BRIGHTON FESTIVAL REVIEW

BIG DADDY VERSUS GIANT HAYSTACKS

The Old Courtroom, May 26–28, 10pm.
01273 709709

This new comedy from Brighton writers Brian Mitchell and Joseph Nixon (the men behind history-of-aviation drama Those Magnificent Men) concerns the wrestling behemoths of yesteryear, played by Ross Gurney Randall and David Mounfield respectively, who also assay a supporting cast of such luminaries as Paul McCartney and Princess Margaret. The two performers are pitch-perfect, as is the writing. Unlike the majority of modern theatre, with its site-specific gimmicks, and video projections, this show used the time-honoured theatrical tricks of the trade - quick-changes, crisp dialogue, and performances which were always hugely-energetic without ever being over-the-top - and used them to whip up the audience into a veritable frenzy. I have no hesitation in awarding this play five stars. Theatre at its best.

BFI SCREENING - LOST CARRY ON FILMS

From June 15th - 22nd the BFI will be screening a series of Carry On Films previously thought to be lost or destroyed.

CARRY ON RATIONING (1958)
Black marketeer Sid Knockers (Sid James) becomes embroiled in a scheme to forge green shield stamps.

CARRY ON VET (1962)
Animal doctors Sid Crumpet (Sid James) and Norbert Riddle (Kenneth Connor) accidentally breed a dog that can predict the future.

CARRY ON SPACE RACE (1968)
British astronaut Albert Peeing (Charles Hawtrey) attempts to reach the moon, beating American Tex Dallas (Sid James) and Russian Ivan Normous (Bernard Bresslaw).

CARRY ON, MAN (1969)
Hippie dropout Cedric Featherstone (Robin Asquith) puts LSD in the water supply of a suburban street, transforming the lives of Sid Banger (Sid James), wife Nora (Patsy Rowlands) and uptight neighbour George (Terry Scott) and resulting in a jaw-dropping orgy.

CARRY ON NOTHING (1978)
Glue-sniffing Sid Vicious (Sid James) attempts to destroy society.

CARRY ON YUPPIE (1985)
Besuited filofax-worshipper Gus Gecko (Peter Howitt) tries to develop a run-down estate, but residents Sid Grabber (Sid James), Trudy Truelove (Barbara Windsor), and Bert Silage (Peter Butterworth) have other ideas, as they swap his cocaine for laxative and frame him for insider trading.

CARRY ON INTERNET (2001) 

Dot com millionaire Sid Screwer (Sid James) invents a robotic woman (Jo Guest) but then goes bust and blows his brains out.

CARRY ON JIHAD (2010)
A terrorist cell lead by Sid Khan (Sid James) tries to blow up the houses of parliament. Directed by Chris Morris.

BRIGHTON FESTIVAL - HIGHLIGHTS

LITERATURE

Adrian Chiles reads extracts from his erotic best-seller The Sea Captain’s Daughter and Dermot Murnaghan (from BBC2’s Eggheads) reads from his sonnet sequence, ‘A Ragged Handkerchief’. Free cake.
27 May, 1pm, Old Market Arts Centre, £25/20

FILM
WIMAGES: short films by local
female directors on the subject of being a woman in Brighton today. Jesus. Free cake.
28 May, 7pm, Brighton Media Centre, £10/8

MUSIC

The Ken Ringworm Trio make a welcome return to the Festival with their very English brand of New Orleans Jazz. Expect such standards as ‘Bluer Than Blue’, ‘Gonna Kill That Woman’, and Ken’s own composition, ‘Deck Chair Rag’. Free cake.
29 May, 8pm, Hanbury Ballroom, £12/10

WORKSHOPS

PLAYING RENE IN ‘ALLO ‘ALLO: day-long workshop for actors to rise to the unique artistic challenge of playing Rene in Allo Allo. Conducted by Jeffrey Holland, who played the part in the 2009 stage adaptation. Free cake. 

30 May, 11am, St Nicholas’ Church, Dyke Road, £10/8

TOURS

JOINING THE CIRCUS: tour of locations used in the failed 2000 Eddie Izzard Brighton-based thriller Circus. Beginning outside The Rock Shop it takes in such memorable sites as the bit under the West Pier and the bit under Brighton Pier. Free cake.30 May, 1pm, £8/5