| 27 August 2011
Mud, mud, glorious mud,Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood!
So follow me, follow-
If you are already singing heartily along, then this hour of Flanders and Swann songs will be right up your street. Cobbled together by multi-award-winning comedian Tim FitzHigham and BBC Radio 4 ‘Showstopper!’ star Duncan Walsh Atkins this hour of legendary songs is good, old-fashioned fun for everyone.
Dressed to the nines, FitzHigham and Walsh Atkins seem to relish in their respective roles as Flanders and Swann: bluff-bearded FitzHigham delivers the chiseled words and laconic wit, while Walsh Atkins plays the piano with gusto, bearing the brunt of his colleague’s teasingly elitist jokes.
The beauty of this show is how much these two delight in singing these wonderful lyrics, never wasting a single comma or an excuse to embellish songs with Boarish grunting ('The Boar Song') or lascivious beckoning ('Have Some Madeira, M’dear!'). While not virtuoso singers, they more than make up for it with their vim and vigour: FitzHigham’s alternative instrument to the French Horn for 'Ill Wind' is ingenious and of a level of silliness perfectly suited to the nature of Flanders and Swann’s material.
The audience is wholeheartedly encouraged to join in with verses and refrains, so this is definitely one for Flanders and Swann enthusiasts; though, that said, it is perfectly welcoming for those unacquainted with the back catalogue. What a pleasure to see such glee coming from performers and the audience alike. Very g-nice.
Flanders and Swann, Pleasance Courtyard, 5-29 Aug (not 17), 2.30 pm
| Next > |
|---|
