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Petersfield Write Angle Upstairs @ The Square Brewery, November
Review by Leah Cohen
She’s petite, thin, and stands quite still on stage - but don’t be fooled. Patience Agbabi is powerful, engaging, and keeps her audience mesmerised - from start to finish!
There’s no doubt she captivated the packed room at Write Angle - people came from Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Surrey and other parts afar
She’s a ‘natural’ - just tells it as it is - and you sense her wit, and confidence, throughout her performance. Her poems had everyone on edge as she went from story to poem to story - at times, in Nigerian dialect. And though she hardly moves, her eyes and voice say it all! She switches quickly from serious to a broad grin, ‘you like my headtie?… It’s de latest fashion… I give you discount cos I like your smile!’ A super performer.
She played a different character in each poem and story from her latest book, ‘Telling Tales’ - a contemporary version of Chaucer’s Tales; each unique, interesting and clever - not to mention bawdy and witty with the occasional sad tale thrown in.
‘There’s a lot of violence in Chaucer’ - said as if she, too, just realised it. Eg. ‘Unfinished business’ - ‘That night it rained so hard, it was biblical… a week since they beat up my wife, put five holes in my daughter. I know who they are. I know why. I’m three shots away from the parked car…I didn’t bring my wife to Gravesend for this…’
Then, ‘The wonderful Wife of Bafa’. Mrs Alice Ebi Bafa, ‘I come from Nigeria. I’m very fine, isn’t it.’ ‘Some say I have blood on my hands, ‘cause I like to paint my nails red but others call me femme fatale… My father had four wives so I had five husband… Three were good and two were bad’…then…’Ghana is very advanced…This is their folk-tale. I tell in my own tongue: a man sentenced to death for rape will be pardoned but only if he tells ‘what thing is it that women most desire’, in a year and a day’.
He searches and finds ‘an old old madame, ‘I reveal secret but ‘sozaboy’, promise to grant my bes’ wish!’. The answer? ‘Women desire to have sovereignty over their husbands or lovers’. Her wish? He must marry her! She is ugly and old. How will he do that? And how do they turn out happy? (It’s all in the book!)
Then ‘The Kiss’ in The Miller’s Tale, (bawdy) and The Parson’s Tale from The Gospel Truth, from 40 pages of prose.
'Sharps and Flats' 'It's your son, J, chattin' on a mix made in Heaven, don’t hit the fade switch b4 it’s played. Remember, used to have perfect pitch but my pitch paid a rich trade when I got cut off by a switch-blade.'
From ‘The Shipman’s Tale’, ‘I don’t need love for what good will love do me. Diamonds never lie to me, for when love’s gone, they’ll lustre on’.
Patience managed to cover several poems, all beautifully portrayed in her elegant, yet simple style. She’s a clever writer and fine performer. We do recommend you check out her book. She admits to ‘gender swapping’, and her version will keep you in laughter - and, at times, almost tears!
Meanwhile, we don’t know how our compere managed it but Write Angle’s open mic hosted 21 open mikers! Many familiar, and many new - Sorrell Wood, whose interest in the Tudor period, brought in two poems, one for each of Henry VIII’s wives, Katherine of Aragon and ‘Ann Boleyn. ..very good.
Grubby Rimes, with two fun poems - a policeman and an old couple (deaf wife), and ‘Warning before Christmas’ - a woman caught with an expired driving license.
Kathy Haworth, involved in family history, told about the Openshaws, a family in Lancashire, depicting each person visually.
Of the three performers who tackled WW1, showing its gruesome side; Joan Sullivan, (from Basingstoke) recited, ‘Keep your heads down’, What went on..shell-shock, and for what - all for nothing’. She read ‘dementia…you don’t know the pain they’re feeling. You only see the signs’.
Hillary Hares, Surrey, on the same theme - based on a friend’s documented journey… a good poem…’finding her way home’.
Tim Dawes decided, instead of his usual ‘death and destruction’ to do two love poems: to his wife, ‘You were true Spring when we met…then, a sonnet to his lover… good imagery in both.
Maria Hewitt had one poem made of five limericks, good fun - while Joshua Tweedale, a newcomer, played guitar and sang a song sadly hard to follow as the mike picked up the guitar more strongly than his voice. We hope he returns so we get his voice next time!
Maddie Puncher, also new, played guitar, singing ‘If you close your eyes, you’ll almost feel like you’ve been here before’. Jack Warshaw, another song/guitarist, did a song about Thanksgiving as well as a love song (must be the time of year) - ‘Mrs Stollen’.
Barry Smith, Chichester Open Mic, did poems ‘inspired by places’. First, ‘Endgame’, an emotional poem inspired by a punk poet performer seen at Write Angle. ‘This is the last gig I’ll ever do’. ‘It’s like all my life is takeaway’ - a powerful poem, and yours truly, fully appreciates the sentiment expressed. His second poem, drawn from Chichester’s large number of National Reserve soldiers in August 1914, during WW1, leaving the city on their way to France… while 85 German prisoners of war arrived on the beautiful grounds of Christ’s Hospital (admirable example of British hospitality.
Stella Bahin did a cynical poem about playing doctors and nurses, ‘I’ll show you mine if you show me yours’, while Chris Sangster, who won the raffle the previous month for two free meals at India Gate, Chichester, did a poem of praise for the food, service and ambience - creating his own ambience with gong and bell. A charming additive to the evening! Then, on his mandolin -‘ Home Again’. After running training courses all day, what a joy to arrive home!
JeanAnne Naumczyk did ‘Days Gone By’, another serious 100th anniversary tribute to WW1, and ‘Just Dropping in’, a pigeon in her house…
Mike Knee, another guitarist, sang ‘Changing Lives’, about musicians being hungry after a gig, with ‘Piers Morgan’ - someone just like him, aware of what was taking place in the press, but couldn’t care less!’
David Roberts did ‘The Face’ (whose face is it, yours or mine) - and a love poem, ‘What a beautiful thing to tell someone you love them’…
Speech Painter, poet cum singer, and Will Be, guitarist, did ‘Hitch’, ‘A Road Song’, (when you pick a stranger up - there’s an atmosphere created on danger)! Speech Painter may not see himself as a singer but both he and Will Be proved ‘Midhurst’s got talent’!
Yours truly did a poem - Harrod’s Santa Claus and as usual, managed to mess it up! Richard Hawtree shocked everyone by hanging up his poetry book, and reciting, first time, by heart! He did the first sonnet to Orpheus by Riner Maria Rilke - translation from German. Bravo, Mr Hawtree! You’re a star!
The evening was full of talent and high energy! One of the best yet!
Next month, being Christmas season, Tuesday 16 December, will have Attila the Stockbroker as our Special Guest, and there’ll be a special celebratory evening of poetry and music as well as savouries, cakes, puddings, bics, and lots of good cheer! So do come along and join us as we make way for the New Year!
Petersfield Write Angle, petersfieldwriteangle.co.uk
Nov 27th, 2014
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