Island Echo’s theatre and arts columnist, Maureen Sullivan, takes a look at the much-awaited Ventnor Fringe Festival, which is set to host an array of entertainment later this year.
It’s back! After a hiatus last year, Ventnor Fringe Festival will be running from 23rd July to 1st August, hopefully just in time to be free of the delayed lifting of restrictions.
However, prepared for any eventuality, a few changes have been made – just in case. Once the ‘socially distanced capacity’ tickets for an event have all been sold, you will be able to book standby tickets: if, as we hope, 21st July brings the anticipated ‘Freedom Day’, these tickets will be valid; if not, a full refund will be given.
If comedy is your thing, you will not be disappointed at the hilarious lineup of stand-ups and comedy shows. The well-known sisters Flo & Joan are heading to Ventnor Fringe for the first time to test an hour of new material. An hour of light-hearted comic Ventnor Verse by IOW poet Steve Taverner covers many topics, often inspired by the Island.
Few artists are more refreshingly direct than Billy Nomates. This fierce, funny, outspoken force of nature, has spent the last lockdown bedded down on the Isle of Wight, which inspired new EP Emergency Telephone.
Geoff Norcott has found himself in demand as both a commentator and comedian, performing on many well known TV shows as well as fronting his own documentary ‘How The Middle Classes Ruined Britain’ for BBC2.
There is also a brand new Work in Progress show from TV’s Tez Ilyas, and Seska: Bullinachinashop is flying in with a turbo-charged chaotic comedy magic show for all ages. Kids laugh out loud , dads fart out loud and mums faint at his feet!
Other comedy on offer include Catherine Bohart, Lou Sanders, Andrew White’s: The Gay Agenda Live!, Joe Wells, Bilal Zafar, Patrick Spicer, Lily Phillips, The Noise Next Door, and 5 different stand ups at the Pick of the Fringe.
All laughed out? Then stop and listen to Dr Kathryn Ferry’s illustrated talk Deckchairs, Piers and Souvenirs: A History of the British Seaside in 100 Objects. Or take part in A Walk Through the Solar System. Don’t worry – it’s laid out on a 1,000-yard scale, where 1 inch represents 100,000 miles. Various other walks and talks are on offer too. Art_house_life @ 35 Madeira Road opens again, with a tour of recent artworks that reflect loss, change & transformation.
Or are you ready to get crafty? Tatty Devine are hosting 2 special Necklace workshops: create a classic Mini Bunting Necklace in a 5-flag design unique to you. Or perhaps Parakeet Recycled Rainbow Necklace. Poetry is on offer too, including Ovid With Reverb: Alter Ego Plugged’s Secret Garden Gig: poetry in a Bo Diddley beat, a fusion of verse and rhythms ancient and modern – from elegies of Ovid and pentameters of English Renaissance to clave-inspired rock and roll classics.
Tickets are going fast for infamous cabaret misfit and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s miscreant Joe Black’s gloriously raucous gin soaked musical cabaret extravanganza. Burlesque shows include The Sensible Undresser in which international burlesque star Elsie Diamond is ready to let you know the truth about the so-called glamorous world of cabaret, through song, spoken word and of course, striptease, while Lolo Brow and Tempest Rose present: Burlesque – expect high glamour, serious skills and jaw dropping costumes. I think therefore I glam.
Music has always been popular at the Fringe and indie stalwarts Gengahr are heading to Ventnor Fringe to play their much anticipated live show. Coppersmith adapted to life online but are very glad to be back with some stunning newly written songs as well as plenty of old favourites. Los Bitchos are set for a massive 2021 Make sure you get along to a show to catch their effervescent and infectious instrumental Cumbia.
Want some chill summer jams to while away a night? Greg and the Bears have it in swathes. Want some Punky Spiky Songs to stick in your head all the way home? Benny Jet has them a’plenty!
Charlie Dore, one of the UK’s most respected songwriters, returns to Ventnor for the 4th year running, and Elizabeth & Jameson is an award-winning collaboration comprising two rising stars of the UK acoustic music scene.
Join a Brit Award-nominated, chart-topping young English tenor for An Afternoon with Thomas Cameron featuring a breathtaking performance of his BBC featured debut album. Annette Gregory and Friends: Jazz and Me features some original songs created during the Lockdown in celebration of her mother.
We invite you to dance under a diamond sky as we pay tribute to the Hippy movement: California Dreamers Return to Hippy Heave combines archive film footage, with a superb live band and singers to chronicle the events that provided inspiration for the songs that became the soundtrack for a generation.
Phew! I have tried to give a flavour of the range of the shows and events on offer, but there isn’t room to mention everything, so for more details of the shows mentioned above and many, many others, for a complete picture of the Fringe, and to find that particular event you just can’t miss, do head over and browse the Ventnor Fringe website at https://vfringe.co.uk.
Maureen Sullivan is a regular contributor to Island Echo’s coverage of the Arts on the Isle of Wight. Maureen has been actively involved in the Island’s amateur dramatics scene for several years, appearing in many different roles and guises with several theatre companies. In her free time, Maureen also writes and reviews at iwtheatre.org.
Catch Maureen’s column each month for the latest theatre and art happenings...
