Poetry – Live Art Alive

Michael Roberson in WAKE.
Image credit: Ruth Medjber

Co-Created and Co-Directed by Jennifer Jennings and Phillip McMahon

Warehouse One, HOME MCR

Growing up Protestant in rural Northern Ireland I went to a lot of funerals. There were wakes with copious amounts of tea, cake and sandwiches and the odd drop of whisky or sherry. They were mostly restrained quiet affairs where your loss was acknowledged with a solemn handshake, a box of teabags or a tin of ham. I always had a sense that our Catholic neighbours had nailed the wake more as a celebration for the dead with music and booze usually leading to a good cèilidh. Apparently I was right and THISISPOPBABY are on the mainland showcasing the rites of the WAKE but with a few extra bells and whistles. My lovely Dad was seen to the grave with the lilt of bagpipes…as of last night I’m wishing we could redo his send-off with some accordions, the bodhrán and maybe an Irish dancer in a sequined g-string with buttock tassles and possibly a world champion pole dancer if the budget would stretch.

Jennifer Jennings and Phillip McMahon of Dublin based THISISPOPBABY have blended the traditional mourning rites with a high calibre camp burlesque show that includes aerial work, Irish dance, slam poetry, break dancing and pole dancing. The result is anarchic and playful rousing invitation to mourn our dead by celebrating life. The production has had several sell out run in Dublin before heading to Sadlers Wells and now Manchester. The Warehouse space is a ideal setting with a tiered stage for the musicians and the pole dancer whereas the circular second stage has a circus vibe and is used for the dance routines and the aerial work. The audience are seated to 3 sides of the circular stage so the sight lines are excellent.

Balloon dance from Wake.
Image credit: Ruth Medjber

THIS IS THE WAKE FOR EVERYONE THAT’S NEVER COMING BACK…

Felispeak is the Irish-Nigerian spoken word artist who weaves a story through the very varied performance styles. Her crisp dry drawl has a laconic charm and there is a real lyricism in her words that is reminiscent of some of our great Irish poets. Some performances burst on stage such as Colombian breakdancer Cristian Emmanuel Dirocie or the mind bending balloon dance by American competitive Irish dancer Michael Roberson and THISISPOPBABY stalwart Phillip Connaughton. Others have a gentler intro such as a beautiful aerial routine by Jenny Tuffs or the plaintive voice and accordian of Darren Roche from the band Moxie in the haunting Raglan Road.

The music here is a roller coaster soundtrack that encompasses traditional melodies and modern Irish classics like The Cranberries Ode To My Family delivered in a gorgeous performance by Emer Dineen. Peppered through these are Bronski Beat Small-town Boy used in a phenomenally confident performance by Michael Roberson. Eurythmics Sweet Dreams sees another striking clubland meets Irish dance while the Peggy Lee classic is rendered unforgettable by a hilariously cheeky performance by Phillip Connaughton.

This is a impressive production bringing together fourteen artists from very varied disciplines and showcases some stunning performances including Venezuelan Lisette Krol, who is a world champion pole dancer and a truly breathtaking performer. Most of all, WAKE is a celebration of how we choose to live while acknowledging death is all around us. In this only possible response is to be open to the joy and accepting of the pain of lost lives that were well lived. This life-affirming production feels like everyone has been on the poitín or Irish moonshine and this is a party for the dead that everyone should join.

AVIVA STUDIOS 17th – 21st April 2025

Peter Keeley in That Love Thing
Image credit: Natalia Riga

Created and Performed by Peter Keeley

Directed by Mike Shepherd

HOME

Mancunion writer and actor Peter Keeley has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. This Love Thing showcases his poetry and his love of music, old movies, biscuits and romance. In a series of conversational and dramatic vignettes Keeley deftly and wryly shows himself as way more than the ignorant and often cruel stereotypical perceptions of disability. This is a guy whose intelligence, wit and sex drive are every bit as powerful as his favourite wheelchair the mighty Meteor. Alongside him on his journey through his life stories is his companion and fellow actor/writer Michael Begley. Together on stage the warm companionable energy and easy affection is reminiscent of a quality comedy double act from a bygone era.

On a stage littered with vertigo challenging ladders are old fashioned tea trolleys, record players and television that hark back to the past. They exude charm while the imposing ladders hint at barriers to certain hopes and dreams. Moments where Michael whispers bitter comments on disability that are robustly challenged by Peter are perhaps hints that it’s time to leave old fashioned views of disability behind and look with fresh eyes at the person and not the chair they sit in.

There is a lovely energy to this production with Director Mike Shepherd using that sense of magical whimsy that Kneehigh do so well. The use of masks and puppetry to bring to life the spectre of Mr C.P. as a satanic influence on Peters life is playful and dramatic but highly effective as a description of living with cerebral palsy. The choice of songs such from artists such as Leonard Cohen, The Velvet Underground and James illustrate the themes of love and loss. They play alongside poetry from Keeley and tell of human desire and the frustrations of living with cerebral palsy but also the poignancy of bereavement and grief. The writer’s mother was a midwife who had safely delivered so many babies for others but the birth of her twin boys in the hospital she worked was difficult and both babies were born with cerebral palsy.

Peter Keeley and Michael Begley in That Love Thing. Image credit: Natalia Riga

Peter Keeley seems utterly at home on stage and delivers a truly charming performance. Michael Begley sings, dances and slithers up ladders as the sinister Mr C.P. while carefully ensuring that this show flows but keeps Keeley first and foremost throughout the production. At an hour long this is a brief but highly memorable window into one man’s life. Perhaps the next outing may even introduce the mysterious, much desired Miss Jones…I do hope so…

HOME 20th, 22nd -23rd November 2024