The Chinese Student and Scholars Association is holding a celebratory concert tonight, Monday 28th Jan, at Sadlers Wells. I’ve been invited to accompany a very talented young woman, Lin Li, who plays the guzhong. This is similar to, but bigger and zingier than, a zither. Just one number – ‘Homesickness’.
In a packed Bristol Old Vic last Sunday (20th Jan) the Slapstick Festival ended splendidly with an evening of three Laurel and Hardy shorts, the last one being the silent film that I accompanied (Wrong Again). Rowland Rivron talked about the film and introduced me with much merry banter. Before I played I assured the audience that Barry Cryer is well on the mend, which he is: he unfortunately fell over just before Christmas and fractured his hip, so the last night of Slapstick had to get by without his show. Hopefully he’ll be back at Slapstick next year.
Bristol Slapstick Festival has invited me to accompany a Laurel and Hardy silent comedy, ‘Wrong Again’, this Sunday (20th Jan) in the Bristol Old Vic Theatre at 8.00 pm. It’s a characteristic L & H – full of sight gags, mutual stupidity and subverting authority. There’s a horse in it who is brilliant – clearly well-trained and very patient. In fact, I don’t see why the film wasn’t named ‘Horse Play’ or similar, given that its actual title is not very memorable.
Colin Sell 