‘Keep being Frome’, says top UK Comic

Top UK comedian Reginald D. Hunter had wise words for Frome Festival as the 10th anniversary party burst into life. “Keep being you because I don’t think anyone else could pull it off,” he said in an exclusive video interview for the festival. Hunter proved one of the most successful opening acts in festival history as more than 500 packed out the Cheese & Grain. The TV comic from Georgia, USA, appeared on the first Friday night with support act Steve Hughes. In a performance that lasted more than hour, Hunter revealed what made him move to the UK and become a stand-up. “I used to watch re-runs of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers and Rumpole of the Bailey with my Dad as a 12-year-old. “Those shows introduced me to a dangerous thing for a young boy – sarcasm,” he said.

Elsewhere on opening night, the John Law Trio played to a full house at Rook Lane Chapel.

The town filled with festival goers as the first weekend gathered pace. More than 3,000 turned out for the Frome Festival Feast held for the first time by the River Frome. Festival director Martin Dimery said: “We received lots of great feedback. People liked it by the river and who wouldn’t on a sunny evening in July.

Thanks to everyone who came along, especiaIly those who had come a long way. I met a couple from Doncaster, a birthday girl from Halifax and an eco-warrier from Canada. This remarkable town has friends worldwide.”

 

The Street Bandits marching band and hirsute ballet dancers in white tutus entertained the crowd before live sets from from Redback, Back Before Breakfast and The Johnsons had people dancing until sunset.

Bristol Bach Choir brought the evening to a serene close with a candlelit concert at Holy Trinity Church.

Sunday saw eco-bargain hunters flock to the Cheese & Grain for the annual Green Fair and writers descend on Frome Library for Writers & Publishers Day.

Words@FromeFestival’s Beverley Jones said the literary agents who visited from London had been impressed by the work that they had seen. “Who knows, maybe this year’s Writers & Publishers Day will launch another newcomer on the road to a best-selling success like it did for Rachel Ward a few years ago,” she said. Japanese Tourists by Lexie Elliott from Putney, London, won the £300 first prize in the Frome Festival Short Story Competition 2010. Second prize went to Watercress Makes A Meal by Rachel Crowther, from Oxford, and third to The Question by Fiona Allan, Horam, East Sussex. The Other Side by Jenny Gordon won top prize in the regional category. Short story organiser Alison Clink said judge Kate Harrison picked out the overall winner for its “many layers and quirky humour”.

OUTSIDE OF THE BOX POETS brought the festival vibe to Saturday shoppers in Cheap Street as passers-by gathered to enjoy free performances on the hour from 10 till 2.  Ten local poets co- ordinated by Gordon Graft mounted the soapbox to declaim their words to the entertainment of an all-age crowd, even the very young, who were delighted by the novel idea of street poetry.  Themes ranged from eco-politics to personal passions, and sunshine maximised the success of the event. The poets are: Jo Butts, Helen Moore, Niall McDevitt, Dikra Ridha, Crysse Morrison, Liz Spurgeon, Dianne Penny, Rose Flint, Alex Lackey and Gordon Graft.

 

Frome’s first ever Festival Pub Theatre on Sunday and Monday played to sellout audiences. Co-producer Crysse Morrison gave us this review from Rose Flint:  “The newest addition to Frome Festival - pub- theatre - started brilliantly with a dark and shocking tale of vampires, literary critics and the battle between good and evil.Upstairs at The Lamb provided am intimate venue for ‘St Nicholas’ by Conor McPherson, brilliantly performed by Matt Ward who held the audience in the absolute stillness of shock and suspense even through the distraction of a very hot night. Great night out - felt like a bit of Edinburgh Fringe fallen in from the North, all gritty and sparkly with velocity. Big thanks to Nevertheless Productions for guiding this meteor into Frome.”

Frome Festival Poetry Slam organisers may hug themselves: they opened a box of delights at the Garden Café on Wednesday evening.  Guest poet Peter Wyton, the acclaimed Bin Bag Bard, tickled the eager crowd with his quick-fire verses – including the region’s funniest look at cannibalism since the city of Wells hosted the making of Hot Fuzz.  Peter also dealt with the issues of what to do when you’re short of cash and the Picts are invading, and how a Swiss Army Wife can fend off an amorous Yeti.  It really all happens in Frome.
Performers and spectators from all over the region packed themselves into the Garden Café for a night of unrivalled talent, as poet after poet made their bids to be named Frome Festival Poet Laureate, with a bottle of fizz to celebrate.  Performers old and new delighted the audience, who were moved to tears, laughter – and indeed, tears of laughter – by turns.  Under the scrutiny of the judges, who struggled to slip an ink- or tear-stained notelet between them, each performer took his or her turn in the spotlight.  From fireworks to the menopause, ethereal beauty to bottom jokes, all were swept along by the tide of talent that regularly rocks the cobbles of Stony Street.  There were even tributes to old favourites TinTin and Dr Seuss, but with a perfect score of three sixes, the title was won by the magical performance of Dianne Penny, with the delightful words of her poem, ‘God in a Hoodie’.”

An appreciative audience was wooed and wowed by a fascinating presentation from Mario Reading, a local author and world authority on Nostradamus.  The riveting talk was lavishly illustrated and unfailingly convincing.    Mario’s rigorous research and investigation is impressive – make up your own mind with his ‘Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus’  or ‘Nostradamus:  the complete prophecies for the future’.  These are all available through Somerset Libraries or local bookshops.  In addition Mario is penning a trilogy of novels on the subject – gritty fast-paced best sellers (150,000 sales worldwide for the first one. No 2, the Mayan Codex due out August 1st 2010).

The festival builds towards its finale weekend with three Chopin recitals from artist in residence Marina Nadiradze to celebrate the bicentenary of the composer’s birth. Born in Georgia, in Eastern Europe’s Caucasus region, Ms Nadiradze now lives in Scotland with her family. She will play Chopin’s two piano concertos on successive nights at St John’s Church, Frome, on Thursday 15, and At Andrew’s Church, Mells, on Friday 16 July.

The festival’s showpiece classical event sees Jason Thornton conduct Bath Philharmonia and Nashville bluegrass band Harpeth Rising in a night of 20th century American music with performances of Copland’s Appalachian Spring and John Adams’s Shaker Loops on Saturday 17.

Rook Lane Chapel welcomes two greats from the British jazz scene – saxophone player Stan Sulzmann and guitarist John Parricelli – on Friday 16.

Perennial fancy dress favourite Caberet Sans Frontieres returns with two nights at The Granary on Thursday 15 and Saturday 17 with headline act Coralie Hyde singing the standards.