APRIL 2019 ISSUE 050
www.winchestertoday.co.uk
MP: “I JUST COULD NOT STAY ON AS JUNIOR HEALTH MINISTER” Steve Brine described as “exemplary” by PM By KEVIN GOVER News Editor YOU probably all saw the Guardian headline… ‘Parliament finally has its say: No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No.’ Eight times, indicative voting results on eight different Brexit scenarios were rejected by MPs. It came at the end of a tumultuous week in which our own MP put his constituency first and became one of 30 MPs to rebel against the Government. Many more votes will probably have been carried out since then and you
reading this. Speaking to Winchester Today just after his resignation, Steve outlined why he had taken what he termed as “the honourable thing to do” in his decision to resign from the Government: “The House of Commons had been very clear for some time - as had I - that a ‘No Deal’ was not acceptable - but you can’t just wish away No Deal. We had to have a Deal. “I had always thought the PM’s Deal was a good one, but (up to that moment) the Commons had not supported that… and you can’t just keep doing
Steve Brine at PMQs after he had resigned from the Government
the same thing hoping it gets over the line. It needed a ‘Plan B’. That’s what the indicative voting was all about - to see across the Commons if there was a consensus and that there is something that could get through.” Well, we all know now what happened in that series of indicative votes. A week was certainly another very long time in politics. But one in which Theresa May at Prime Minister’s Questions took time to praise Steve for his time in the Government: “He was an exemplary Minister.”
Easter message from the Dean page 3
IT’S (ALMOST) HERE AGAIN! Hat Fair on lookout for helpful volunteers By SAMANTHA DELAMORE IT’S not long before the UK’s longest-running Street festival of the outdoor arts will be back with us, and Hat Fair is on the search for volunteers ahead of its 2019 event this summer. The event began back in 1974 and was originally a buskers’ fair but was renamed as the donations were placed in a hat. This tradition is still going on today with hatters accepting donations at the end of the event. The popularity of the event has increased over the years and last year Hat Fair saw over 70,000 attendances. The free festival brings thousands of visitors to Winchester to experience a one-of-a-kind event, with lots of activities and shows to enjoy. Acts from all over the world also come to Hat Fair and perform across the city. Andrew Loretto (pictured left) is Hat Fair Director, and says the festival is so much more for than the name: “It’s dance performances, circus performances, street theatre, walkabout acts, music and choirs. continued on page 3 ➜
A fine farewell to Jersey Boys page 12
Kings’ art lights up the Cathedral page 16
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April 2019
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Have a look at our centre pages, and you’ll see that Winchester Today has teamed up with the new community radio station. I can honestly declare that the launch day was just perfect. I’ve never seen so many smiling faces! Here’s to a long and perfect partnership. ***** Steve Brine. He’ll be back. He’s of a rare breed, no matter which party you support. He’s actually a very good MP, and was very good at his ministerial job. ***** All the team here wish Rachel Gover a speedy
ABOUT US
winchestertoday est 2012
n EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Kevin Gover kevin@winchestertoday.co.uk n CONTRIBUTORS • David Cradduck • Drew White • Gavin Harris • Rachel Gover • Helena Gomm • John Ellery • Chrissie Pollard • Freya Storey • Eleanor Marsden • Chris Book • Edyth Miles • Richard Horsman • Simon Newman • Samantha Delamore • Beccy Conway • Michelle Richmond Richard Horsman portrait by Chris Eastham n LAYOUT DESIGN • Jon Heal Winchester Today Media Partner to Winchester Film Festival and Bishop’s Waltham Festival
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Winchester Radio 94.7 gets of to a wonderful start
recovery after a nasty accident. We’re all rooting for you! ***** Finally, yet another pointless survey told us what we already knew. Royal Mail declared that Winchester was the happiest city in England. Probably to deflect from their OTHER news that the price of stamps was going up. I leave it to a tweet from ITN maestro and thoroughly good local lad Alastair Stewart as the company made that news. “As @RoyalMail put up the price of stamps, should they not explain to the under twenties what they are for?” Kevin Gover
HERE’S TO THE BIG
FIFTY! Welcome to the 50th edition of Winchester Today, which has been just as much fun to put together as the very first one. The Hat Fair was on our front page for edition number 1 too!
“Congratulations to Winchester Today on your 50th edition. We are already looking forward to the next 50!” Kings’ School, Winchester
“Happy 50th and thank you Winchester Today for your tremendous support of Hampshire Scouts as we prepare young people with skills for life #SkillForLife and for your amazing support of local Communities.” Ray Noice Volunteer Communications Manager - Hampshire Scouts
“Congratulations to Kevin and the team at Winchester Today on this special milestone - and here’s to the next 50 editions!”
Steve Brine MP
“Hampshire County Council congratulates Winchester Today on reaching its half century milestone. Local media is a valuable voice for the community and Winchester Today is an admirable champion for the Winchester area.” “Congratulations on your 50th edition from Mortons Print - Proud Print Partner of Winchester Today Newspaper.”
“After 50 editions, Winchester Today (in all its forms) has become a firm fixture as a place to get information about everything that is Winchester and its people and, in return, contributes to our sense of community. Long may that continue.”
Simon Barwood, Media Officer at Winchester Cathedral
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April 2019 ➜ contined from page 1
For Winchester communities it’s a joyous celebration of the streets, the parks and the brilliant city we live in. “It brings the public of all ages out for an entire weekend. We have this
incredibly beautiful city with very historic spaces, both green spaces and urban spaces.” David Cradduck has been a familiar face at Hat Fair both as a volunteer and a performer. He once reprised the role as the Mad-Hatter from Alice and
Magical: Acts from all over the world come to the Hat Fair
Photo: Rachel Gover
winchestertoday.co.uk 3
EASTER MESSAGE There’s every type of performance and visual art you can imagine Wonderland: “It’s just fun to be involved, to see the smiles on people’s faces when they watch stuff that just springs out from behind a hedge or just performs in front of them. They just aren’t expecting that, and to see the surprise and smiles on their faces is just magic.” The event relies on volunteers to help make sure everything runs smoothly. Toby Stanney (main picture, cover) volunteered at his first Hat Fair last year, describes it as a spectacle and said it was brilliant to get people together: “We do a number of things as volunteers. We will help with the acts, help them around, make them teas and we will help people around the area if they don’t know where they are going. We will also collect money at the end which will go which will go towards the charity we are collecting for.” The festival as ever is on the first weekend of July, running from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th July.
The Very Revd Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester
‘LOVE’S redeeming work is done!’ Charles Wesley’s great Easter hymn of praise reminds us that Easter is all about the life of Jesus Christ overcoming death and love overcoming hate. Putting it simply, ‘love wins’. In days of uncertainty and great political change it’s good to remind ourselves that the traditional virtues at the heart of our national life include love
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for neighbour, compassion and care for the poorest and most vulnerable. If each one of us, whatever our beliefs and background, could take one step towards forgiveness and reconciliation, neighbourliness towards a stranger and kindness where there is need then we could all play a part in making the world a better place for everyone. Together we can ensure that ‘love wins’. Happy Easter!
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April 2019
A HEAD OF STEAM This entirely gratuitous pic of the Flying Scotsman passing through Corfe Castle last week has absolutely nothing to do with Winchester. We therefore apologise to anyone who isn’t struck with awe at the beauty of this beast. Or those who would not feel any emotion and well up as the engine passes by, with those familiar smells and sounds of oil, coal and steam. The photographer - Mark Couper - does actually live in Hampshire though. Enjoy.
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April 2019
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A Different Kind Of Impression Renowned comedian brings a delightful mix to the Theatre Royal by Richard Horsman
Gardening? It’s mucking with nature
I can’t perform in a room and not have some funx
NOT so long ago we were laughing our backsides off to award-winning comedian Alistair McGowan as he joined Jasper Carrot on stage at the Theatre Royal in Winchester. Now the chart-topping classical pianist (yes, really!) is bringing his new show, Introductions to Classical Piano Live to the Theatre Royal in Winchester on 4th May. It’s Alistair’s first show in his new guise as a concert pianist, as he plays some of his favourite pieces interspersed with the impressions that brought him acclaim in the BAFTA-winning The Big Impression: “This tour is a whole new way of presenting classical piano music. It is, possibly, the first classical event in the world which has tried to intersperse romantic music with comedy,” he told Winchester Today. “I’d be delighted if, as well as fans of
New guise: Alistair has topped the classical charts
classical music, I was able to encourage people who may not know much about the history of the piano to come and enjoy some of the incredible music written (and still being written) for the piano. “As well as having the chance to share a little of the stories of the lives of the great composers and the extraordinary music they write, I simply can’t perform in a room and not have some fun with my favourite impressions. It could well be the first show in which you hear Harry Kane alongside the music of George Gershwin, Jacob Rees Mogg between pieces by Edvard Grieg. “I hope this show introduces people to some wonderfully romantic music and demonstrates to anyone who harbours a secret ambition to take up music, that it really is never too late!”
A fresh take for Sting New retrospective for veteran songwriter STING has announced My Songs, a new album comprised of the 17time Grammy Award winner’s most celebrated hits from his unparalleled career, each reshaped and reimagined for 2019. My Songs will be released on May 24 in multiple formats including a deluxe edition featuring bonus content (see below for track listings). Speaking on his approach to the album, Sting says: “My Songs is my life in songs. Some of them reconstructed, some of them refitted, some of them reframed, but all of them with a contemporary focus.” My Songs boasts modernized recordings, faithful to the original arrangements and celebrates Sting’s illustrious musical career as one of the world’s most distinctive and influential artists. Since forming The Police in 1977 with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, Sting has evolved into one of the world’s most iconic artists, selling 100 million records and earning the highest accolades along the way.
Spring has sprung, the grass is riz –I can’t be doing this green-fingered shizz. Hate is a strong word, not to be used lightly, but I must declare right now that I loathe, detest and abhor anything to do with gardening. Riddles are for solving, not shaking. Rakes should make progress, not lines in the soil. It’s all mulch ado about nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I love gardens. I enjoy looking at them, walking round them, and especially lazing in them during that three weeks’ relief from uniform drab greyness that can happen randomly each year any time between May and September. The flighty and unpredictable joys of “the English summer”. I delight at the smell of warm, new mown grass on a sizzling day, and even more so at the sizzling of succulent steaks and sausages on a barbeque on the kind of balmy evening when T shirts are still fine at 9 o’clock. It’s the effort required to get to that stage I can’t be bothered with. Houseplants die if I simply look at them. A former boss unwisely left me in charge of his office ferns during a spell away, and despite my honest best efforts they were, to put it euphemistically, severely distressed by the time he returned. I never got that promotion. That’s just indoor flora. Outside is much, much worse. Dear reader, it rains. There are stingy, itchy, bitey insects. And there are garden centres. It was heaving. I never knew so many people were free, never mind eager to go shopping at 11 o’clock on a working Tuesday. The answer’s blindingly obvious of course, in that the core demographic for these places isn’t working. And hasn’t worked this millennium, in many cases. I’m in a strange twilight zone at the moment between regular gainful employment and the future sunlit uplands of a modest works pension. Last month was the first since October 1980 I’ve not had a journalist’s suit land predictably on the doormat at the end of the month. Small checks. And no flies on them. It’s scant consolation that I was probably the youngest person in the place, a phenomenon I only generally get to experience these days at election hustings, church, and the CD racks in HMV. I’d never been to this particular garden centre before, but within seconds it felt all too familiar.
Woe betide the novice who confuses his Fuchsia Bush with his Fuchsia Giant Delight It’s basically a B&Q, but with an instantly distinctive mustiness, 50% damp soil and 50% Eau de Welly a l’Ancien, with a sub-NationalTrust tea room in one corner and racks of twee signs for the potting shed that has everything; a level of whimsy way beyond satire. Believe me, I wish I’d made up “Gardening ... so exciting I’ve wet my plants” for the sake of a merry jibe here. I didn’t. Other bits of the place are, in contrast, quite intimidating. I never had a classical education. We didn’t even have reliable Radio 3 after dark in the frozen north country where I grew up, so the subtle distinctions between Petunia Surfinia and Petunia Tumbelina are as lost on me as ecclesiastical arguments over angels and the heads of pins. I think I had Calibrachoa once in a Mexican restaurant, with salsa and a bottle of that drink with a worm in it, but I can’t be quite sure. And woe betide the novice who confuses his Fuchsia Bush with his Fuchsia Giant Delight. It’s only at the till, however, that the garden centre reveals its true purpose. I was there as volunteer driver for a neighbour whose garden, it must be said, is a place of wonderment and delight. I helped lift five plant pots, each filled with a pathetic-looking assemblage of leaves and twigs, out of the trolley. And three packets of seeds. “That’ll be £70.38” said the checkout assistant, brightly. Huh. That’s one thing I did learn for sure in my northern upbringing. Where there’s muck, there’s brass.
A little less choice, please In love as in life, choice is a wonderful thing. Never-ending indicative votes on Brexit options aside, it’s a privilege to live in a mature democracy with the right to collectively choose a government. In the right circumstances, choice is brilliant. If I’m choosing gelato in a sunny, rosemary-scented Italian square I want at least two dozen flavours to consider, half of which I’ve never previously heard of. But sometimes it can all get too much. I envy the Americans on this; long ago, in the delis of New York City, they perfected the art of
Reshaped: Sting’s new collection
My Songs is my life in songs ... all of them with a contemporary focus
My Songs Track Listing: Brand New Day • Desert Rose • If You Love Somebody Set Them Free • Every Breath You Take • Demolition Man • Can’t Stand Losing You • Fields of Gold • So Lonely • Shape of My Heart • Message in a Bottle • Fragile • Walking on the Moon • Englishman in New York • If I Ever Lose My Faith in You • Roxanne (Live)
I don’t need thirty different brands of toothpaste, each spouting pseudoscientific claims
ordering stuff. “Pastrami on rye, hold the pickle, extra mayo and jalapeno on the side” comes fluently to them, as naturally as cynicism to a Brit or effortless style to the French. There are distinct benefits to being English in such a setting; I’ve perfected my Hugh Grant impersonation, so a well-timed “that’d be awf’ly kind” can reduce many of our colonial cousins to a gibbering heap. I’ll never forget being at the front of the queue, height of the downtown breakfast rush, just by Radio City Music Hall when my mind went blank and I had absolutely no idea of what, in fact, I wanted. I’ll be dashed. Now choice permeates every aspect of life. Which of these three identical plain black designer tee shirts shall I wear today? I caused consternation among younger friends not long ago, by declaring I’d removed an annoying little dongle hanging by a thread – literally – from the new jumper I’d just bought. “But that’s the designer tag …” they wailed. “How will anyone know what you’re wearing?” I don’t need thirty different brands of toothpaste, each spouting pseudo-scientific claims, all in annoyingly slightly different sizes so “blow it, go for the cheapest” doesn’t work either. I don’t need a whole aisle of a hypermarket devoted to potato crisps. As for loo rolls … I must say “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” was a very underrated hit from 1976.
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April 2019
Squirt and Squidge
YOU CAN READ PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF FREYA’S BLOG AT SQUIRTANDSQUIDGE.COM
Who’s in control?
Freya Storey continues to share her life as a mum-of-two THERE’S an estimated 4.5 million people now working as self employed across the UK. That number is rapidly increasing and I’ve just joined it. Two of the main reasons I chose to come on board as a freelancer is the flexibility you are able to maintain around your family life and having greater choice over the work you produce. To me work is important ... I enjoy it, and feel satisfied being able to create a living doing what I am passionate about. New to the freelance world though, I was interested to see why people choose to take the risk and jump ship. With many of my friends working across various sectors of self employment I asked a mixture of men and women what made them take the leap. For the men, they were already in successful positions working within companies, they felt that they could do a better job by going it alone and earn more money by setting up their own companies, where they were in control. Has it paid off - YES, they all now run successful, lucrative businesses. For the women, they were ambitious and had always enjoyed their careers. Mostly mums, they had ended up frustrated when returning to previous posts, as they were confronted with unrealistic expectations when offered
need to prove themselves and that they’re not doing a good enough job of any of it. This is ultimately what turned my hand and made me choose self employment. We just don’t seem to get it in this country, we remain so restrictive and old fashioned within the workplace. We need to get with the times and embrace a more flexible approach and mindset to our working environments and employees. So is self employment the answer? Well it’s certainly not the easy option that some see it as - you’re not working less and drinking endless cups of tea. What it does seem to offer is a more ‘flexible’ option, I am able to plan when I work on my projects, evenings are no longer classed as ‘free time’ but are now valuable hours to work - being a night owl this suits me. Sure you don’t have the benefits of a pension and I’m no longer covered by sick pay but is it REALLY all about the importance of security - living life happily on a daily basis, being there for my family and being true to myself... for me that’s PRICELESS. An old sound technician friend once said to me when I decided to do my teaching conversion ‘You’ll never last in a 9-5 job.’ Sometimes others seem to know us better than we know ourselves.
Self employment is certainly not the easy option that some see it as ‘part-time’ work and ‘part-time’ pay. They also felt belittled by carrying the title of ‘part-time’ over their heads in a busy workplace, feeling judged and somehow like they weren’t ‘pulling their weight.’ This of course is ridiculous most of the part time mums I know still working for organisations are the hardest working doing over and beyond what they should be for the benefits they’re receiving. To be quite honest I feel saddened by how mums are made to feel when YES they do want it all. They do want to be a mum but YES they still do want a career, why should they be made to feel like they
Working with Nature In this month’s edition Freya Storey catches up with emerging artist Walter to find out about 3-dimensional wall art and taking wood veneer to that next level at ‘lifeinlayers’ Can you describe your artwork? Wood is my canvas. I create wall art using intricate multi-layered pieces of wood. The first stage is the design process where I spend time creating the image on illustration software, then the veneers are cut using a laser cutter.
laser cutter. All of the people who pledge and support my campaign will receive limited editions of their chosen piece, signed and numbered. The kick starter will run for the 30 days in April.
I have always had a passion for innovation and creativity
Where do the ideas for your pieces come from? I’ve been working on my artwork for around 3 years now, becoming a dad seemed to rekindle my creative instinct with many of my designs themed around playful ideologies and dreamlike sentiment. Working as a teacher of Art, Design and Technology for almost 15 years now, I have always had a passion for innovation and creativity and enjoy keeping up with the most innovative uses of technology. How long does a piece of your work take to create? An arduous process of iterative design edits ensue before a final concept is agreed. Then I select the appropriate material and colours to bring the piece to life. I respect wood and its intricacies and always work with the natural grain and warmth it provides during the planning process. Once cut, I align and bond the many layers thus creating dimension and depth. What are your plans as an artist for 2019? My next stage will be to upsize the scale of my pieces, working on installations for walls and creating bespoke, custom fitted designs. You’re launching a kickstarter this month, what’s that about? Kickstarter is an opportunity for me to exhibit my artwork online with the hope of raising funds to purchase my own
Stunning: One of Walter’s intricate artworks (above), a detail from another piece (left) and the artist at work (right).
How can people get in touch with you if they’re interested in finding out more? Please head over to my website www. lifeinlayers.co.uk where you can get in touch with me directly or pledge on my kickstarter campaign. I am also open to working on individual commissions, should you have an idea you wish to discuss please get in touch via any of the contact details on my website.
K ings’ school
Winchester
BULLETIN Wheelchair Basketball team in Brighton
KINGS’ GOT
TOUGH!
Back in March we took a team of eight to Brighton University for the regional competition for Inclusive Zone Basketball. IZB. We played fantastically considering we probably attended with the youngest team. Everyone played really well and we came away feeling very proud of the pupils that took part.
WITH perfect weather the Kings’ Got Tough event took place around the school grounds. It was fantastic to see a grand total of 202 pupils taking part! A huge shout out to Lewis Lloyd who, despite falling down, got back up and was determined to finish the course with the help of his friend Seb Eaton – both in
Year 7 and deserving of House Hero status!
School Shop Relocated
KINGS’ SCHOOL PUPILS SEE PYJAMA DESIGN SOLD IN FAT FACE STORES
KINGS’ School are delighted to announce the relocation of their on-site School Shop to its new home, upstairs in the Community Centre. The shop has doubled in size and means that we can continue to offer our pupils uniform, revision guides and resources at an affordable price. The shop provides uniform for approximately 1650 pupils a year and is getting ready to kit out 350 new, year 7, starters over the coming months. Kings’ staff continue to work hard ensuring that high uniform standards are maintained at all times.
The scores on the doors are: • Norman: 37 • Stuart: 42 • Godwin: 61 • Tudor: 62
Entrepreneurs win competition to launch own nightwear A group of 6 enterprising pupils in Year 9 have experienced enormous success with Project Fresh Face, a design competition organised by the national clothing company FatFace. The girls involved recently attended the Winchester branch of FatFace, to witness the in store and online launch of their winning girls’ pyjamas. Isobel Webb Adams, one of the Year 9 pupils in the winning team, describes her experience of the competition: “This time last year myself and five other students took part in a competition called Project Fresh Face. The object of the competition was to create a t-shirt design, with the winning design manufactured and sold in Fat Face shops around Hampshire. “The competition was open to many schools and we were lucky enough to be put through to represent Kings. We took our design all the way to the final at the Fat Face head office and pitched our idea to the directors. “We worked very hard to create our final product, using our artistic abilities and business skills. There was a lot of market research and branding research involved at the start as we needed to understand the company so we could tailor our design to best fit their branding. “Our aim was to make our product look like something Fat Face would sell but which also had an original design. Throughout the competition we had
All our hard work paid off
to do a number of presentations to a variety of different people and this really tested our public speaking and confidence, but we rose to the challenge and delivered professional and engaging presentations. “In the end all our hard work paid off. The judges loved our design which
is available to buy in Fat Face stores and on the website. Overall the experience was one we thoroughly enjoyed and will never forget.” Kings’ is participating in this year’s Project Fresh Face event and the teams involved will be hoping for similar success!
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Volunteers and supporters cheering as the station goes live� Winchester Radio launch its �� community radio service on ��.�
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�aunch show presenter Steve Randall left) with Chairman Anna O’Brien and two of the charity’s Trustees, �igel �allard �seated) and �aul Blit�.
� to R� Steve Erskine �Chairman, �ampshire �ospitals), Chloe �ay �Shentons Solicitors), �ayor of Winchester Cllr �rank �earson, and Sam �enkins �Volunteering and Community Officer, Winchester Students Union) join Winchester Radio’s Chairman Anna O’Brien in cutting the celebration cake.
Kevin Ashman from TV’s “Eggheads” recording �ui� �uestions to be broadcast on Winchester Radio every morning.
Some of the Winchester Radio volunteer team celebrating in the pub. Winchester Today’s Kevin �over ��nd right) is providing Winchester Radio’s local news bulletins each weekday morning.
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reviews
April 2019
winchestertoday.co.uk 11
A COURTROOM DRAMA FULL OF TWISTS Kevin Gover watches a new adaptation of the film classic and hears from one of its stars
THE VERDICT Theatre Royal, Winchester
YOU may already be familiar with the film. A young woman is left in a vegetative state after alleged blunders at a hospital in Boston as she is about to give birth. An ambulance-chasing alcoholic lawyer (Frank Galvin played by Ian Kelsey) takes on said catholic hospital in court to try to get decent money for her care. If you haven’t seen the film though, well that is all I will say about the story, otherwise there’s little point in going to see it! What a story it is though, with twists and turns throughout – and especially as no-one believes he will win. Ian Kelsey is dominant throughout and hardly gets a moment to breathe as he’s on stage for the majority of the play. In fact, he’s even there sprawled out on the floor as the audience comes in to the Theatre! During the first half we are taken into Galvin’s rather squalid office where we meet a variety of his business colleagues, the bishop responsible – and the woman’s mother (Mrs McDaid) played superbly by Anne Kavanagh. The moment when she learns that Galvin has actually turned down a six-figure settlement offer and whacks him round the head left the audience in stunned silence. It was fantastic to watch. Although there’s a minor gripe in that visually the bar area was lost to anyone who was sitting in the Theatre on the right hand side of the auditorium, the staging in the second act is superb. You will believe that you’re actually in a Boston courtroom, such is the detail. It’s not all serious, there are gentle and genuine moments of humour. Everyone spoke well with convincing American accents. Denis Lill plays Moe Katz, and described to us the character that he’s playing in The Verdict: “He’s a
You’d believe you’re actually in a Boston courtroom
seventy five year old, rather tired and rather clapped out Jewish lawyer in Boston and he’s the man who plucked our main character of the play, Frank Galvin, off the boat, straight from the war in his U.S Royal Marines uniform. Taken him under his wing, coached him and mentored him throughout the course of his career.”
right, he has to be believable, the last thing you want is an audience saying he doesn’t sound quite right, sometimes an English actor doing an American accent doesn’t quite sound right, but in our case we are very lucky, we have a great cast and everybody seems to be able to do exactly what they are asked to do.”
As an actor what is the biggest challenge when you are discovering a new character? “The biggest challenge, apart from learning the words and getting them all in the right order, is about getting under the skin of that character and finding out what makes him tick and what makes him sound right as well. For me it’s very important for a character, particularly an American character to actually sound
Is it difficult for you to do an American accent? “No, it’s never been a problem for me. I was born and brought up in New Zealand and during the war, when I was a baby we used to have American soldiers billeted in our house from the Pacific Theatre and I think possibly subconsciously when I was one or two I got used to the sounds of these American voices, plus the fact that I was brought up on American movies and I love Westerns.” Do you share any of the same personality traits as Moe Katz? “Not a single one I don’t think, Moe Katz drinks Earl Grey Tea, which is something that I do from time to time not a lot else in common though which is actually good as it means I can reinvent myself as the character, right from scratch and it works, which is a nice part of being an actor. You have to have that chameleon charisma about yourself, so you can adapt, adopt and steal outrageously from people.” What do you like about the play The Verdict? “That’s easy, the quality of the writing is without parallel and having waded my way in the past through tours and plays which have been either been badly adapted or badly written, it’s such a relief to come across literary quality like this because it does a lot of the work for you. Also I’m a great stickler for discipline,
Legal eagles: Ian Kelsey (l) and Denis Lill (r) star as Boston lawyers
writers don’t use a word just because it’s a word they use it for a specific reason, and I’ve met some actors who just regard the script as a rough guide as to what they are going to be saying but I stick to it as I have a great respect for writers. I try to be as accurate as I can as far as their script is concerned and this script is no exception, in fact this script is probably an essential as the quality of the writing is just so wonderful.” You are a very familiar face from TV roles in Only Fools and Horses, The Royal, Rumpole of the Bailey etc… is TV or Theatre your true love? “I have a love hate relationship with the theatre, it’s a very inconvenient work place as far as one is working very
The quality of the writing is without parallel
unsociable hours, particularity if one is working in the West End, at the end of the show one is spat out and you have to get your head down, head for the nearest tube station and go home. But by the same token the creative process is very, very exciting unlike television or film where you are literally thrown in and you’re cast mainly by the way you look. Television I enjoy, I like the hours, film is even better as you are out there in a field somewhere, your sword in one hand, hacking away at people and galloping around, that’s great fun, it’s brilliant fun! There are lots of pros and cons in every medium, but as far as my favourite? Films pay the best but theatre is more satisfying!” When touring, what is the hardest thing about being away from home? “It’s the constant searching for a halfway decent place to live, if there was a digs fairy in every theatre company who could sort out our accommodation for every theatre tour or if we could take a particular house with us wherever we went, that would be wonderful.” The Verdict continues touring in Jersey, Blackpool, Dublin, Edinburgh, Inverness and Plymouth until the end of May.
reviews
12 winchestertoday.co.uk
April 2019
WHAT A NIGHT TO REMEMBER David Cradduck watches an outstanding cast bring a theatrical evergreen to a close
JERSEY BOYS FAREWELL UK TOUR Mayflower Theatre, Southampton 21st March 2019
OH what a night! Okay – I and probably half the reviewers of this major tour about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons have used this most clichéd of headlines. But what a night it was! The final venue of a massive twopart tour taking in the likes of Dublin, Edinburgh, Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool, Bristol, The Mayflower is a fitting final resting place for a show that clocked up 400 performances well over a month ago. And talking of statistics, an interesting one popped up on Twitter: that 87 pairs of shoes are worn at some point by the cast every performance. That’s quite a lot of shoes. Talking of numbers, how does a musical fit over 30 sing-along, foottapping hits into a two-hour stage show plus a storyline, acting and dancing? The answer is a frenetic whirlwind, mingling autobiographical narration with action, scenes that whizz you from one place to another, barely give you time to breathe or listen to those oh-so-familiar songs before moving on at a blistering pace. My only criticism is that by fitting so much into the time available, there is little time to develop the underlying emotional story that is the backdrop to the show. Despite growing up with the music of the 60s I admit to knowing very little about the origins of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. In common with a lot of people, I suspect. These four ordinary blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks of New Jersey, came from nowhere and against a background of mafia, mob and petty crime, forged an unlikely partnership that produced literally hundreds of hit songs like ‘Walk Like a Man’, ‘Working
My Way Back to You’, ‘Rag Doll’ and ‘Sherry’. I don’t think there were many songs I didn’t recognise, all sung and played with absolute integrity and authenticity by an amazing cast and backing musicians. Listen to any song that Frankie Valli sings and you’ll hear that unique, high (often falsetto) voice that would wreck untrained vocal chords in minutes. The
Every inch of the huge Mayflower stage is used
range and power that Frankie had (and still has – he’s still touring and singing at the age of 84) is impressive enough but to find an actor who can impersonate that voice whilst looking the part, acting and dancing, is a tough call. So it is incredible that in Michael Watson they managed to find someone to fit Frankie’s shoes (and vocal range) so well. Watson has no less than three understudies including Dayle Hodge who takes the role at certain performances. Alongside Watson are Simon Bailey as Tommy DeVito, founder member of the group, Lewis Griffiths as the bass player Nick Massi (with a beautiful bass voice to match) and Declan Egan as Bob Gaudio, the lad they drafted in to complete the line-up and whose songwriting credits include – quite apart from the ones he sang himself – ‘You
Don’t Bring me Flowers’ (Neil Diamond/ Barbra Streisand) and hits for top names like Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. The staging is spectacular – lamp posts and doors fly in and out and tables, chairs, desks, pianos and drum kits slide around at a heck of a pace – and with the addition of projected images to reinforce locations or scenes (some perhaps a tad obscure for my liking, often appearing rather too randomly), every inch of the
huge Mayflower stage is used to portray a number of scenes from backyards to recording studios, people’s homes to nightclubs. Particularly effective are the ‘live’ TV sequences, syncing pre-shot black and white footage (some of it original stuff from the 60s) on the backdrop with the live action of the performers on stage to create the illusion of a TV studio monitor feedback. Choreography is slick, lighting and sound crisp and the mingling of live musicians with actors ‘playing’ instruments is so clever you’re sometimes not sure if the actors really are playing them. Special mention for the drummer Samuel Firsht, who hardly ever leaves the stage and provides the background rhythm throughout. Without the music, the story would still be interesting but the music is the star, for sure, of Jersey Boys. But Director Des McAnuff also worked hard with writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice to come up with a winning format for the narration of the story which is told by each of the four principals in turn by breaking that ‘fourth wall’ and engaging direct with the audience. It is a great way to tell the same story from four different perspectives. Frankie Valli and his three co-performers obviously had their ups and downs galore, their friendships, dodgy dealings and falling-outs forming the basis for the main storyline – whilst at the same time they did their best to maintain a squeaky clean image in order to get their music played and heard. In that they succeeded in spades and Jersey Boys is a fitting tribute to them and their music. I love theatre to educate as well as entertain and Jersey Boys ticks that box. I am now much better informed about the extraordinary people who helped weave the musical fabric of my youth. And who can argue with 57 major awards, including the Olivier Award for Best New Musical? This has to be a major musical hit in anyone’s books. The ‘authentic Jersey language’ was fairly ripe - but otherwise it was family entertainment and the age range of the audience was very wide, underlying its universal appeal across the generations.
A wartime Much Ado gives much to think about Helena Gomm sees a 1940s take on Shakespeare’s classic comedy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Salisbury Playhouse
IN Northern Broadsides production of Much Ado About Nothing, the wartime setting is so well evoked by the opening rendition of ‘Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else but Me’, as a group of Land Girls and farmworkers harvest apples in a lush green farmland setting, that it is quite a shock when the Shakespearean poetry starts. Of course, the song is particularly appropriate, given that one of the central events of the play is Claudio’s rejection of Hero at the altar because of her supposed infidelity. And, up to a point, the modern setting works. It is just about believable that the men are a division of the RAF on leave at the cessation of hostilities, even though they are being led by a prince, and that the women have spent the past few years in the Land Army, working the land and digging for victory, even though they are all related to each other and to the landowner. However, the darker core of betrayal and the apparent ease and speed with which the previously besotted Claudio, the intelligent Prince and even Leonato, her loving father, are duped into believing in Hero’s infidelity – always a problem
It is quite a shock when the Shakespearean poetry starts
Self-knowledge: Isobel Middleton as Beatrice
Photos: Nobby Clark
with this otherwise sunny play – sit less happily in 1940s England, being rather more believable in the original setting of Renaissance Italy, with its lowering emphasis on the importance of chastity and family honour. Setting the play towards the end of the Second World War does, however, afford many opportunities for creativity and humour. In the two scenes where Benedick and Beatrice are each, in turn, tricked into believing that the other is in love with them, good use is made of the set, with Benedick overhearing Claudio, the Prince and Leonato from his vantage point at the top of a ladder, and Beatrice being reduced to hiding in a vat of pigswill to avoid being caught eavesdropping on Hero, Ursula and Margaret as they pity
Benedick for his devotion to Beatrice and assert that she is too hard-hearted to do anything other than torment him for his love. As she emerges with the potato peelings they have dumped on her tumbling from her hair, we clearly see the turning point in Beatrice’s self-knowledge, and her determination not only to pity Benedick but to love him as well. There is a nifty trick with a Cinderella-esque wellington boot that works well, too. Robin Simpson and Isobel Middleton are both excellent as the more interesting of the two pairs of lovers, sparring confidently and wittily with each other and displaying perfect comic timing. Linford Johnson and Sarah Kameela Impey bring a fresh-faced youth and enthusiasm to Claudio and Hero, making them more than mere foils to the more complex characters of Benedick and Beatrice. Solid support is given by Matt Rixon as Don Pedro and Simeon Truby as Leonato, and Andrew Whitehead is particularly impressive in the small role of Antonio, Leonato’s brother, in the scene where he gives a spirited defence of his niece and challenges Claudio to a fist fight. The action is punctuated by exuberant dancing, live music and a cappella singing, all contributing to a fun, lively and thoroughly entertaining evening.
arts
April 2019
winchestertoday.co.uk 13
‘FRIENDS’ WHO LEAVE YOU SMILING Chris Book discovers plenty of laugh out loud moments in this one!
ESSENTIAL
VINYL
FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS Dir. Chris Foggin
★★★★★ OKAY, put your hands up! When you first heard about this film from the title, did you think it was something to do with, shall we say, the uniquely tasting cough sweet that we either love or hate? Well rest assured it is anything but (although there is a clever reference made about said soothing medicated sweet in the film). The film is loosely based on the beginnings of this country’s most unlikely buoy bands (see what I did then?), the Fisherman’s Friends. Ten gentlemen of various ages who back in 2010 were discovered singing sea shanties on the quay of their home village in North Cornwall. They were quickly rocketed to stardom via Radio 2, to the British Folk Awards and the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. Daniel Mays plays Danny, a Londonbased wide boy Record Company Producer who, along with three of his colleagues, descends on Port Isaac in Cornwall for a stag weekend that goes wrong right from the start. Upsetting the locals at every turn with their brash outrageous behaviour, culminating with a disastrous bodyboarding session in which our lads are washed up on the rocks and the lifeboat has to be called out. Later that evening, Danny hears the group singing their “Rock & Roll songs from 1752” as they call them. To make amends for him and his friends’ earlier behaviour, he offers the group an opportunity of a record deal and some personal appearances via the initially
Buoy Band: The film delivers a true feel-good experience
sceptical group’s leader Jim (James Purefoy) whose performance as the hardened grizzled Cornish fisherman with a big heart is excellent. Tuppence Middleton is also a true delight as Alwyn, Jim’s daughter, the independent no nonsense single mum who has been badly treated in the past by her ex-partner. Her character is so good in many ways you’re rooting for her all the way as she juggles her daughter, running the family B & B and everything else that life seems to throw at her. Danny makes
I laughed and cried all the way through
Fisherman’s Friends is in cinemas nationwide now
every effort to win them all over with his wheeler dealer ways and there are some truly touching scenes in the film involving them all. The script is full of Cornish wisdom and hilarious one liners (most of them delivered by Jago, Jim’s dad superbly played by David Hayman); the joke about an orange and a cure for seasickness is a true laugh out loud moment which almost bought the house down where I watched it. I also noticed a finely threaded political message (which didn’t do any harm to the film whatsoever) running through the script selling an independent Cornwall at every opportunity with everything from references to a new border across the River Tamar to the nickname they give us “Brits” and the “proper” national anthem they sing live on breakfast television. The film is shot on location actually in Port Isaac itself in North Cornwall. For those of you not familiar with this place, you might be if I mention that
50th Anniversary Show For Iconic Band You’ll be dancing all around your hat… STEELEYE SPAN Winchester Theatre Royal Sunday 14th April
‘SPACE Oddity’. ‘Suspicious Minds’. ‘Pinball Wizard’. ‘Whole Lotta Love’. ‘Come Together’ - 1969 could easily be said to be a vintage year for music, the end of a decade that changed the world and the introduction to one that would prove equally inspirational. It would also see the birth of a band that would start as an idea to electrify traditional music and would go on to become one of the most enduring stories in the folk rock world and beyond. Over the past fifty years, Steeleye Span have come to define the concept of English folk rock taking it from the world of small clubs into the charts, concert halls and festivals around the globe. Now there’s a chance to see what the fuss is all about in a special 50th anniversary show at the Theatre Royal in Winchester. The story of their career has included incredible moment after incredible moment - taking Latin
Image: Peter Silver
ITV’s Doc Martin was filmed in the same location with all the familiar landmarks of that programme, but with Martin Clunes and Bert nowhere to be seen. Most of the songs and shanties are easily recognisable, especially if you ever sat around a Scout or Girl Guide campfire or had a music teacher at school who tried to teach you them. One touch I did like was during the end credits, the film was dedicated to two of the original members of the Fisherman’s Friends who were tragically killed in February 2013 when a door collapsed on them at a theatre in Guilford just before a performance there. Many films are branded these days as a feel-good film which don’t deserve that accolade, but this one certainly does. I laughed and cried all the way through it and left the cinema with a big smile on my face, hoping one day they might make a follow on - it was that good. Who knows? In the meantime, go and see this one and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. carol ‘Gaudete’ onto Top Of The Pops, recording with David Bowie and Peter Sellers, showering their audiences with pound notes, scoring a top five hit with ‘All Around My Hat’, touring UK arenas with Status Quo, reuniting virtually all their members for a famous 25th anniversary show and entering their fifth decade as creatively inspired and active as ever - including the acclaimed Wintersmith album with Sir Terry Pratchett. Featuring some of the most famous names in folk music from down the years (Martin Carthy, Tim Hart, Bob Johnson, John Kirkpatrick, Peter Knight, Ken Nicol, Liam Genockey), the band has perhaps been most identified with Maddy Prior - one of the most distinctive voices in British music. Helping found the band with her musical partner Tim Hart, she has steered Steeleye through their various incarnations, as well as a successful solo career and a number of regular collaborations with the likes of June Tabor and The Carnival Band. Maddy told Winchester Today that there’s plenty to celebrate: “Our 50th Anniversary tour is a very special moment in history for us as a band. The last half century has been a whirlwind of unforgettable experiences and opportunities and this 24-date tour will be a fantastic celebration of this. We’re really looking forward to playing the Theatre Royal, Winchester as part of this and we can’t wait to see fans old and new there on Sunday 14th April.”
ROXY MUSIC ROXY MUSIC
Released: 16 June 1972 Island Records We’re going back 47 years for this one. Wowsers. Recorded over a short few weeks in March 1972 and released by June, this was Roxy’s debut album. ‘Chance Meeting’ and ‘If There Is Something’ later made it on to Viva! and became even better in a live environment. ‘Sea Breezes’ became even better still when Bryan Ferry recorded it by himself. Later on in 1973, I was at the Garraway Boys’ Club in Bath for what was probably my first ever disco as a paying customer. It was in a small room, the DJ had one turntable and one small speaker which was on maximum volume. But it was one record that he played that really got me into my career at the age of 13 - and thinking wow, yet again. That record was Pyjamarama. I begged him to play it again. Defining moment. Perhaps you also have Virginia Plain on your copy of this album, because although it wasn’t recorded by the time the album was released, it was added on later because of its success. The line-up was probably as we remember the ‘dream team’ of Roxy... Brian Ferry on vocals and piano, Brian Eno on his VCS3 synthesiser (how we marvelled at his magic waggling stick... and just WHY were all those sticks in those holes on the patch panel bottom left?), Andy Mackay on oboe - yes an oboe in a rock group, Phil Manzanera on guitar, Paul Thompson on drums and Graham Simpson on bass. Reaction from rock and pop critics at the time was generally five stars across the board. It simply blew everyone away. Have a look on YouTube and you’ll see a Whistle Test performance of another track on this album - Ladytron, featuring weird and wonderful noises from Brian Eno, fly specs on Phil Manzanera, and fantastic vocals from Bryan Ferry. They were, and still are, three of the coolest guys on the planet. Kevin Gover
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news
April 2019
winchestertoday.co.uk 15
What’s On in Winchester and beyond April-May 2019 Until 20th April Martin Snape Gosport Gallery
Until 28th April Bricktropolis Milestones Museum, Basingstoke
You do NOT have to pay to have your event listed here! . You can send printed leaflets or brochures to Winchester Today, Suite 123, 80 High Street, Winchester, SO23 9AT, send details by email to news@winchestertoday.co.uk or tweet us the info @winchestertoday All event details listed are correct at time of going to press.
Sunday 14th April Palm Sunday Procession from Great Hall at 10am, followed by Sung Eucharist in Cathedral at 10.30am
Good Friday 19th April The Three Hours Winchester Cathedral. 12 noon until 3pm
Until 29th May Four Seasons Art Spring Exhibition
Thursday 25th April Romsey Chamber Music Festival 2019 United Reformed Church and King John’s House in Romsey. Until 28th April. romseychambermusic.com
Monday 29th April Winchester Fashion Week (until 4th May)
Easter Saturday 20th April Children’s Easter Craft Workshop
Tuesday 30th April Winchester Fashion Show
New Forest Heritage Centre, Lyndhurst. 10.30am - 2pm
Winchester Hotel and Spa. Doors 7pm. £12 brendoncare.org/fashionshow
Easter Saturday 20th April French Market
Friday 3rd May Murder She Didn’t Write
Until 7th July 100 Years of Forestry
Alresford. 9am - 4pm
Theatre Royal, Winchester. 7.30pm - 01962 840440
An exhibition looking at the work of the forestry commission. New Forest Heritage Centre, Lyndhurst – Free
Easter Sunday 21st April Sung Eucharist
Until 1st September Brickosaurs at Marwell Zoo
Easter Sunday 21st April Easter Egg Hunt and Bonnet Parade
Various venues until 6th May. winchesterchambermusic.com
Highclere Castle. In aid of the Murray Parish Trust. Adult Garden ticket £7. Easter Egg Hunt from 11am to 3pm. Easter Bonnet Parade is free to enter and begins at 1.30 pm.
Saturday 4th May Alistair McGowan Introductions to Classical Piano Live
Eleven artists from Hampshire and Dorset exhibiting their impressions of the natural world. Mon–Sun 10am-5.30pm Exbury Gardens, Summer Lane, Exbury, Southampton, S045 1AZ Price included in Garden Entry fees – standard garden entry £12.50
Winchester Cathedral. 11.15am
A world class first collection of brick dinosaurs will be on display at Marwell Zoo. Ticket Prices – please check website
Saturday 13th April Music for Lent and Holy Week St Luke’s Church Winchester - 7.30pm. £10 01962 714030
Sunday 14th April Steeleye Span Theatre Royal, Winchester 01962 840440
Alistair McGowan brings his comination of classical piano and comedy to the Theatre Royal on 4th May. See our preview on page 5
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1: talk about Winchester 2: play fantastic music
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Wednesday 24th April David Gower ‘On The Front Foot’ Tour Theatre Royal Winchester. 01962 840440
Friday 3rd May Winchester Chamber Music Festival
Theatre Royal Winchester
4th – 5th May Portsmouth Comic Con The best of comic, film, tv and popular entertainment - Portsmouth Guildhall, Sat 4th 10am - 8pm, Sun 5th 10am - 6pm Standard day ticket £16
the final word
16 winchestertoday.co.uk
April 2019
RARE NEW AUDIENCE FOR GCSE ART STUDENTS Kings’ pupils triumph at Cathedral exhibition By Samantha Delamore IMAGINE - you are studying art at GCSE level, and then you’re suddenly given the opportunity to display your work in the very building you’re drawing. Kings’ School were given a rare opportunity to display their work at Winchester Cathedral. GCSE Art and Textile students staged the ‘Inspired By Our Cathedral’ project, re-creating a number of historic pieces. Notable symbols in the Cathedral such as The Crypt were turned into artwork - Eleanor Yates used acrylic paints to create her version of The Crypt: “I was really drawn to Antony Gormley’s statue and never realised it would look so realistic. It looked really metallic and it can really capture the depth of it.’ A Triptych was also the subject of a student’s work, and Rosina Read used this as inspiration to create her version of the stained-glass windows. She also used acrylic paint to make her work as realistic as possible: “It was quite incredible really because the Cathedral is such a big place and quite a famous place, so to see our
artwork there it was really good.” Textile pieces were also created in the form of fabrics and robes. Year 11 art student, Amrita Rahman, created a profound textile piece inspired by the floor tiles and wall panels using a number of different techniques:”I made it really distressed by burning the edges and sandpapering it down. It was quite surreal everyone looking at my textiles piece and I had an art piece in the Cathedral as well.” Students were given the opportunity to visit the Cathedral over the Summer.
Real accomplishment for Kings’ School
They took pictures and did sketches and were even taken on guided tours to learn about the history of the landmark. Giulia Anzano, who created the tiled robe, said the tours helped her get inspiration for work: “We went on a tour at the beginning of the course for this topic to get ideas and pictures. So that’s where I got the idea for the tiles, and I’ve been back a few times to get more pictures and ideas.” Kings School is the first school to have their art displayed in the Cathedral. The head of art, Zoe Churcher, is proud of what her students have accomplished in recreating such historic symbols: “I’m absolutely delighted with every single
It was quite surreal
stage of the process. They have been so committed and so hardworking at producing a really high quality of work.” The opening night of the exhibition was opened by the Dean, Catherine Ogle and was a huge success. There was a big turn-out of important guests including students and their parents. Francesca Williamson created The Crown of Thorns, and was delighted to show her parents her stunning piece of art: “It was on a big plinth and made it really special.” Zoe says the school have a showcase coming up and looks forward to what the students will create next.