Fidler in the Hood: The weather is frightening, thunder and lightning

Greetings, old sports. That certainly was the week that was. ‘Don’t know why there’s no sun up in the sky: stormy weather.’ Not for the fainthearted these tropical storms, but still better than a cold, wet winter’s morning-noon-and-night in murky Manchester. As they used to say ‘If you haven’t been to Manchester, you haven’t lived.’ Never a truer word, even though spoken in jest. On with the show.

ALSO READ : Fidler in the Hood: When The Lights Go On Again

Songbook II

It’s been showbiz time this past week: not quite the West End, nor two tickets to Broadway stuff, but still a variety of musical soirees to enjoy. Margate Retirement Village’s Azalea Hall was the venue for yet another ‘Great American Songbook’ type of show last Saturday. Last month we had been regally entertained by Jonothan Didlick, which went down well with the old folks at home. This time around we had a more jazz-oriented evening, with Burton Naidoo on piano and Kwena Ramahuta on jazz vocals.

The second half of the show featured Debbie Mari singing the songbook, backed by Melvin Peters tickling the ivories. The show itself, whilst musically excellent, was more in keeping with a jazz cocktail hour and wasn’t everyone’s cuppa tea. To each his own (great song that), I guess; maybe it should have been more ‘You’re the Cream in My Coffee’, than ‘Tea for Two’.

Prior to the show’s opening, Carol Tyers, on behalf of the Residents’ Activity Committee (RAC), expressed thanks to the audience for continuing to support regular shows. Undoubtedly it is a hard act to follow the late and dearly-beloved Liz Curran, who was legendary and dedicated to bringing the best to Azalea Hall. But, the show must go on, and Liz’s successors are really making a go of it.

Trio Con Brio

The following day, Sunday, Riverbend Crocodile Farm played host to a classical concert featuring talented Trio Con Brio with Sabine Baird. The publicity blurb invited people to ‘an afternoon of music to rouse and be aroused’. Steady on there: not at our stage in life, please.

The blurb continued ‘Come and be stimulated by the gilded, glistening sounds of a golden flute; the honeyed, dulcet tones of the clarinet, backed by the lush resonances of the bassoon.’

All heady stuff, although the CO misunderstood, retorting that she had enough resonance with her very own ‘buffoon’ … she is Irish.

Chamber music at its best

Flautist Sabine Baird, Alan Asquith (clarinet), and Charl van der Merwe (bassoon), presented a delightful couple of hours, with a wide and varied programme: from Frans Schubert to ‘Greensleeves’, and ‘Listening to the Mocking Bird’, the old Nina and Frederik classic, to the music of the Beatles, played in the mode of chamber music.

The programme was a sure-fire success with Sabine, Charl and Alan fully involved the audience; introducing them on a personal level to their precious instruments and telling capsule histories of composers and music.

The audience, who had braved the elements to attend, certainly came away satisfied, having enjoyed a great afternoon out. Sabine Baird, by the way, is not a ‘wee Scot’, but a pukka German fraulein, nee Bierman, from Dortmund, which is Jurgen Klopp territory.

Next weekend, (Saturday, 30th), Riverbend Conference Centre will host our own superbly-talented, renowned storyteller Barbie Meyer and her ‘Marico Moon’ one-woman show featuring her adaptation of the stories of Herman Charles Bosman. This promises to be a great occasion, with the audience being held spellbound with hilarious, poignant and ever-fresh ‘Tales by Bosman’. Booking is essential.

Jurgen’s in town

Somehow, I recovered from the disappointment of those Scousers beating my beloved Manchester City. It wasn’t easy, but with some CO TLC, I came round, found my appetite ready to face the world once more. It was then that the CO told me to ‘sit down – I have some upsetting news to tell you.’

First reaction was – what have I done this time? But no, it was something really upsetting. ‘Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is in Cape Town. He sent a message saying that he is unable to meet you here on the Hibiscus Coast.’ A double-whammy if ever there was one. See you. Rob.

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