under the microscope and decides whether to laugh, cry or buy a dachshund!

Holt Festival at the Auden Theatre, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA Friday 29 July 8.15pm £18/£5

The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (music) Originally discovered by Pete Townsend of The Who, Brown’s sensational 1968 psychedelic soul global hit Fire still gets regular

Colin Cloud

airplay all over the world. The selfproclaimed god of hellfire still uses his legendary flaming helmet in his spectacular stage show.

a selection of the brilliantly witty songs of Flanders and Swann, Noel Coward, Richard Stilgoe, Peter Skellern, and Tom Lehrer.

Holt Festival at Theatre in the Woods, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA

Holt Festival at the Auden Theatre, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA

Saturday 30 July 6pm £16/£5

The Good Gnus (music) Canterbury Cathedral choristers Jon Williams and Chris Price accompanied by the Cathedral Organist and Master of the Choristers Dr. David Flood with

Saturday 30 July 8.15pm £28/£5

John Illsey of Dire Straits (music) Co-founder of Dire Straits, and

Jenny Eclair: How To Be A Middle Aged Woman (Without Going Insane)

alongside Mark Knopfler the only constant member of the band that sold over 120 million albums. John and his band will perform hits such as Sultans of Swing, Romeo and Juliet and Brothers in Arms.

Holt Festival at Theatre in the Woods, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA Sunday 31 July 8.15pm £20/£5

The Searchers (music) One of Merseybeat’s finest 60s groups, The Searchers scored hits in both the US and UK with stunning back-catalogue including, Sugar and Spice, Needles And Pins, Don’t Throw Your Love Away and When You Walk in The Room. They continue to tour the world with their distinctive and original sound.

Holt Festival at Theatre in the Woods, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA

Box office: 01603 598699 www.holtfestival.org

The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown

36 | April 2016

open for general booking Monday 7 March John Illsey of Dire Straits

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS

Doctor Zeeman’s Catastrophe Machine Written and performed by Martin Figura ‘I see a lot of poetry but yours is the first show I ever gave a standing ovation. It was a tour de force - moving and deeply courageous.’ Jo Bell Director of National Poetry Day on Whistle by Martin Figura.

Is there a mathematical equation for love and the behaviour of a beating heart? What can be retrieved from life’s catastrophes and wounds? When our windshield is blurred with rain and we’re wearing our reading glasses, can we learn to look in the rear view mirror and smile?

Doctor Zeeman’s Catastrophe Machine, the new stage production from award winning poet Martin Figura, turns to inspirational mathematics guru Sir Erik Christopher Zeeman’s iconic machine, the moon and photographs to shed light on these pressing questions and to help him sort out love, loss and when to let go.

‘Figura was a revelation – funny, sharp and on top form.’ Robert McCrum, Observer The show finds the adult life Martin made for himself, following his moving portrayal of the shocking events surrounding his mother’s death at the hand of his father (when Martin was just 9 years old) described in his show Whistle.

As he approaches 60, Figura comes to terms with his own mortality in a theatrical performance fusing words, sounds and visuals. With his measured skill, poise, wit and humour he looks back to his first marriage (and subsequent divorce), the birth of his children, their development and meeting his current wife in 2004.

Mostly set in the latter half of the 20th Century, the ‘post war, mod www.finecity.co.uk

or rocker generation’ of which Figura (an occasional mod) is part, the show blurs the edges of personal memory as he learns to move forwards and how (some) catastrophes eventually turn out for the best. He takes an American road trip with his son and his Down’s Syndrome daughter engages in intense relationships with cartoon characters and leaves home for college.

On stage the titular Catastrophe Machine (which used mathematics in an attempt to understand human behavioural science) is built as an imposing prop that plays an active part in the proceedings, becoming a tool for marriage guidance and the deeply moving humanity of the poems.

The show is deftly directed by fellow poet and multimedia provocateur Ross Sutherland and illustrated with visual projections and an atmospheric soundscape.

Figura has a commanding yet genial stage presence, drawing out the wit in the words as his poetry come alive on the stage, illustrating how our pasts, presents and future blur. Doctor Zeeman’s Catastrophe Machine will interest anyone charmed by Whistle while introducing him to new audiences.

‘This show is astonishing… full of details picked out by a poet’s eye’ ★★★★ Natasha Tripney, Exeunt (Whistle) Born in Liverpool and now living in Norwich, Martin Figura is a poet, retired army major, qualified accountant (winner of the 1976 RAPC Apprentice College Accounting Prize no less) and photographer. But mostly a poet. His breakthrough collection ‘Whistle was published by Arrowhead in 2010 and toured extensively in the UK and to India as a stage show. It won the Hamish

Canham Prize, the Sabotage Best Spoken Word Show and was nominated for the Ted Hughes Award. He has been been widely published and exhibited as both a poet and photographer. Doctor Zeeman’s Catastrophe Machine will tour extensively in 2017.

Doctor Zeeman’s Catastrophe Machine is produced by Tilt, funded

by Arts Council England and supported by Norwich Arts Centre and Writer’s Centre Norwich.

7 May 5pm £10 Wells, Norfolk Poetry-Next-The-Sea Alderman Peel High School, Market Lane, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk NR23 1RB www.poetrynextthesea.co.uk 11 May 7.30pm £5 London The Roundhouse Chalk Farm Rd, London NW1 8EH 0300 6789 222 www.roundhouse.org.uk 26 May 8.45pm £10 (or £18 joint ticket with Linton Kwesi Johnson same night)

Norwich Arts Centre, St Benedicts St, Norwich NR2 4PG 01603 660352 www.norwichartscentre. co.uk. Presented by Writers’ Centre Norwich as part of Norfolk & Norwich Festival ‘His ability to fill venues at various festivals with shows that incorporate mixed-media, highlights Figura as a truly twenty-first century poet.’

Alan Ward, Poetry International Rotterdam

Listings info Doctor Zeeman’s Catastrophe Machine

by Martin Figura New multimedia theatrical stage show adapted from Figura’s book of the same name exploring family, relationships and belonging against a changing social, historical and political backdrop.

2016 April | 37

FINEARTS dominated his work, the exhibition will also explore a number of key themes which include the influence of ancient art on Giacometti’s practice, the context of his contemporaries in post-war Paris and his impact in Britain.

Over 150 works will be on show with significant loans coming from the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Fondation Beyeler Basel, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Fitzwilliam Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum as well as from many private collections. These loans will complement the Sainsbury Centre’s own remarkable collection of Giacometti’s works which is the largest in the UK. The Centre is, in fact, renowned for its fine group of drawings acquired by Robert and Lisa Sainsbury.

Alberto Giacometti - Self Portrait - 1920

Alberto Giacometti Norwich-based arts writer, Tony Cooper, discovers more about Swiss-born sculptor, Alberto Giacometti, whose 50th anniversary of his death is being celebrated worldwide

A

nd Norwich is at the forefront of Giacometti’s 50th with a major new exhibition - Alberto Giacometti: A Line through Time - at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, curated by Calvin Winner and Claudia Milburn.

One of the 20th century’s most

significant artists and widely celebrated as a sculptor, painter and draughtsman, the exhibition will be the most extensive in the UK dedicated to Giacometti since 2007. It will focus on his work and influence during the postwar period on both sides of the Channel.

Examining his preoccupation with the isolated figure, a motif that

‘I’ve been fifty thousand times to the Louvre. I have copied everything in drawing, trying to understand.’

38 | April 2016

Following the Second World War, alienated figures and the theme of isolation dominated Giacometti’s practice. This work secured his place as one of the great modern masters of the 20th century. The exhibition will closely consider the context and cultural climate of Paris where Giacometti was living following the war, a time fraught with stress and anxiety. Notions of freedom of expression and materiality will be explored through major works

by Giacometti and his French contemporaries such as César Baldaccini (usually referred to just as César), Jean Dubuffet, Jean Fautrier and Germaine Richier.

The exhibition title, A Line through Time, references Giacometti’s fascination with ancient art, the timeless nature of his endeavour and the enduring resonance of his practice. His work will be shown in the context of Ancient Egyptian funerary figures, Etruscan and Cycladic figurines and West African sculpture drawn from the Sainsbury Centre’s rich collections.

Giacometti’s reputation grew throughout the post-war period and for the first time a major exhibition will explore the artist’s influence and legacy on modern British art. His impact was significant and long lasting and the years leading up to his first major

Alberto Giacometti - Standing Woman - 1958-59 photo Pete Huggins

UK show (held at the ICA in 1955) will be a particular focus.

Works by such leading artists as Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Elisabeth Frink, Henry Moore, Eduardo Paolozzi, Isabel Rawsthorne and William

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FINEARTS

‘If only someone else could paint what I see, it would be marvellous, because then I wouldn’t have to paint at all.’

Turnbull will be exhibited to illustrate Giacometti’s far-reaching influence in Britain.

When Robert and Lisa Sainsbury first met Giacometti in Paris in 1949 it came at a key moment for the artist and the Sainsburys developed a personal and loyal friendship with him, his wife Annette and his brother Diego. It was at this time that they acquired the painting Diego Seated (1948).

Giacometti (a close friend of Samuel Beckett, too) later drew portraits of Robert as well as the Sainsbury children, David and Elizabeth. A series of portraits of David from 1955 will be on show, too, while significant archival material documenting the close relationship between Giacometti and the Sainsbury family will be displayed including several unpublished letters that have not previously been seen.

painter, Cuno Amiet, a close friend of his father since their student days in Paris, while the Symbolist artist, Augusto Giacometti (a key figure in the world of Swiss and European painting in its transition to the non-figurative) was second cousin to both his parents.

Giacometti was born in Borgonovo (now forming part of the Swiss municipality of Bregaglia situated near the Italian border) and died at the age of 64 at Chur, the capital of the Swiss canton of Graubünden, located on the right bank of the Rhine and, reputedly, the oldest town of Switzerland.

He attended the School of Fine Arts in Geneva while his brother, Diego, became an artist and his other brother, Bruno, an architect.

His mother, Annetta GiacomettiStampa, came from one of the valley’s landed families.

Moving to Paris in 1922, Giacometti studied under the sculptor, Antoine Bourdelle - an associate of Rodin - and experimented with Cubism and Surrealism. He quickly rose to prominence and came to be regarded as one of the leading Surrealist sculptors of his day. He kept good company, too. Among his associates were the likes of Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and the Swedish-born artist, Bror Hjorth, as well as the Polish-French artist, Balthasar Klossowski de Rola, simply known as Balthus.

By the late 1930s, Giacometti concentrated his work on the human head mainly focusing on the sitter’s gaze. He preferred models he was close to therefore he chose his sister and the artist Isabel Rawsthorne, then known as Isabel Delmer. This was followed by a phase in which his statues of

Calvin Winner, co-curator of the exhibition, said: ‘The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts is honoured to mark the 50th anniversary of Alberto Giacometti’s death with this unique exhibition. Giacometti was the quintessential artistphilosopher who offered a deep and profound mediation on the human condition. The benefactors of the Sainsbury Centre, Robert and Lisa Sainsbury, were both patrons and friends of Giacometti, making the Centre a fitting place to mark the anniversary of his death and celebrate his life and work.’

The eldest of four children, Giacometti was immersed in the world of fine art from an early age. His father, Giovanni, was a post-Impressionist painter greatly influenced by Cézanne and van Gogh as well as by the Austrian-born painter, Giovanni Segantini, well known for his large pastoral landscapes of the Alps.

His godfather was the Fauvist

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Isabel became stretched out and her limbs elongated.

Obsessed with creating his sculptures exactly as he envisioned through his unique view of reality, he often carved until they were as thin as nails and reduced to the size of a pack of cigarettes. A close friend said of him that if he decided to sculpt you, ‘he would make your head look like the blade of a knife’.

After his marriage to Annette Arm in 1946, his tiny sculptures became larger, but the larger they grew, the thinner they became.

Giacometti said that the final result represented the sensation he felt when he looked at a woman.

His paintings underwent a parallel procedure. The figures appear isolated and severely attenuated as the result of continuous reworking. Subjects were frequently revisited. For example, one of his favourite models was his younger brother, Diego.

In 1958, Giacometti - who was awarded the Grand Prize for Sculpture at the 1962 Venice Biennale - was asked to create a monumental sculpture for the Chase Manhattan Bank building in New York. Although he had for many years harboured an

feature by:

Tony Cooper Alberto Giacometti - The Cage - First Version - 1950

Writer tc@tony-cooper.co.uk

2016 April | 39

FINEARTS works were shown in a number of large exhibitions throughout Europe. Riding a crest of a wave of international popularity (but, sadly, in declining health) he made it to the United States in 1965 for an exhibition of his works at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

For his last work, however, he prepared the text for the book, Paris sans fin, a sequence of 150 lithographs containing memories of all the places where he had lived. Published by Cahiers dessinés (Paris, 2007), the photographs were taken by Henri Cartier-Bresson with Sylvie Wuhrmann providing the preface.

Regarding Giacometti’s sculptural technique and according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art: ‘The rough, eroded, heavily-worked surfaces of Three Men Walking (II), 1949, typify his technique.

Reduced to their very core, these figures evoke lone trees in winter that have lost their foliage. Within this style, Giacometti would rarely deviate from the three themes that preoccupied him: the walking man; the standing nude woman; the bust - or all three, combined in various groupings.’

Alberto Giacometti - Diego in a Sweater - 1953

ambition to create a work for a public square he had never set foot in New York and knew nothing about life in such a rapidly-evolving metropolis.

His work on the project resulted in the four figures of standing women (his largest sculptures) entitled Grande femme debout I through IV (1960). The commission, however, was never completed because he was dissatisfied in the relationship between the sculpture and the site.

40 | April 2016

Even when he had achieved popularity and his work was in great demand, he still reworked his models, often destroying them or

setting them aside to be returned to years later.

In his later years, Giacometti’s

‘I rediscovered the wish to make compositions with figures,’ Giacometti commented. ‘For this I had to make - quickly, I thought, in passing - one or two studies from nature, just enough to understand the construction of a head, of a whole figure. In 1935, I took a model. This study should take, I thought, two weeks and then I could realise my compositions . . . I worked with the model all day from 1935 to 1940 . . . Nothing was as I imagined. A head became for me an object completely unknown and without dimensions.’

‘Artistically I’m still a child with a whole life ahead of me to discover and create.

I want something but I won’t know what it is until I succeed in doing it.’ www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS

‘All the art of the past rises up before me, the art of all ages and all civilizations, everything becomes simultaneous, as if space had replaced time.

Memories of works of art blend with affective memories, with my work, with my whole life.’

Since Giacometti achieved exquisite realism with facility when he was executing busts in his early adolescence, his difficulty in reapproaching the figure as an adult is generally understood as a sign of existential struggle for meaning rather than as a technical deficit.

Undoubtedly, Giacometti was a

key player in the Surrealist art movement but his work resists easy categorisation. And even after his excommunication from the Surrealist group, the end products were an expression of his emotional response to the subject.

He attempted to create renditions of his models the way he saw them and the way he thought

they ought to be seen. He once said that he was sculpting not the human figure but the ‘shadow that is cast’.

Although Giacometti’s output extends into painting and drawing, he’s renowned for his sculpture and best remembered for his figurative work which helped make the motif of the suffering human figure a popular symbol of post-war trauma.

In 2000, one of Giacometti’s bronze sculptures, the life-size L’Homme qui marche I, sold for about £65 million.

Alberto Giacometti: A Line through Time Saturday 23rd April to Monday 29th August (2016) Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ Tel: 01603 593199 / www. scva.ac.uk Admission: £12/£10.50 concs

Alberto Giacometti - Standing Woman - detail

‘Let me know how to make only one and I will be able to make a thousand.’ www.finecity.co.uk

Alberto Giacometti - Standing Woman

2016 April | 41

FINEARTS The James Plays Credit Manuel Harlan

Norfolk & Norwich Festival Norfolk & Norwich Festival announces full 2016 programme

N

Runs from Friday 13 – Sunday 29 May orfolk & Norwich Festival, one of the biggest arts festivals in the UK, has announced the programme for the 2016 event (13 – 29 May).

The programme, which spans performance, theatre, music, visual arts, literature and events for children, includes world premieres, unique concerts and one-off events, including a number of free outdoor events across the festival.

For the full festival programme, please visit www.nnfestival.org.uk.

Festival highlights this year include a brand new production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest directed by Artistic Director of Norfolk & Norwich Festival William Galinsky at Victorian purpose-built circus building, the Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, Strijbos and Van Rijswijk’s interactive Walk With Me which moves through the grounds of the National

42 | April 2016

Trust’s Felbrigg Hall using GPS technology to superimpose site-specific compositions and sounds onto the beautiful surroundings, curious directive’s brand new show Spindrift, Wild Life, a collaboration between CAMPO’s Pol Heyvaert, young singer-songwriters from across Norfolk and Kim Noble, Fierce Light, the world premiere event and exhibition from 14-18 NOW bringing together poets of international standing such as Simon Armitage with film makers and visual artists to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, a UK premiere from Finnish circus cabaret troupe Race Horse Company, the world premiere of a major new choral commission from Kemal Yusuf, excerpts from electro-acoustic polymath Max Richter’s SLEEP, Aurélien Bory’s industrial robot’s dance with acrobats Sans Objet, Flat which opens the free outdoor

programme and suspends an entire apartment high in the air whilst one man flies around it, It’s Happening in Norwich an intimate video-storytelling experience in a medieval merchant’s house and Opera Helps an extraordinary oneon-one project from Joshua Sofaer where professional opera singers tour Norfolk singing aria’s

in people’s homes, soothing applicants troubles or worries.

LITERATURE In England’s first UNESCO City of Literature, Norfolk & Norwich Festival and the Writers’ Centre Norwich will once again present a world class literature programme, including brand new commissions

Max Richter, credit Rhys Frampton

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme from Simon Armitage, Paul Muldoon and Jackie Kay and events with Irvine Welsh, graphic novelist Una, former Bank of England Governor Mervyn King and Linton Kwesi Johnson. The Writers’ Centre itself, at Dragon Hall, will be transformed into The Story Machine in an immersive literary experience through hallways, hideaways, gardens and cellars of Dragon Hall with live performances and pop up street food and bar.

MUSIC Highlights of this year’s music programme include the Sun Ra Arkestra who will join the festival to celebrate their 60th anniversary year, Dutch band The Analogues presenting a completely authentic version of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour reproduced with the same instruments used to record at Abbey Road Studios, the first ever solo concert from Twenty Feet from Stardom star Lisa Fischer, an audio-visual spectacle from Tindersticks, a special one-off gig from Billy Bragg, the UK premiere of Nikolai Galen’s interpretations of Jacque Brel in brand new translations and a cappella arrangements and Tin Men and The Telephone delivering their modern jazz sound alongside their revolutionary app allowing audience members to contribute to the show in real time.

talent as well as artists from further afield. Events range from award-winning performance poet Luke Wright’s first ever play to Odd Comic’s live stream exchange with a residential home for older people, the latest production from Made in China and The Voice Project’s weekend of vocal activities including workshops, collaborations and surprise popups in the city.

THE ADNAMS SPIELGELTENT The Adnams Spiegeltent will be back at the Festival once again with a characteristically vibrant programme which includes former Andy Warhol factory superstar Penny Arcade’s award-winning stand up Longing Lasts Longer, singer songwriter and star of HBO’s critically acclaimed True Detective Lera Lynn, Moh! Kouyaté, one of Africa’s hottest young guitar players and the return of Ragroof Tea Dance’s classes and dance displays.

FREE OUTDOOR PROGRAMME The Garden Party will return to the Festival for the middle weekend showcasing sound installations, circus, live music, dance and a scrap-metal fire breathing dragon.

Francesca Beard

The Festival runs 13 – 29 May 2016.

regional talent, drawing audiences from across the UK.

The flagship arts organisation for the East of England, Norfolk & Norwich Festival showcases some of the world’s most renowned international artists alongside

Full information on all Norfolk & Norwich Festival events at www. nnfestival.org.uk.

Elsie Dragon, credit ShotAway

Festival Associate Artist David Parry will lead two nights of this year’s classical music programme, including a major new commission, Cain, for the Festival Chorus

by Kemal Yusuf. The Norwich Philharmonic will present an epic staging of Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand to celebrate their 175th anniversary and Aurora Orchestra take Beethoven’s Symphony No 5 onto the streets as part of the Free Outdoor Programme.

LIVE ART CLUB Live Art Club will return to the fringe of the festival with an exciting programme peppered with Norwich’s finest homegrown www.finecity.co.uk

2016 April | 43

FINEARTS

Cinema City Norwich-based arts writer, Tony Cooper, looks at special screenings at Cinema City this month

MET Opera: Madama Butterfly

Films to look out for:

Eddie the Eagle

Eye in the Sky

Event cinema

Batman vs. Superman

Cut from the Olympic ski team, British athlete Michael ‘Eddie’ Edwards (Taron Egerton) travels to Germany to test his skills at ski jumping. Fate leads him to Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), a former ski jumper who now works as a snowplow driver. Impressed by Edwards’ spirit and determination, Peary agrees to train the young underdog. Despite an entire nation counting him out, Eddie’s ‘neversay-die’ attitude takes him all the way to a historic and improbable showing at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.

Complications arise when a lieutenant general (Alan Rickman) and a colonel (Helen Mirren) order a drone missile strike to take out a group of terrorists in Nairobi, Kenya.

Kids’ Club: ET - The Extra-Terrestrial (U) Saturday 2nd (11am)

Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on Superman, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It’s up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.

Kids’ club: ET - The Extra-Terrestrial

44 | April 2016

Midnight Special The government and a group of religious extremists pursue a man (Michael Shannon) and his son (Jaeden Lieberher), a young boy who possesses special powers.

Met Opera: Madama Butterfly (12A) Saturday 2nd (5.55pm): Encore showing: Monday 4th (1.30pm) Anthony Minghella’s breathtaking production of Madama Butterfly has thrilled audiences ever since its lavish première in 2006. Two of the world’s foremost Butterflys,

Vintage Sundays: Vertigo

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS Philosophers at the Cinema: Ex Machina

feature by:

Tony Cooper Writer tc@tony-cooper.co.uk

sopranos Kristine Opolais and Patricia Racette, share the titlerole while star tenors, Massimo Giordano and Roberto Alagna, sing Pinkerton, the naval officer who breaks the poor girl’s heart.

Karel Mark Chichon conducts.

Vintage Sundays: Vertigo (PG) Sunday 4th (2pm) Recently voted the greatest film of all time by Sight & Sound, Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Vertigo, is a typically-idiosyncratic take on film

noir -it takes place almost entirely in bright, Technicolor daylight. The film skilfully manipulates us into seeing the world through the eyes of reliable ex-cop Scottie (James Stewart) as he pursues the apparently possessed Madeleine (Kim Novak) then steadily unravels everything we thought we knew.

Part-thriller, part-ghost story, partFreudian nightmare, Vertigo is a multi-layered portrait of obsession and a haunting visual treat.

Philosophers at the cinema: Ex Machina (15)

Sunday 4th (5.15pm) Esteemed screenwriter Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later…, Sunshine) makes his directorial début with this intense psychological sci-fi thriller.

Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a young coder at the world’s largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week with the reclusive CEO (Oscar Isaac). He thinks he’s in for a good time spiced with high living but instead soon finds himself involved in an experiment with the

world’s first artificial intelligence, which is housed in the body of a robot called Ava (Alicia Vikander).

Unsurprisingly, the combination of a beautiful, highly-intelligent female android and a powerful, possibly megalomaniacal billionaire, does not lead to happy families. Like much of Garland’s other work, Ex Machina takes a hard, fascinating and sometimes disturbing look not just at the dangers of advanced technology but also at the darker side of the human psyche.

Discover Tuesdays: Speed Sisters Tuesday 5th (6.15pm)

ROH Live: Giselle

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 April | 45

FINEARTS This fast-paced and exciting documentary follows a group of five women who as the ‘Speed Sisters’ have together conquered the intensely-macho world of Palestinian street racing.

Remarkable for its level of access, the film follows the women and their high-octane experiences on the track as well as their fraught

Wednesday 6th (7.15pm) The seemingly-immortal ballet, Giselle, is the quintessential Romantic classic: a love affair that begins in the real world and continues beyond the grave. The ballet’s title role also offers one of the great challenges of the ballet repertory as Giselle transforms

weightless. In Peter Wright’s outstanding production, danced to Adolphe Adam’s luscious score, the dual aspect of the ballet is perfectly achieved: the first act dramatised in rich, naturalistic detail and the second with a spectral, moonlit beauty.

Bolshoi Ballet: Don Bolshoi: Don Quixote

might be his ideal love. The Bolshoi’s panache and excellence are combined in Fadeyechev’s critically-acclaimed staging of this exhilarating production danced to Leon Minkus’ famous score dating from1869. Featuring brand-new sets and costumes to accompany this colourful and technicallychallenging production, Don Quixote is quintessential Bolshoi, abounding with life, energy and passion. It’s not to be missed!

Met Opera: Roberto Devereux (12A) Saturday 16th (5.55pm); Encore showing: Monday 18th (2pm) Leading American soprano, Sondra Radvanovsky - who specialises in 19th-century Italian opera has taking on the extraordinary challenge of singing all three of Donizetti’s Tudor queens in the course of a single season. It’s a rare feat made famous only by Beverly Sills and not attempted on the New York stage since. But she’s more than up to the challenge and in the climactic opera of the trilogy, Roberto Devereux, Ms Radvanovsky takes on the demanding role of Queen Elizabeth I, who’s forced to sign the death warrant of the nobleman she loves, Roberto Devereux. Tenor Matthew Polenzani is Devereux and mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča and baritone Mariusz Kwiecien complete the principal quartet in this bel canto masterpiece conducted by Donizetti specialist, Maurizio Benini. As with the earlier Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda, the production is by Sir David McVicar, who with this staging completes an enormously ambitious directorial accomplishment.

home lives against the backdrop of a tumultuous region that is full of unresolved conflicts and contradictions. At once an intimate study of five extraordinary women and a wider commentary on their socio-political context, Speed Sisters is thoroughly compelling.

ROH Live: Giselle (12A) 46 | April 2016

from an innocent peasant girl, duped into love, to a forgiving spirit who saves her lover from death. For the ballerina this is a role of two contrasting halves: in act I she must appear naïve and artless, her dancing alive with an earthy enthusiasm; in act II she transforms into light and air, her dancing so ethereal as to seem

Quixote (12A) Sunday 10th (4pm) Cervantes’ eccentric hero, Don Quixote, sets off with his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, on a journey full of adventures in search of his perfect woman. Along the way he meets Kitri, the dazzling daughter of an innkeeper, whom he thinks

Exhibition on screen: Painting The Modern Garden (12A) Monday 18th (6.30pm) Monet was an avid horticulturist and arguably the most important painter of gardens in the history of art but he was not alone.

Artists such as Van Gogh, Bonnard, Pissarro and Matisse all saw the garden as a powerful subject for their art. These great artists, along with many other famous names, www.finecity.co.uk

FINEARTS feature in an innovative exhibition from London’s Royal Academy.

From the exhibition walls to the beauty of the artists’ gardens such as Monet’s Giverny, members of the audience will be taken on a magical journey to discover how artists used the modern garden to explore radical and wonderful new ideas.

ROH Live: Lucia di Lammermoor (12A) Monday 25th (7.15pm) A brilliant opera, Lucia di Lammermoor tells the story of an ongoing feud between two families in 17th-century Scotland that has terrible consequences for two young lovers. It contains what is undoubtedly one of opera’s most poignant and gripping mad scenes.

The opera - widely regarded as one of Donizetti’s finest works has not been seen at the Royal Opera House in more than a decade and, therefore, this new production by Katie Mitchell is a particularly important and

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MET Opera: Elektra

exciting event. The title-role will be sung by Diana Damrau, an expert in the coloratura repertory, while American tenor, Charles Castronovo, takes on the role of her secret lover, the reckless and passionate Edgardo.

Met Opera: Elektra (12A) Saturday 30th (5.55pm); Encore showing: Monday 2nd May (1pm)

The genius director Patrice Chéreau (Janáček’s House of the Dead) didn’t live to see his great production of Elektra (previously seen in Aix-en-Provence and Milan) make it to the stage of The Met but his overpowering vision lives on with soprano Nina Stemme, unmatched today in the heroic female roles of Strauss and Wagner. She portrays Elektra’s primal quest for vengeance

for the murder of her father, Agamemnon. Legendary mezzosoprano, Waltraud Meier, is chilling as Elektra’s fearsome mother, Klytämnestra, while soprano, Adrianne Pieczonka and bassbaritone Eric Owens, are Elektra’s troubled siblings. Chéreau’s musical collaborator, Esa-Pekka Salonen, conducts Strauss’s mighty take on Greek myth.

2016 April | 47

FINEARTS

What’s On At Maddermarket Here’s What’s Happening At Maddermarket This Month An Evening With Ian Waite And Camilla Dallerup

tell their inside stories from Strictly Come Dancing.

Fri 01 April 7.30pm

Tickets: £25.00 (£22.00 concessions)

Latin and Ballroom routines and tell their inside stories from Strictly Come Dancing.

Egyptian Baladi Interpretation For Dancers – Workshop

For one night only, join Ian Waite and Camilla Dallerup from BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing plus professional singer Paul Amer and guests for a spectacular evening of dance, singing and stories from their time on the BBC hit show as they come to the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich on Friday 1st April. This up close and personal show promises to be a night to remember. Camilla, one of the original professionals and champion in 2008 is joined by her professional partner (and ladies favourite) Ian Waite who has appeared in nearly every series of the show. During the show Ian and Camilla will perform some amazing Latin and Ballroom routines and

Sat 02 April 4-6pm In The Emmerson Studio Egyptian Baladi Interpretation for Dancers Gain a deeper understanding of urban Egyptian dance music known as Baladi in this exclusive workshop led by members of the renowned Baladi Blues Ensemble.

Ahead of their evening show master accordionist Magdy Tewfik and band leader Guy Schalom will host an interactive dance session accompanying the dancers and focusing on structured dance improvisation known as Ashra Baladi including the major musical

archetypes of such as Taxim, Tet and Awadi.

There will be plenty of time for dancers of all levels to practice and develop a stronger feeling for this soulful and emotive style.

Tickets: Available Online

Egyptian Dance With Live Music From Guy Schalom And The Baladi Blues Ensemble - Oriental Delight Sat 02 April 7.30pm Talented professional dancers showcase Egyptian dance with live accompaniment by renowned percussionist Guy Schalom and members of his Baladi Blues Ensemble playing traditional, compelling Egyptian folk music.

Dancers Janai, Miriam Gita, Molly Robbo, Eleanor Saunders, and Claire Ellis perform a wide repertoire from the ancient art of Raqs Sharqi with interactive lattice screen collaboration by artist Stephen Vince.

For more information visit norfolkorientaldance.org.uk Tickets: £10.00 (£8.00 concessions)

Time Out Of Mind Mon 04 Apr - Fri 08 Apr 1.30pm On a summer’s evening in 1593, two men meet at The Dirty Duck Inn in Stratford Upon Avon – an occasion that leads to an extraordinary relationship that changed the face of world theatre.

An Evening With Ian Waite And Camilla Dallerup

48 | April 2016

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FINEARTS Egyptian Dance With Live Music From Guy Schalom And The Baladi Blues Ensemble - Oriental Delight

Written to celebrate Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary, this fascinating play by awardwinning author Adrian Drew, is a combination of speculation, comedy and pathos, guaranteed to both surprise and entertain!

Adrian Drew has written 26 plays and all have been performed on London’s Fringe, three in regional venues, one Off-Broadway and one in Buenos Aires.

This event takes place in the Theatre’s Emmerson Studio Theatre and runs for approximately 2hrs with interval.

‘Urinetown: The Musical’ is a social and political satire set in a dystopian future where a terrible 20-year drought has crippled the city’s water supplies. Water is so scarce that the government enforces a ban on all private toilets in an effort to control water consumption.

The citizens of our story must now use the public, pay-per-use amenities owned and operated by Urine Good Company (UGC) - a

private malevolent corporation run by the corrupt Caldwell B. Cladwell. Citizens who try to circumvent the peeing-fee by relieving themselves in the bushes risk being taken away to “Urinetown”, a mysterious place where many have been sent, never to return.

The oppressed masses huddle in line at the poorest, filthiest urinal in town, Public Amenity #9, which is run by the rigid, harshly authoritarian Penelope Pennywise and her assistant, dashing young rebel Bobby Strong. With fee increases in the pipeline, the poor rise up under the leadership of Bobby to fight the tyrannical regime for the right to make the public amenities free for all to use.

Urinetown is a hilarious and resonating tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold - painfully relevant and relatable in a society so quick to waste.

Twitter @SoundIdeasMTC Tickets: £12

Choreography Workshop Sat 09 April Break free from your choreography habits and breathe new life into your dance at this workshop developed and taught by experienced choreographer and teacher, Eleanor Bellydances, and JWAAD teacher in training, Rosie Bellydance.

Tickets: £20

St. Gregory’s Orchestra - Spring Concert Sun 10 April 7.00pm Conductor: Martin Wyatt Programme

Urinetown

‘Time Out of Mind’ is part of The Maddermarket Theatre’s ‘Shakespeare at 400 Mini-Festival’ Tickets: £6.00 (£5.00 concessions)

Urinetown Wed 06 Apr - Sat 09 Apr The Musical presented by Sound Ideas Theatre Co. Truth, Hope and Love are more than a just a pipe-dream.

Greg Kotis, author of Urinetown, conceived the original idea after encountering a pay-per-use toilet whilst travelling in Europe - something that is still a regular concept all over London. He began writing the award-winning Book shortly after, joining with Mark Hollmann, composer and lyricist.

The original Broadway production of Urinetown was nominated for 10 Tony awards, winning for best book, score and direction. www.finecity.co.uk

2016 April | 49

FINEARTS norwichjazzclub.co.uk Tickets: Entry free to participants / £5 to nonparticipants. Tickets on the door.

Belly Dance – Serenity Tue 12 April 6 - 7pm Tuesdays Relax and unwind through belly dance with Eleanor: Each lesson starts with a floor based stretch followed by calm movements that increase your core awareness. It’s the perfect way to unwind after a day at work.

Tickets: £15

Alan Barnes (Alto, Bari, Clar) With The Njc Trio Belly Dance

Orchestral Suite: SwanLake …

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in E minor …

Bruch Symphony no 2 in D minor …

Sibelius St. Gregory’s Orchestra returns to The Maddermarket with three very different examples of nineteenth century music.

Swan Lake is the earliest of Tchaikovsky’s three ballets and contains some of his most memorable tunes. He managed to capture not just the grandeur and power of the tragic story, but the grace of the dancers as well.

Bruch’s Violin Concerto is one of the most popular works of the Romantic period, with rich, lyrical melodies. The soloist for this performance is Dylan Latham, who is a pupil at Norwich School.

With his Second Symphony, Sibelius offers unashamedly emotional support for his native Finland in her struggle against oppression, and conjures up the bleak, icy landscape of the country.

50 | April 2016

St. Gregory’s Orchestra was formed in the autumn of 1986 by its conductor, Martin Wyatt, and for many years was based in the former St. Gregory’s Arts Centre in Pottergate. The orchestra now rehearses in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Sprowston, and aims to give three or four concerts each year. The repertoire is largely classical, with occasional forays into light opera and musicals.

Tue 12 April Doors 7.30pm, Music 8.30pm 11pm One of the UK’s most popular and well-loved reedsmen makes a welcome return to the club for a good-humoured evening of swinging standards with the house trio.

“Whatever the instrument, Alan plays it hard and fast and with the

sort of inventive flexibility and invention that ensures that he has his own sound and style and could not be easily be confused with another player”. Jazz Journal norwichjazzclub.co.uk Tickets: £12.00 (£6.00 under 25’s concessions)

Belly Dance: Pop Thu 14 April 6 – 7pm Tuesdays Experience three modern elements of belly dance: Arabic pop, fusion, and belly popping. Each lesson will act as a lively taster session with energetic teacher and dancer, Eleanor. You might find one hour is just not enough!

Tickets: £15

Scratch Shot - New Writing Evening Thu 14 April 7.30pm New to Norfolk, REDuck ProDUCKions and The Maddermarket Theatre brings you ‘Scratch Shot’, an evening dedicated to the performance of fresh writing – be it for theatre, screen, radio or just for fun.

Experienced and new writers are

Sponsored by Head in the Clouds Tickets: £10.00 (£8.00 concessions)

Norwich Jazz Club Monthly Jam Sessions Mon 11 April 8.00pm 10.30pm Join us in the Redwell Maddermarket Theatre Bar where guest performers are invited to sit in with the house trio. Musicians of all ages and experience are welcome, so come on down and have a blow, or relax and listen to some of the city’s finest jazz talent.

Tickets will be on sale from the End of March to coincide with our new brochure

Alan Barnes (Alto, Bari, Clar) With The Njc Trio

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FINEARTS This event takes place in the Theatre’s Redwell Bar

given the opportunity to test-drive their pieces as talented actors take their text off the page and bring their characters to life. It is an exciting opportunity for writers to see their work in progress and how it would look, sound and be tested on a welcoming audience.

Be it a screen play, radio piece or a script for stage. A whole range of writing genres and styles all from the heart of Norfolk. All in the space of one evening.

For actors it is a brilliant chance to be the first to bring these characters to life in a ‘rehearsed reading’ style environment. There is plenty of scope to try something new, play a different character and experience a plethora of genres!

Submissions for both writing and actors will open soon in readiness for our opening night on 14th January! Scatch Shot will then continue each month on the second Thursday thereafter. It is all in the effort to promote and support new writing in Norwich.

And best of all, it happens all in one evening. For actors there is no stressing about learning lines and for writers it’s a quick snapshot of what their finished piece could look like.

Shakespeare Special - This month’s Scratch Shot is part of The Maddermarket Theatre’s ‘Shakespeare at 400 Mini-Festival’ If you are interested in taking part, please email redduckproduck@ gmail.com as soon as possible and stating if you are interested in submitting a piece of work of it you are interested in acting.

Tickets will be on sale from the End of March to coincide with our new brochure Tickets: £5.00

Interlude Presents Love And Romance Thu 14 Apr - Mon 18 Apr 14th And 15th April 1.10pm, 18th April 7.30pm Romance & Dance - an hour of www.finecity.co.uk

Tickets: £10.00

Intellectual Hooligans - Shakespeare Themed Special

songs from celebrated songsmiths.

Accompanied by Jason Lambert on piano are Melissa Sampson, Suzanne Long and John Hare.

This event takes place in the Theatre’s Redwell Bar. Tickets: £6.00 – 14th and 15th April, tickets £9.00 – 18th April (two sets of songs)

Songs Inspired By Shakespeare Fri 15 April 7.30pm Without much ado, David Rees and Julie Hewitt invite you to an evening of song - melodies, ballads and belters, all inspired by the works of The Bard of Avon.

To mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, prithee sit and enjoy an eclectic mix of sultry sounds and sweet airs from the worlds best songwriters. From chart toppers to showstoppers, this musical feast promises a gaudy evening of song.

With numbers from composers and singers as diverse as Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim, Peggy Lee and David Essex, there’s a merry ditty here for everyone just as you like it.

With not a ‘Hey Nonny No’ in sight, this is a fun and frivolous tribute to Shakepeare’s influence on songwriters over the last 100 years.

So, if music be the food of love Play on!

‘Song Inspired by Shakespeare’ is part of The Maddermarket Theatre’s ‘Shakespeare at 400 Mini-Festival’

Intellectual Hooligans - Shakespeare Themed Special Sat 16 April Doors Open 8pm, Show Starts At 8.30pm. (Free Workshop 7-8pm For Ticket Holders) The show will consist of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” games based on audience suggestions.

The Intellectual Hooligans are a group of top notch improv comedy performers led by Daniel Taylor (founder of UEA Headlights Comedy Society) and Rob aka Will Turner (creator of Reynard City). The show will consist of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” games based on audience suggestions.

Prior to the show, there will be a one hour workshop open to anyone wishing to try their hand at improv.

Held in the Redwell Bar, so get there early to ensure you get a good seat and enjoy our local crafted beer and snacks.

Ticket holders should meet in the Theatre’s Redwell Bar before departing.

This performance is part of the Maddermarket Theatre’s ‘Shakespeare at 400 Mini-Festival’ Tickets: £6.00 (£5.00 concessions) includes coffee and cake on your return

Madder World Music Thu 21 April 7.30pm Explore the world with your ears!

An eclectic and diverse mix of funky beats from all over the world by DJ Abraham Eshetu.

This event takes place in The Maddermarket Theatre’s Redwell Bar Tickets: £5.00 (on the door)

King Lear Fri 22 Apr - Sat 30 Apr 7.30pm (2.30pm Matinee On 30th April)

By William Shakespeare

Follow on twitter @intellectHoolig

Directed by Chris Bealey

This event is a Shakespearethemed special, as part of the Maddermarket Theatre’s ‘Shakespeare at 400 Mini-Festival’

Our production of Shakespeare’s lyrical tragedy is set at the heart of a crumbling dictatorship.

Ageing tyrant Lear faces the consequences of maintaining his supremacy through surveillance and cruelty, rather than wisdom.

Tickets: £6.00 (free workshop 7- 8pm for ticket holders)

Strolling With Shakespeare Sun 17 April 1.00pm, 1.30pm, 2.00pm, 2.30pm Come and enjoy a walk around historic Norwich and hear some of Shakespeare’s sonnets performed by members of the Maddermarket Theatre Company.Your walk will begin at the Maddermarket Theatre and will last approximately 1 hour.

Walks depart every 30 minutes.

Tickets need to be booked in advance and will be limited, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Where once Lear saw all, now his vision is occluded by doubt and deluded sentimentality. Scorning his advisers, Lear hands power to his treacherous daughters, Goneril and Regan. In the same impulse, he banishes the daughter who truly loves him – his youngest child, Cordelia.

Loss of hope follows hard on the heels of Cordelia’s flight abroad.

Murderous factions vie for power and the bloodbath that ensues is mirrored by Lear’s descent into madness. Amid the chaos, he sees the truth – that he has been betrayed by Regan and Goneril, 2016 April | 51

FINEARTS but that he himself has betrayed his beloved Cordelia.

As Lear’s refuge from pain results in a second childishness, we are

left wondering, can humanity be redeemed after such horror, or is this, indeed, our “promised end”?”

This production is part of

the Maddermarket Theatre’s ‘Shakespeare at 400 Mini-Festival’ Please note there is no Matinee performance on 23.4.16

Tickets: £12 / £10 / £8

Shakespeare’s Greatest Bits Sun 24 April 7.30pm ‘All the world’s a stage’ for this fabulous show…!

As part of our Shakespeare 400th Anniversary join us for a thoroughly enjoyable evening focussing on the seven ages of man from the world’s greatest wordsmith performed on our world famous Elizabethan style stage. Delight in this exceptional anthology of Shakespearean humour, love and hate performed by an ensemble of our most talented performers.

Come and see our Dragon GoGoMadder who depicts all the Shakespeare plays created by John Stokes for the GoGoDragons!

2015 Art Trail This performance is part of the Maddermarket Theatre’s ‘Shakespeare at 400 Mini-Festival’ Tickets: £8.00 (£6.00 concessions)

Box Office Our box office is situated in the foyer area, opposite the coffee shop.

Box Office opening hours Normal Open Hours Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm.

On Show Days Monday to Saturday 10am - 7.30pm Sundays 5pm - 7.30pm Booking Tickets Tickets may be booked in person, by telephone or online.

Shakespeare at 400 Mini-Festival

52 | April 2016

Box Office: 01603 620917 office@maddermarket.org www.maddermarket.co.uk

www.finecity.co.uk

The Big C

The Big C launches new #Bigcfrocksonfriday campaign and offers free workshops

F

ancy a new frock, but have not quite got the spare cash for this season’s must have look?

It’s your Prom and you want to look amaaaazing but the bank of mum and dad are not stumping up the cash? There’s a hen party and you haven’t a thing to wear?

It’s time to stand out from the crowd, get creative, bespoke and upcycle!

Visit a one of the Big C cancer charity 10 shops around the county to discover a new great “More dash than cash” idea that will help you look good and benefit cancer patients and their families throughout Norfolk and Waveney.

All you have to do is pop into one of the 10 high street shops and buy a pre-loved frock. Take a “before” picture of you wearing it with the Big C label showing on it and post via facebook.com/ bigccharity, twitter@bigctweets or Instagram bigccharity including #bigcfrocksonfriday. Then take it home and upcycle it into this season’s look. Be inspired by this season’s catwalk trends - bare shoulders, frills and flounces, boho prairie style or underwear as outerwear cute.

Once you’ve upcycled, take an “after” picture and post using the same hashtag.

We’ve a special treat too to help inspire your creativity. A free

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pop up demo and workshop will be held on April 18 at Big C’s Wymondham warehouse led by Joanne from makeplace, Magdalen Street, Norwich, part of Anglian Fashion Fabrics. There are just 12 places on this two hour course where you’ll learn how to make frills and other quick transforming tricks, by hand. You don’t even need a sewing machine.

To qualify, just post your picture of you wearing the dress clearly showing the Big C price tag you want to transform on Instagram or Facebook at bigccharity or Twitter @bigctweets with the #bigcfrocksonfriday and we’ll pick out the entries.

Follow us on Facebook for details of the new Prom upcycling workshops coming in time to wow your escort at this year’s event! #Bigcfrocksonfriday initiative was launched during Norwich Fashion Week on Friday March 11 at OPEN, Bank Plain Norwich, with dresses that have been transformed. Watch the windows in Big C’s Timberhill shop in Norwich and other locations around the Big c retail outlets for more ideas.

Big C stores selling women’s clothing can be found in Norwich, Wymondham town centre Beccles, Dereham, Cromer, Sheringham, King’s Lynn, Great Yarmouth and all would be pleased to receive any donations.

2016 April | 53

FINEEVENTS

Remembering them at dawn as the birds begin to sing

I

f you’ve not yet discovered the peace and beauty of hearing the birds wake and sing at first light during a Dawn Chorus Walk in the stunning Norfolk landscape, now is your chance.

There is nothing like hearing the birds gradually awake in various stages, being able to recognise the species through identifying their songs, and see them in their own habitat, as well as observing other wildlife and fauna that make these areas their homes.

Sunrise is also conducive to reflection and memory, perhaps of a loved one you have lost to cancer, or even for helping to come to terms with this illness personally..

Big C has paired up with Pensthorpe Natural Park in the tranquil Wensum Valley, near Fakenham and RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, to give two different opportunities to offer this experience on Sunday April 17th and Sunday May 8th.

You’ll need to set your alarm to be up before the birds, but will be rewarded by a unique experience, no two sunrises or dawn choruses are the same, hot drinks enroute and at Strumpshaw a breakfast bag is included in the ticket price.

Ben Lewis is the warden at Strumpshaw Fen. He has been listening to birds and learning 54 | April 2016

their songs with his dad since he was six years old. He explained the reserve is an area of special scientific interest (SSSI) and managed to encourage its potential for wildlife. The 2.4km non strenuous walk will cover four or five different habitats – wet woodland, meadows, riverbanks, reed bed and open water – offering a good opportunity to see and hear a wide range of bird and mammal species indigenous to those areas including marsh harriers, the booming Bittern, Cuckoos, Reed Buntings native species like the Thrush, as well as migrants from Africa – the Chiff-Chaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap.

Chinese Water Deer may be in the meadows and possibly otters around the riverbank. The woodland floor will hopefully be a sea of bluebells.

Ben will help you identify the birdsong, sometimes with the use of his iPad recordings so no need to worry if you do not know their distinctive calls and songs. Here is your chance to hear, identify and discover them.

“To see and listen to the dawn chorus is a good reason to get out of bed at this time of day. We will try and break the sounds down to identify what and who we can hear. It will change as we visit the various habitats, the weather will also have an impact,” he said.

Over at Pensthorpe, the 700 acre site that was twice voted Norfolk’s Best Large Visitor Attraction, conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats is the single most important focus of the work. With a diverse range of habitats, its Norfolk Natural Park is nationally recognised as a breeding site for many species and numerous types of bird. Sightings include 16 Whooper Swan, large flocks of Goldfinch and Siskin, Woodcock, the short-eared Owl, Marsh Harriers and Bitterns.

It is also home to the most important river in the East of England from the Test to the Humber which is designated a Special Area of Conservation due to the presence of important and rare plant fish species. The walk will take you beside the chalk stream to see natural brown trout, water vole, otters and kingfishers along to the wader scrap where more surprises await. “You never know who is going to turn up

on this large pool of water with views across to the wet meadows beyond,” said operations director Mark Noble. “There is little light pollution so we have stunning sunrises and it is a wonderful sight as the birds come to life, feeling the sun on their wings.” Waterfowl sightings have included Teal, Widgeon, Shelduck and Shoveler.

“Pensthorpe is a special place with a beautiful landscape and a very different feel and an opportunity for people to get away and have space and time,” said Mark.

Tickets cost £15 at Pensthorpe, to include a two hour warden tour starting at 5.30am and hot beverage, (breakfast is available separately from 8.30am at the café) and £20 at Strumpshaw which includes a two hour warden tour, breakfast bag with hot beverage and starts at 6.15am.

For full details and to book tickets visit big-c.co.uk/events/dawn-chorus www.finecity.co.uk

FINEEVENTS

The Big C Firewalk Have you the nerve to walk over hot coals to help cancer patients?

- and I have a cool story to tell for the rest of my life.

something personally you will be helping so many other people.

ind over matter!

Can you conquer the ultimate challenge and walk across coals burning at 800degrees to raise funds to support cancer patients?

“The training tells you all you need to know and the energy is like nothing else. I was full of adrenalin, and the crowd was cheering as I strode along the Fire Walk. I did something unique and raised money for a great cause”

Dan Bell, Big C’s 35th anniversary events manager, has been attracting interest in the walk to take place outside the Forum and discovered three most frequently asked questions. Why should I do it, what does it feel like and why if I have already done it should I do it again?

M

As part of its anniversary challenges to celebrate its 35th year, Big C, Norfolk and Waveney’s cancer charity is throwing down the gauntlet and challenging you to do something to face your fears and anxieties and overcome them a Fire Walk.

You won’t be alone and will be well prepared for the challenge by a former naval commander who is US Navy Seals and SAS trained, who will empower you to face the fear and do it anyway during an hour long seminar prior to the walk. Steve Stuttard has trained some of the leaders of major international PLCs, so the exercise is worth doing to get an insight into how to build confidence and turn fear into a positive.

Steve is an Arctic, Desert, Jungle and Temperate extreme climatic survival training specialist. He has initiated and chaired several military and civilian International conferences and still enjoys close links to military organisations.

He is an experienced and accomplished motivational

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speaker, an Emotional Freedom Technique practitioner, a firewalking and glass walking instructor, he is an internationally recognised Environmental Survival to Motivational Inspiration training, leadership and team development speaker, so you know you are in safe hands.

The Fire Walk challenge was held for the first time last year and so successful that several people have asked for Big C to repeat it.

Compliance and Governance Manager for Support and Information Centres at Big C Phill Rushmere said, “I was attracted to the challenge as I thought it was a unique experience and I wanted to do something to raise money for charity. I liked the idea of putting my mind over matter and at no point was I ever worried about burning my feet. ”The survivability seminar beforehand really builds confidence and afterwards I felt energised and that I could take on the world. The tutor carries out some very clever tests and stunts which really do prepare you for the short walk.”

Another previous walker Tom Oxley said,” I couldn’t believe I could do it. It’s incredible to walk on the coals. It didn’t hurt one bit

Tanya Adams said: “I chose to do the Fire Walk as it was a way of overcoming some fears and raising money for a great local charity.

“I wasn’t overly worried about the actual walk, I think I had mentally blocked the ‘fire’ part out, I was more worried with the fact that I was doing it on my own! However, I really had nothing to fear. The group session prior to the actual walk was a great way to overcome any fears.

“I met a girl who was clearly quite scared but we stuck together through the whole process and by the end of the fire walk I was more proud of her achieving it than I was myself!

“The actual Fire Walk is nothing like you think it will be and I can’t even explain it, I still don’t know how you do it without hurting yourself but you just do!

“I would really encourage anyone who feels they could do with a confidence boost just to sign up and in return for achieving

Phill said,” don’t think you are going to burn your feet. The sensation of walking over hot coals just feels like walking over gritty stone, it does not feel hot. It is a great adrenaline rush. Based on my experience you build confidence and it is a great occasion.”

To sign up register a £30 donation and pledge to make £100 in sponsorship.

The Fire Walk takes place outside The Forum, Norwich on Saturday April 30 from 16.30-18.30. come along and support or why not get a team together from your office to take part? To enter visit: www.big-c.co.uk/Events/the-big-cfirewalk-2016.

Or if you would rather fund-raise in a cooler style visit the website for how to be involved in Big C’s Challenge 35 or Cuppa parties.

For further details call Dan on 01603 619900.

2016 April | 55

Feasts And Pageants Of Norwich

D

uring the Tudor period, the most popular days for festivals were Whit-Monday and Tuesday, as on these day’s street plays took place. As well as Norwich people being present, many people from surrounding villages from within the County of Norfolk would turn up.

In this period of time when the bible was not permitted to be given to people the plays became an attempt by the monks, the authors and actors to supplant the Pagan stories of olden times.

Between the 18th and 19th century such plays were put on by the St Luke’s Guild, which was a

56 | April 2016

group put together by all trades of Norwich, including pewterers, braziers, plumbers and bell founders and the cost of these exhibitions were almost ruined by the amount paid to put them on.

To recuperate all costs the men of the Guild sent a petition to the Mayor and to the corporation of Norwich. Each branch of the trade was part of its own company or trade guild.

The Mayor and corporation of Norwich after hearing the petition agreed that every occupation of the city should find a set forth one pageant in the Pentecost week and this was set forth by the Mayor and the alderman.

In the assembly book which was kept in the record room of the corporation, a list showed early guild members of the Norwich pageants.

(Original Spelling) Mercers, Drapers and Haberdashers.

(Creation of the world) Glasiers, Steyners, Screveners, Pchemyters, Carpenters, Gravers, Caryers, Colermakers and Whelewrights.

(Helle Carte) Grocers, Faffermen and Chandleres (Parayse) Shermen, Fullers, Thik Woollen

Weavers, Coolightmakers, Masons, and Lyme Brucers.

(Abel and Cain) Bakers, Bruers, Inkeepers, Cooks, Millers, Vynteners and Coupers.

(Noyse Ship) Tailors, Broderers, Readers and Tylers.

(Abraham and Isaak) Tanners, Coryors and Cordwainers.

(Moises and Aaron with the Children of Israel, and Pharo with his Knyghts) Smythes.

(Conflict of David and Golias)

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FINELIVING Margaret appeared until Dissolved in the year 1731.

The historian Blomefield stated that in the year 1534, Philip Foreman was ordered to be George in that year and to have £10 for his labour and finding apparel.

When the company was dissolved the following was sold; feature by:

Michael Chandler Author, Historian & Broadcaster @EastAngliaMedia

Dyers, Calauderers, Goldsmythes, Goldbeters, Saddlers, Pewterers and Brasyers.

(The birth of Christe, with shepherds and three Kings of Colen) Barbers, Waxchandlers, Surgeons, Fisitians, Hardwaremen, Hatters, Cappers, Skinners, Glovers, Poyntemakers, Girdelers, Pursers, Bagmakers, ‘Scapps’, Wye-Drawers and Card Makers.

(The baptysme of Christe) Bochers, Fishmongers and Watermen.

(Resurrection) Worsted Weavers.

(The Holy Gost) Plays were put on at Tombland and on Castle Hill on movable stages. Each company of men were responsible for its own carriage or stage. The carriages were usually like two rooms with the lower one used as a dressing room. Introduction to the pageants was normally made by three Heralds and they then gave a long prologue regarding parts of the miracle play that was about to be performed.

On mayoralty processions, which were known as ‘Pomp and Antique Pageantry’ right up until 1835 when the old corporation was abolished.

By the statutes of 31 by Henry VIII and 1 by Edward VI all guilds except St Georges Company were abolished, but the pageant of St George and the Dragon and St www.finecity.co.uk

One large silver-headed staff with the effigies of St George on horseback trampling the Dragon under his feat. £5 5 0 One new Dragon, commonly called Snap-Dragon 330 Two standards, one of St George and the Dragon and the other the English Colours 110 Four sashes of the standardbearers 0 10 6 Two habits for the standardbearers 220 Five habits for the whiffler 2 12 6 Two habits, one for the clubbearer, another for his man, who are now called fools 0 10 6 The Whifflers were kept by the Norwich Corporation.

The last of the Dragon’s that features at Norwich was made of canvas stretched over wood with the outside painted on sea green with gilt scales. The body was five feet tall.

The original company of St George of Norwich was founded in 1385 and it continued until Henry V granted the company a charter of which they were incorporated by the name of the alderman, master, brethren and sisters of the Guild of St George in Norwich. By 1732 the company was in debt for £236. 15s 1d, which was paid by the corporation.

The Norwich Guild – A Mayor’s Feast.

In 1561 the Earls of Northumberland and Huntingdon, along with Lords Thomas, Howard and Willoughby visited the Duke of Norfolk and were entertained, and in return the Mayor William Mingay invited them, their wives and others of the Norwich Guild to St Andrew’s to dine. The mayor’s share was £1. 12s 9d.

The bill of fare was as follows; Eight stone of beef, at 8d a stone and a sirloin 058 Two collars of brawn 010 Four cheeses, at 4d a cheese 0 1 4 Eight pints of butter 016 A hinder quarter of veal 0 0 10 A leg of mutton 005 A fore quarter of veal 005 Loin of mutton and shoulder of veal 009 Breast and coat of mutton 0 0 7 Six pullets 010 Four couple of rabbits 018 Four braces of partridges 0 2 0 Two guinea cocks 016 Two couple of mallards 110 Thirty-Four eggs 006 Bushel of flour 006 Peck of oatmeal 002 Sixteen white bread loaves 0 0 4 Eighteen loaves of white wheat bread 009 Three loaves of meslin bread 0 0 3 Nutmeg, mace, cinnamon and cloves 003 Four pounds of Barbary sugar

010 Sixteen oranges 002 A barrel of double strong beer

026 A barrel of table beer 010 A quarter of wood 022 Two gallons of white wine and canary 020 Fruit, almonds, sweet water, perfumes 004 The cook’s wages 012 Total

£1. 12 9

John Martyn, a wealthy citizen made a speech after dinner.

(Original spelling) ‘Maistor Mayor of Norwich, and it please your worship, you have feasted us like a King. God bless the Queen’s Grace. We have fed plentifully, and now whilom I can speak plain English, I heartly thank you, Maister Mayor, and so do we all. Answer, boys, answer. Your beer is pleasant and potent, and will soon catch us by the caput and stop our manners. And so huzza for the Queen’s Majesty’s Grace, and all her bonny-browed dames of honour. Huzza for Maister Mayor and our good Dame Mayoress, his noble grace the Duke of Norfolk. There he is, God bless him – and all this jolly company. To all our friends round country who have a penny in their purse and an English heart in their bodies to keep out Spanish dons and papists with their faggots to burn our whiskers. Shove it about, twirl your capcasses, handle your jugs, and huzza for Maister Mayor and his brethrem their worships.

I will end on the note of St Valentine’s Day that is celebrated on the 14th of February every year, but not in Norwich when it is celebrated on the evening of the 13th February.

2016 April | 57

Bring on the Summer!

I

There are exciting times ahead for chef Harry Farrow and the team.

t’s amazing how a little bit of sunshine can enhance the mood and instantly put a smile on our faces, and summertime in Norfolk really is like nowhere else on earth. OK, maybe I’m biased, but I think ourselves lucky to be blessed with such an abundance of lovely pubs and restaurants in which to sit alfresco with a cold beer in hand, or perhaps tuck into a bite of something special.

Since Rowan and I took over The Anchor inn in Morston five years ago, the pub has gone from strength to strength, which spurred us to take on a sister pub, acquiring The Hero in Burnham Overy Staithe last month. With an emphasis on serving as much

58 | April 2016

locally-sourced produce as possible, the aim is to bring The Anchor Inn’s tried-and-tested classic pub dishes and seasonal specials to this traditional Norfolk inn.

areas and on salty mudflats. With a distinct taste of the sea, it can be used raw in a salad, but I prefer to steam it for a few minutes to reduce the salty taste.

When June arrives, nothing says summer more to me than yummy homemade ice cream! And now that the season is in full swing, why not pick your own summer fruits

Being close to the coast, both pubs are all about delicious seafood this summer, caught a stone’s throw from the doorstep and delivered fresh to the kitchen door. I love cooking (and eating!) wild sea bass, crabs and lobsters at this time of year, served quite simply with a seasonal salad, courgette flowers or locally-grown asparagus.

Of course, Norfolk is renowned for its vibrant green samphire, which you will find for sale on roadsides across the county. A great accompaniment to fish, it grows abundantly in coastal marsh

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FINEFood to whip up a creamy strawberry ice cream? Back on the dessert menu for the summer months, we will be making our own Eton mess, raspberry ripple and mint choc chip ice cream, prepared using mint from the pub’s own herb garden.

Feeling thirsty? Woodforde’s and Adnams, brewed in Norfolk and Suffolk, are among the best beers in the country! I don’t think you can beat a refreshing, cold beer on a hot, sunny day. We will also be offering a great selection of different gins – perfect for gin and tonic drinkers! So, whether you’re calling in to whet your whistle, or delighting in a leisurely meal that celebrates the best of Norfolk, we look forward to welcoming you soon.

For further information on The Anchor Inn, call 01263

741392 or visit www. morstonanchor.co.uk For further information on The Hero, call 01328 738334 or visit www. theheroburnhamovery. co.uk

Feature by:

Harry Farrow Chef 01263 741392

The Anchor inn is open from 9am until 11pm daily, serving food from 12-3pm and 6-9pm.

We serve high quality local fish, game, meats and vegetables, cooked to perfection.

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2016 April | 59

Posh Plants Spring at Seven Acres 2016!

There’s a definite feeling of warmer weather just around the corner.

Oh, the joy of being able to go outside without a jacket and boots and to be able to walk the dog and not come in all splashed with mud!

As well as mud, rural living brings the natural world to our doorstep.

Quite often I have a pair of mallards waiting by the door for the morning “bird feed”. She is nesting in the front garden, safe under a protective box hedge, the same place now for the past three years. One day soon she will proudly parade a clutch of gorgeous ducklings, last year there were thirteen and they will run the gauntlet of the dangers of Seven Acres!

One potential danger is a recent daily visitor.

We have a pond, a natural “Marl Pit” type pond which is a mecca for wildlife. For the past month a large heron has been dropping by, a beautiful breathtaking bird.

Yesterday, I had just picked up the binoculars to appreciate his lovely plumage. I noticed he was staring intently at the ground and within seconds of me focusing he shot forward with tremendous speed

and power, his very strong six inch beak disappearing into the tussocky grass.

Well…I was amazed to see this hunter in action, but the poor vole or mouse writhing in the beak met it’s quick end and I watched it being swallowed down in one!

So, I think there may be plenty of duckling dramas ahead!

In the nursery much sweeping, tidying and sorting of plants is going on. We are gradually moving the large Posh Plant stock outside.

The strawberries in the polytunnels are in flower and the fruit is starting to set, so we’re looking forward to a nice early crop.

Lovely seasonal spring flowers not only look and smell lovely, but attract early bumble bees. The large early ones are most likely to be queens looking for nest sites.

Crested newts, frogs and toads have nearly finished their slumber and slowly come to life when disturbed.

Soon Mr Heron will be feasting in the pond, frog heaven!

I may have to shoo him away

before long…there’s just so much drama I can take!

For garden products and plants have a look at the online shop at www.poshplants.com and for design and planting ideas contact…

Sue Huckle Posh Plants Seven Acres Nursery East Tuddenham www.poshplants.com email: sue@poshplants. com 07703 347014

Posh Plants

topiary, plants, shrubs and trees to hire or buy

Sue Huckle is the inspiration behind many award winning gardens, offering a professional and creative approach to the art and science of garden design.

At Seven Acres Nursery we have a range of lovely plants and containers for sale, as well as our beautiful collection of large topiary plants available to hire for weddings, parties and your workplace!

07703 347014 email: sue@poshplants.com website: www.poshplants.com

Posh Plants, Seven Acres Nursery, Common Road, East Tuddenham, NR20 3NF

60 | April 2016

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Rocket Heating & Plumbing, 9 Cardigan Place, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 4QS 01603 552 321 • 07858 921 309 rocketheating@gmail.com

Rocket Heating & Plumbing is the trading name for Tom Ryland ACiphe RP RHP, a qualified professional with over a decade of experience. I enjoy engineering bespoke solutions to keep your home warm and dry while providing excellent customer service, value for money and attention to detail. I always aim to provide the customer with as much informed choice and stive for the best possible finish to my work, seeing it through from beginning to end. No cutting corners, no time constraints, simply good quality work.

My main focus over the years has been heating installation and conversion and has given me my grounding in the industry.

I offer free quotations on any work, designed to work for your home, comfort and budget. I fit bathrooms along with an excellent tiler and all electrical work is carried out by a firm of fully qualified electricians to the best standards. So from a boiler change to a full heating system, a sink to a complete bathroom, or even somthing more unusual, give me a call and I will always strive to accommodate.

Award Winning Landscaping and Design

Paving and Pathways Ponds and Water Features Lawn Laying Walls and Brickwork Timber and Decking Driveways, Fencing and Screening Garden Design by Georgina Read

T: 01953 852139 E: info@lifestylelandscaping.co.uk W: www.lifestylelandscaping.co.uk

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2016 April | 61

FINEHomes

62 | April 2016

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FINEHomes

Blitz Floor Care & Restoration

So how long have you been in the flooring industry?

Our technicians including myself have worked in the (Floor Care & Restoration) world now for almost 10 years, over the years we have had some world class training and have been lucky enough to have gained some excellent contacts in the industry giving us extensive knowledge of processes, machinery and finishes. Working with the best training, equipment and products have really given us an edge over most of our competitors, its fair to say we have worked extremely hard at offering our customers the very best the industry has to offer.

We heard you won the Princes Trust Enterprise award in 2014; how did this affect your business?

Indeed, we won the award in 2014, not that I ever thought I had a chance of winning, considering there were thousands of applicants, but I humbly accepted the award, gratefully. It was great for me personally but also the business, people like to see local

achievements and it has really shown that hard work prevails.

You're also ranked highly on the Norfolk Trusted Traders what does this mean for you as a company?

Working with the Norfolk Trusted Trader Scheme from the very start was by far one of the best business decisions to date, not only have we managed to maintain a flawless customer review system, but, our reviews show before and after images of works carried out and also shows a written review from our customers in their own words. For any business it is important to give clear and honest customer reviews, it’s what all customers want to see.

Can floor sanding really be dustless?

How do you achieve this?

Modern technology using dust control and more importantly dustless extraction, can be achieved far more than conventional sanding, the fact is that 100% dust free floor sanding is almost impossible to achieve, but, around 95% is more realistic.

Conventional sanding is commonly known to fill your house with dust for days, but not anymore, we have to date never had any issues with our working processes including

dust control, it really is a much fuss free, cleaner job now days.

And finally, what sort of finishes do you offer?

Finishes are one of the most underestimated factors when surveying work, conventional finishing such as varnishing and hard wax oils are what most customers would be aware of, but modern approaches offer much more mechanically resistant and water resistant properties (Harder wearing) that stands

the test of time. Hard wax oils can take days/weeks to fully dry, whereas modern 2 component oils combined with hardeners are replaced, offering a much harder wearing finish that dries overnight.

Varnishes have been replaced with lacquers that have a much better molecular bond and gives a better looking and harder wearing floor.

Colours are also available in both oil and lacquered finishes. Part of our surveying is to establish what the customer wants and advise accordingly always to be sure to manage our own and our customers expectations.

Before

After

T: 01603 520 747 | M:07716 475 415 E: contact@blitzcleaned.com | W: www.blitzcleaned.com www.finecity.co.uk

2016 April | 63

FINEHomes

Mention FineCity magazine when calling to find out about our latest offers

64 | April 2016

www.finecity.co.uk

A family run company bringing an award winning designer, experienced craftsmen and quality materials to your project Garden Design & Build Decking Paving Planting plans and planting

Water features Artificial turf Pergolas and features Lawns Raised beds

Special Offer:

If you choose us to build your garden then the design comes free.

Call for a free initial consultation - 01692 535431

www.gardendesignnorfolk.co.uk shadow@gardendesignnorfolk.co.uk

Contemporary, classic or chic modern

Kitchens and Interiors The kitchen is the heart of the home.

That’s why at Graham Torbitt Kitchens and Interiors we provide quality craftsmanship, contemporary design, unique and fresh ideas to bring you the kitchen you desire. With over 25 years experience, let us put the heart back into your home.

Bespoke design and budget Creative solutions Integrity and expert advice Professional service Free consultation Inhouse at Premier Marble 3 Dewings Road, Rackheath, Norwich NR13 6PS

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2016 April | 65

Tim Tests It C

ars don’t tend to have a go at us and they give us a sense of independence.

They also answer to our smallest touch and sometimes they seem the most animated non-living thing ever made.

Even if you’re feeling low, go for a drive and you’ll discover a smile on your face in no time – as long as you don’t set out at rush hour.

Fine City’s motoring correspondent, Tim Barnes-Clay, has been test driving some new, and not so new, cars since the last issue. No wonder he’s always cheery …

New Range Rover Evoque Convertible The all-new Range Rover Evoque Convertible takes some getting used to, but it grows on you.

It has a fabric roof that can be activated on the move – as long as you’re not doing over 30mph.The five-layer rag-top will drop in 18 seconds and raise in 21.

Inside, the massive 10.2 inch InControl Touch Pro nav is attractive – and, more importantly, it works really well. Truly, the pinch-to-zoom function is as quick as an iPad’s.

The car will seat four-up and, for a soft-top, it has a decent 251-litre boot, too. The other nice thing is that the roof opens and closes quietly and it folds away tidily, instead of stacking-up on the tailgate.

You can choose either petrol or diesel, supported by turbo power.

This is all hooked up to a slick nine-speed automatic gearbox, and all-wheel drive. The 2.0 oil-burner

66 | April 2016

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FINEmotors

feature by:

Tim Barnes-Clay Writer @carwriteups

is the best for economy, managing 49.6mpg.

The diesel version does 0-62mph in 10.3 seconds, which is 1.3 seconds behind the Coupe, but both do 121mph. The 237bhp petrol is quicker, sprinting from 0-62mph in 8.6 seconds.

On and off-road, it seems just as accomplished as its tin-top sibling – with identical clearances, and a shared 500mm wading depth.

Indeed, at the car’s media launch in the French Alps, the Evoque eased up and down – and through - everything requested of it – including snow.

I doubt many people going for a topless Evoque will bother with the off-roading bit – but it’s nice to know it’s able to do more than just look good in affluent British suburbs.

Prices begin at £47,500, which is £5,200 more than a comparable hard-top Evoque Coupe.

2016 DS 3 The new DS 3 has been given a nip and tuck here and there for 2016, and there’s better standard kit, too.

I drove the Puretech 130 hatch in mid-range Prestige trim, costing £18,795. I found the 1.2 litre turbo petrol power unit energetic and co-operative on my trip from London to West Sussex. 0-62mph is achievable in 8.9 seconds and average fuel consumption is 62.8mpg.

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2016 April | 67

FINEARTS motors your standing in the hierarchical world of enterprise in a heart-beat.

Get in to any diesel or petrol fuelled Audi and you’ll soon see that the Bavarian based firm’s spotlight is on workmanship, fine quality and leading edge technology. The A5 Sportback is no different.

It has four doors and looks very like the A4 Saloon, but, despite the A5 Sportback’s sleek coupe exterior, it actually has a dose of practicality because it’s a hatchback.

It also has a solid and refined interior, making it the perfect place to be when traversing the UK’s motorway network.

The 130 hatch’s engine is so on-the-ball to respond that your clutch foot and left hand can rest, due to the lack of gear shifting required. When a change of cogs is necessary, the gear shift provides a satisfying motion.

Step inside the DS 3 and you can’t miss the up-to-the-minute central seven-inch touchscreen. The best thing about this is that it gets rid of many of the buttons. There are 20 less than the former model.

68 | April 2016

This supermini will seat five people and the boot holds a respectable 285 litres, ballooning to 980 with the rear seats folded over.

If you’re tantalised by the DS 3’s quality-brand values and natty looks, the avant-garde Puretech 130 is a must-have choice. It houses an exuberant engine that’s enjoyable when you want it to be, and it sits back on its haunches obediently when you need a calmer pace.

There may be more down-toearth small hatchback choices on the market, but with multi personalisation options and a pick of both hatch and Cabrio body forms, the DS 3 is a wholesome car, brimming with vivacity.

The £38,485.2.0 TFSI quattro Black Edition Plus 225 PS S tronic variant, driven here, offers impressive performance, although

Audi A5 Sportback If you’re after kudos in the executive car market, then four shiny silver circles should do it for you. The Audi logo of four interconnected rings will elevate

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FINEmotors economy is only a combined 40.9mpg – dropping way below that if you’re a heavy right footer.

The ride quality is firm, but this adds to the fun you can have when you tire of the straights and push the car through the twisty countryside. Indeed, it’s easy to forget about mpg when you’re grinning and applauding the A5 Sportback’s awesome body control and alert steering.

But you don’t even need to be in the A5 to appreciate it. The best thing about the whole car is its looks. You’ll never tire of gazing at it, whether it’s yours – or the company’s.

You can keep up to date with Tim and his car reviews by following him on twitter @carwriteups.

www.finecity.co.uk

2016 April | 69

FINEAdvice

Marketing

Join in our Success Story

sectors, to feature in our new ‘FineAdvice’ section with a combination of editorial and an advert on a full page, in the same design and layout as this page is being presented to you.

Welcome to the ‘FineAdvice’ section of FineCity Magazine About Us:

In a fast moving world, where the media seem to be ever more distant from people’s real concerns, it is vital that community lifestyle magazines like FineCity Magazine find and print the information and news that is important to local people.

That’s where we come in; two years ago we added FineCity Magazine to our portfolio of publications which include; Dispatch Magazine in Attleborough & Diss and a second publication in Wymondham & Dereham. We also publish Norfolk on My Mind for North Norfolk and Suffolk on My Mind for Suffolk. Over the fifteen years we have been publishing magazines our publications have become some of the most well respected community lifestyle magazines, and

a “must-read” across a Norfolk & Suffolk.

Our distribution is enormous; Dispatch is delivered Free of Charge Door to Door to 30,000 homes and businesses. FineCity Magazine is delivered or collected around the City centre by 12,000 people each month, and Norfolk on My Mind has 10,000 copies available for pick up across 800 pick up locations. Suffolk on My Mind is seen by 10,000 people in Bury St Edmunds and across Suffolk. This gives us a combined readership of 155,000 every month.

FineCity Magazine:

New for 2016 we are adding a ‘FineAdvice’ section in our rapidly growing FineCity Magazine.

We are offering YOU the full page (normal cost £505.00) for just the cost of a half page advert £295.00. You pay for the advert we’ll give you the editorial (425 words) for FREE, with a 12 months commitment.

Come and join FineCity and be part of our success story!

The FineAdvice section is designed to offer readers advice, and enable your company to be the exclusive provider.

In addition to the above, we will also include your company within our daily tweets and Facebook page completely free of charge.

FineCity Magazine is growing throughout Norwich, now with a 12,000 print run every month, and available for pick up at our prestige partner locations which includes;

We are inviting just one company from a few specialist market

John Lewis, Waitrose, Jarrold, Cinema City, MadderMarket, The Theatre Royal, The Forum, Norwich Library, The Norwich Tourist Information Centre, Norwich Airport, Castle Mall and Intu Chapelfield, and further copies are delivered Door to Door around Eaton, Cringleford, Easton, Newmarket Road and The Golden Triangle area of Norwich.

Advice by:

Aaron Gould Sales @finecitymag 01953 456789

Meet The Family FineCity Magazine

Dispatch Magazine 2016

Dispatch Magazine 2016

Norfolk On My Mind Magazine 2016

Suffolk On My Mind Magazine 2016

Issue 52

March

2016

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FINEPE OPL

70 | April 2016

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FINEAdvice

Solicitors

Why You Should Beware Equity Release Plans

W

ith life expectancy increasing, many elderly people find themselves struggling to pay for the care they need.

In these circumstances, the temptation to take out an ‘equity release’ loan is strong, but such a course should only ever be

Advice by:

Ann-Marie Matthews Solicitor amatthews@nicolsonslaw.com 01603 478567

considered with the benefit of quality professional advice.

The difficulties faced by many older people are compounded by years of poor investment returns on most private pensions. When faced with the cost of care, or a simple inability to meet the rising costs of living, taking a loan against one’s freehold can seem an attractive proposition.

Had both of them needed to go into care, there would not have been a surcharge.

living apart. Financing the costs of old age is best done with proper professional advice.

Equity release loans often feature both high rates of interest and considerable traps in the small print, which in this case led to an additional charge for the couple wishing to spend their final years together, rather than

If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this article, or need help with a legal matter, such as financing the cost of old age, contact Ann-Marie Matthews on 01603 478567 or email amatthews@nicholsonslaw.com.

A recent newspaper story illustrates the potential pitfalls clearly. It involved a couple from Wales who borrowed £43,000 on equity release from insurer Aviva in 2003. When poor health persuaded them that they should sell their house to finance a joint move into sheltered accommodation, they found that the amount to be repaid had more than tripled – to £135,000. This included a £16,000 repayment fee because only one of them was in need of assistance.

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2016 April | 71

FINEAdvice

Money

Residual Income

A

Which of the following is most important to you?

generated after the initial effort has been made. Compare this to what most people focus on earning: linear income, which is “one-shot” compensation or payment in the form of a fee, wage, commission or salary.

• Extra income • Financial freedom • Get out of debt • More free time • Have your own business • Personal development • Help others • Meet new people • S ave for retirement or retire earlier • Leave a legacy

Linear income is directly proportional to the number of hours invested in it (40 hours of pay for 40 hours of work), but one of the great advantages of residual income is that once things are set in motion, you continue making money from your initial efforts, while gaining time to devote to other things... such as generating more streams of residual income!

Do you fancy the backing of a fast-growing FTSE 250 PLC, which provides the opportunity to build a substantial long-term “Residual Income” alongside your other commitments?

Here’s an example of Residual Income; In 1998 my college spent 35 minutes showing a friend of his how to save money on her bills.

Last month he got paid for that conversation for the 206th time for that 35 minute chat. That’s Residual Income explained!

Do the work once, get paid forever! re you looking for a change? Looking for something different?

Need more money?

Want to take control of your life?

Or are you bored or broke?

There are lots of massive opportunities out there if you’re energetic & ambitious and if you really want to create a better life for yourself and your family.

Remember, if you want things to change and you want things to be different, YOU have to do it. Life doesn’t have a remote control, you have to change it.

If that sounds like you, I’d like to introduce you to a fantastic business opportunity that you can work around your other commitments, like your current job or childcare etc.

72 | April 2016

Residual income (also called passive, or recurring income) is income that continues to be

There is No stock to carry, No

targets to meet, No set hours — just talk to people about saving money!

So… how soon can you spare 10 minutes so I can show you how to make a lot of money and explain how this award-winning and trusted company can help you achieve what you want?

Advice by:

Jonathan Horswell Mentor @jonathanhorswel 07802 690589

www.finecity.co.uk

FINEAdvice

Health

Protect your hearing while using headphones

By Karen Finch, audiologist and Managing Director of The Hearing Care Centre

M

ore and more of us are on the go whilst listening to music through headphones connected to our smartphones and other devices.

So, whether you’re listening to tunes or making a call it’s important to make sure that you’re taking proper precautions to avoid permanent noise-induced hearing damage.

Here is a list of things you may not even realise can contribute to hearing loss, and some tips on how to help save your hearing.

Get some snug headphones If your headphones don’t fit properly in your ears, you may be letting in a lot of ambient noise from your surroundings. If this is the case, you may be pumping the

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volume too loud to make up for the loss in sound.

Invest in a pair of noise cancelling headphones, or earbuds that fit nice and snug into your ear and provide clear sound so you can avoid having to compensate with higher volume. Earbuds and headphones vary in size and shape and good quality ones come with a few different earbud attachments so you can find the right kind for you.

Downtime for your eardrums According to the World Health Organisation, we should only be listening to around one hour per day worth of content on our smartphones or similar devices.

The reality is that many of us are connected for much, much longer, especially younger people, and

often at volumes of around 80 decibels. This is the equivalent of exposing your ears to the sounds of busy city traffic for an entire hour. Let your ears recover every now and then by taking a quiet break.

Get your volume under control Your smartphone is capable of extreme volume, and there’s no reason why your phone should be set to the maximum level on a regular basis. It’s recommended that you stay at around two thirds of the volume mark as this is a much safer level. Listening to a moderate volume for a continuous period can affect your hearing, so listening above the recommended safe level will increase the likelihood of permanent damage.

experiencing irritation or muffled sounds, you may have a blocked ear canal and the doctor may be able to clear it out for you. But you should also get your hearing tested by a qualified audiologist, because if you did have a hearing loss, the earlier it’s detected the sooner you can do something about it.

Karen Finch is the Managing Director and lead audiologist at The Hearing Care Centre.

The multi-award winning, familyrun company has 20 centres across Suffolk and Norfolk.

Get your ears checked It’s important to regularly get your ears checked as part of a regular medical check-up. If you’re

2016 April | 73

FINEAdvice

Utilities

Utility Warehouse Have you claimed your FREE energy-efficient LED light bulbs yet?

I

live locally and I represent a company that will replace every light bulb in your home with the latest energyefficient LED bulbs, completely free of charge, thus saving you around 11% OFF your electricity bill forever!

If you’re a homeowner, I can help you claim: Free LED light bulbs typically worth £300-£500 They are bright, fully dimmable, light-up instantly, and use around 15 times less electricity than traditional light bulbs.

Free expert installation by a team of professional fully trained fitters; they’ll visit your home and install your new LED light bulbs

74 | April 2016

at a convenient time for you — completely free of charge.

Free lifetime guarantee If a light bulb ever needs replacing, you’ll be sent a new one in the post — so you’ll never have to buy another light bulb again!

Lower electricity bills - forever!

In addition to helping to save the planet, your new LED bulbs will reduce your electricity bills by around 11% — FOREVER Who’s behind this initiative?

It’s being provided by Utility Warehouse, the Nation’s most trusted utility supplier. In addition to gas and electricity, they provide landline, broadband and mobile giving you the

convenience of all your utilities on one monthly bill.

As a member of Utility Warehouse, you SAVE...

Utility Warehouse is operated

by Telecom Plus PLC, a major British company whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company provides its members with great value, great savings and the best possible customer service. Perhaps it’s not surprising that, in a survey, 93% of Utility Warehouse customers said they would recommend them to a friend.

• Single supplier for all your utilities • Award-winning customer service • Value that’s unbeatable • Easy to switch • Ready to claim your FREE LED light bulbs?

Utility Warehouse is very different to other suppliers because they’re a club - a Discount Club. They don’t have any high street shops and because (unlike their competitors) they don’t spend customers’ money on expensive advertising campaigns on TV, they can afford to charge their customers less for the same services. They have also received numerous awards from Which? Magazine and Moneywise, and have around 600,000 satisfied customers.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me today. I’ll be delighted to explain how it works.

Advice by:

Jonathan Horswell Mentor @jonathanhorswel 07802 690589

www.finecity.co.uk

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2016 April | 75

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