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25th Apr 2019
WRITE ANGLE APRIL – THE SPEECHPAINTER'S ONE MAN SHOW - AN ADULT DOCTOR SEUSS
Write Angle's April guest was The Speech Painter’, AKA Geoff Allnutt, the one and only performance poet who has taken the work and world of Dr Seuss and re-imagined them for adults, using the rhythms and tongue-twisting alliteration of Seuss’s classics to create a show of mind-altering poetry.
Along the way we meet a cast of original characters distorted and lost in a grown up world, where The Twat in the Flat can’t stop ingesting vast quantities of narcotics and the The Grinch is somehow transformed into David Lynch. And where an A-Z of Ted tells of the often bizarre creations of Theodor Geisel AKA Dr Seuss. Geoff is a watch-maker by day, which might explain the way in which he sees and explains the structure of his work.There’s an element of clockwork about it.
He wears a hat (nothing like Cat in a Hat) fitted dress suit, and carries a cane - which gives him full command of his material, and gripped the audience to full attention, for the hour that the show runs. He strides the stage, his delivery ranging widely from machine-gun speed to normal speech. His show is unquestionably a tour de force. Write Angle was lucky to have had the opportunity to preview Geoff’s newest production which will be heading for Brighton. We recommend you don’t miss it as it has really developed into a genuine work of art!
At the open mic, the very talented Dean Dyson, who loves busking, gave a sample of his style and skills. He's a composer, singer gutarist, and he sang two of his own soulful compositions, including I Found You, dedicated to Delilah, his wife. Write Angle has invited him to perform as May’s guest performer.
Fred Werner, a fine and ‘natural’ poet, read four powerful poems - all related to transport; Fred's verse not only conveyed interesting concepts, but his delivery has an onomatopoeic quality. (As an ‘aside’, he again won the raffle which includes a meal for two at La Piezzetta, Petersfield’s excellent italian restaurant). Colin Eveleigh's My Name Is Hope, brought laughter – which didn’t mask its cleverness, as he went through everything from hoplessness to “hope springs eternal”.
We’re ‘over the moon’ that Richard Hawtree, having returned from a successful six months lecturing in Leicester with Mountain Snow, (a phrase that began each of the wintry adaptations from mediaeval welsh stanzas) is back with us! His Space Walk about Westminster Abbey was apposite in a week in which Notre Dame de Paris was ravished by fire. It was a joy to hear some more of his fine poetry!
Leah brought humour to one of life's traumatic situations in Audition for Divorce, in which the lawyer wants a description to subpoena the respondent; “I'm trying to issue a writ for divorce, not audition him for a movie”. Neal Dandridge, a first timer, presented two very good love poems: “How lovely to wake with you....” followed by “missing you in the first moment of separation...” the second describing the anguish of being apart - for just a morning! We’re looking forward to seeing Neal again and hearing more of his work!
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