An Evening with Nell Gwynn

Transformed into a banqueting room the hall provided the venue for a splendid meal with friends old and new. The 3 course meal was delicious and the service excellent – all to the accompaniment of 17th music. The final course – fresh oranges and chocolate cake to die for – got us in the mood for the entertainment.

Nell Gwynn appeared appropriately standing under the statue of Sir John Moore (a man she knew) to tell us about the highs and lows of her life. From an impoverished childhood, through a celebrated career on the stage (at a time when it was only just becoming an acceptable job for women), to the long time mistress of Charles II. She had two sons, one of whom died in childhood, and outlived Charles by only 2 years despite the difference in their ages. Her tale was strong on the harshness of women’s lives of the period and her bawdy comments on coping with men had many of the women – and some of the men – roaring with laughter!

After this virtuoso performance Lesley Smith, curator at Tutbury Castle with television appearances including ‘The Worst Jobs in History’, stepped out of role to tell us about how she researched her subjects and the clothes she wore. It turned out that most of the information about where Nell spent her childhood came from the legal records of her mother’s frequent arrests! She also explained the authenticity of her clothes – designed by the V&A. She was tempted into giving us a taste of one of her other roles – Mary Queen of Scots. Another part of her life is as a medical historian – specialising in women’s health in the late 16th Century. Since this is a family site I can only say you should have been there!!

Box & Fiddle: Greg Lawson and Phil Alexander

When Mosihe’s Bagel came to the Sir John Moore last year they went down a storm and showed exuberant musical enthusiasm both in the hall and later at the Black Horse

It was not surprising that the Cellar Bar was packed for the return of half of Moishe’s Bagel on 16 November as one of the Friday Live series. The audience was not to be disappointed as they were treated to a master class in ethnic music from around Europe and beyond.

Greg Lawson and Phil Alexander are the fiddle player and accordionist from Moishe’s Bagel and they played three sets, each one containing tunes from all over the world.
Their musicianship was outstanding – each a master of their instrument and the way the instruments combined was perfect for the Cellar Bar’s intimate atmosphere. It was a privilege to be so close to great acoustic music

Greg and Phil played a number of Balkan tunes and the slow Macedonian dances were my particular highlight of the evening. They also played music from Armenia, Israel and some superb Tango tunes, plus some Scottish folk including two numbers written by Capercaille’s Donald Shaw.

My only gripe was that the venue did not allow for the same experience throughout the whole cellar area. The duo played in the main bar, and the audience in the other rooms was not able to really listen to the music. Consequently, there was an amount of noise coming back into the bar, and also noise from customers at the bar. I think things would work better if the bar area was able to be separate from the main music performing area.

Igbekun

Another fantastic event under the Centre Stage imprint which provides subsidised quality performances in rural locations.

A man’s sleep is disturbed by images of the violent history of his country. Through dance, story and song we learnt about the transformation of a peaceful farming community in West Africa. Introduced to Western trinkets and with their cultural symbols disrespected they were sold into slavery and made the horrific journey to America. There they worked under harsh conditions struggling to keep their community and traditions alive. At times in despair they still managed to preserve their spirits and hopes and emerge to freedom. The performance stressed the unacceptability of one person owning another and then brought the story right up to date by asking that we live our own lives in a way that would not lead to anyone having to apologise for our actions in 200 years times.

For the 2nd half we were promised traditional Nigerian dance. Some cultural purists might wonder at the inclusion of the talking drum encouraging community singing of Jingle Bells – but the children definitely enjoyed it! And it gave a well deserved rest to the fantastically energetic and exuberant dancers. I was particularly taken by the haunting masquerade dance with the performers covered head to toe in white robes. All the dances in this part of the performance involved wonderful costumes and movement supported by drums.

We were told that the division between performers and audience was not part of the African tradition. The school children had been involved in a workshop during the day and were very excited and keen to demonstrate their new found skills – their parents were told that they too had to participate and some were able to overcome their traditional reticence to do so!

Casino Royale

The last time I went to the cinema to see a Bond film (as opposed to the ubiquitous TV re-shows) was 40 years ago! But never one to miss culture on my doorstep I went along to see Casino Royale at the Appleby Film Club. We were promised ‘action and character’. I found the long action scenes a bit wearing – less gadgets than usual, but equally implausible escapes against all the odds. But in other respects it was more ‘grown up’ – fewer verbal innuendoes and, most interestingly, a female lead who lasted three-quarters of the film before succumbing to Bond’s charms (and even then with a twist). And things to genuinely care about including a Bond who showed emotions. But what really broke this reviewer’s heart was the sight of a beautiful Venice Palazzo crumbling into the canal!

Live Fridays

We’ve had two of these music events in the Cellar now and both have been buzzing. The space lends itself to combining music and socialising. Un Sabor Latino were exceptional (particularly the trumpet player). Adam Forman played a mixture of well known songs that most people could sing along to (and some people did!). Next up is half of Moishe’s Bagel, the band that packed out the main hall a few months ago and carried on until throwing out time at the Black Horse. Phil and Greg are the accordion and fiddle players. It’s likely to be a full house.

So that’s our opinion. We’d like to know yours…