romseyadvertiser.co.ukhampshirechronicle.co.uk4 7 Days November 15, 2012

l7D REVIEWScoundrels ComedyClub at The Railway Inn

SCOUNDRELS Comedy Clubreturned to Winchester last weekwith a strong line-up of laughs.

But it turned out to be a toughnight for the performers at TheRailway as theyhad to work veryhard to win overthe audience.

A nervoustension seemed tobe in the air fromthe off, which thecomedians triedto turn to theiradvantage bycalling it a‘typical Winchester’ reaction.

But when the jokes did hit thetarget they hit hard and therewere several stand-out momentsfor each act.

By his own admission, compereJoey Page got off to a slow start

as he struggled to establish arapport with the audience.But he powered throughenthusiastically and, like manyof his jokes, the long set up camewith a great pay-off.

Romesh Ranganathan kickedthings off well with his thoughtson fatherhood and family.

Half-French Eric Lampaert isthe first man I’ve seen make

people laugh intwo languages,although he alsostruggled attimes, eventuallygetting results bytargeting aparticular heckler.

But headlinerAdam Bloom wasa real highlightwith his direct,

in-your-face approach succeedingsuperbly. He has plenty ofexperience on the comedy circuitand that shone through as hepulled the night together to leavethe audience more than satisfiedwith what they had seen. JC

l7D PREVIEWJulian Clary at TheAnvil, BasingstokeCOMEDIAN Julian Clary willbe at The Anvil in Basingstoke

on Sunday, November 18.He is looking for love and he’s

not leaving town empty-handed.He will be hosting elimination

games and says: “You can besure of one thing. By the end ofthe evening, we’ll all be

celebrating my new partnership.”The show is suitable for ages

16 and over. Tickets cost £20 foradults and £18 for students andover 60s. For more details call thebox office on 01256 844244 oremail www.anvilarts.org.uk.

Comedians work hardto win over audience

A nervoustensionseemed to bein the air fromthe off

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Arts & Entertainment

Bookshelf

HegemonickBy Andrew Jordan

ONE reviewer has described thisbook as a ‘creepy journey throughsunlight and dampness’ and shenearly hit the nail on the head.

It is certainly unsettling butsunlight and dampness soundalmost pastoral. After all they createrainbows. For me this book is likebeing a passenger on a 3am car ridewith a lunatic driver screaming inyour face.

I think it is fair to say that fewHampshire writers have everattempted anything like this. Ienjoyed it even as the carthreatened to drive off the road intothe abyss. I’m not saying Jordan is alunatic, by the way. He works inWinchester.

Hegemonick is a multi-layeredGothic book set in and aroundPortsmouth; part-autobiographicalabout growing up in the 1970s,part-travelogue around militarisedPortsdown Hill, part-history, part-mythic, part-psychogeographicalanalysis of how our environment(and its secrets) affects how wethink and how the past affects thepresent. It is part lots of things.

As the largely-forgottten historianLB Namier advised sometime lastcentury: “Imagine the past andremember the future.” Hegemonickis paradoxical too, disconcerting.Nothing has a cause, nothing isquite tangible and with thatpersonality disintegrates, it seemsto say. A particularly powerful partof the poem was the pages on thePaulsgrove ‘paedophile’ riots of2000 when Portsmouth seemed onthe edge of some kind of nervousbreakdown.

The book has the grandiosity ofan epic film, full of characters. It isambitious and hyper-vivid butdon’t expect poetry that takes youby the hand and talks quietly. Thatwill put many people off whichwould be a shame as it is animportant, ambitious book.

It is published by ShearsmanBooks, price £8.95.HHHH Andrew Napier

l7D REVIEWJacqueline Wilson atthe Theatre Royal

EXCITEMENT filled the air atJacqueline Wilson’s sold outappearance at the WessexChildren’s Book Festival.

Scores of young girls packedinto the Theatre Royal inWinchester to see their heroinetalk about her career.

Speaking for around anhour, the author — who hassold over 35 million books inthe UK alone — inspired heryoung audience as shedescribed her childhood andthe secrets to her success.

Hanging on her everyword, the only sound thatcould be heard was the rustleof sweet papers.

Mums were kept amused,too, as Jacqueline sharedanecdotes on everythingfrom her hatred of gamesat school to how Jackiemagazine was named after her(she was the publication’s

youngest journalist at the time).In a Q&A session at the end

she shared tips on how tobecome an author, such askeeping a diary to get in thehabit of writing every day andreading as much as you can.

A book-signing afterwardswas a must for the young fansas they patiently queued tohave a moment with their idol.

Despite her great success,it’s fantastic that Jacquelinestill connects with her fans inthis way. A true pro with herfeet firmly on the ground.Sarah Jones

Inspiring young readers

l7D REVIEWThe Mousetrap atThe Mayflower,Southampton

IT is the world’s longestrunning play and it waseasy to see the secret ofthis enduring tale.

With intricate charactersand a plot that’s brimming withintrigue, The Mousetrap is murdermystery gold.

With a fantastic twist at theend, the Cluedo-style thriller ispacked full with old-fashionedmelodrama.

So much so that the peaks ofthe suspense were often metwith laughter from the audience,but it all added to the charm ofthe show.

The strong cast gelled togetherwell, with much of the lightrelief brilliantly provided by

Steven France, who was great inthe role of Christopher Wren.

Run continuously in the WestEnd since opening in 1952, theAgatha Christie story is currentlyon its first ever UK tour tocelebrate its 60th anniversary.

It is a real coup for TheMayflower to play host to themomentous tour.Sarah Jones

l The Mousetrap has becomethe most successful ever week-long play to have been

performed at Southampton’sMayflower theatre.

Two extra matinees wereadded to keep up with demandfor tickets, and final figures wereexpected to rise to more than17,800 by the end of the run.

Mousetrap sets record

Clary looking for love in Basingstoke