Alphabetti Soup at the Dog and Parrot 19/05/2014

A Simply Souper Evening

A night to discover the answers to such mysteries as: "What is purple?" and "What happens when a gay lad from the country moves to the city and comes out as , shock horror, vegan?"

Phil Ogg took full advantage of the intimate surroundings and attentive audience with his folksy pastiche filled with the calm remorse of relationships that have gone sour. Phil's long relationship with the acoustic guitar showed in his artistry with the instrument.

Asa J Maddison, stepping in to cover an absent comic's slot and starting in a Jesus Christ pose, explained emphatically that he is NOT the second coming, despite his appearance. He gave a full, loud, energetic poetry performance that flew off the stage and drew the audience in. However, nothing prepared us for the sublime madness of Jeff Potts, who captured the tyranny of the mad world we live in with a full-on act that had some people flinching, in a good way.

Dominic Berry brought us a study of relationships from a lad brought up in the country. You can buy his book of poems "One Man Struggling to Fit In" from Flapjack Press. His spot finished with a member of the audience playing the part of an ex that had caused so much hurt. This was an amusingly awkward way to perform a poem!

Next on was Jennie Pascoe. Poetry often results in the innermost feeling of the performer being laid out before us. With Jennie we got the many reasons not to have children and why Gran was best, in a heartfelt set.

Finally we were treated to a play. "For The Weekend" was written by Ben Dickenson and performed by Liam Tweddle and Roberta Stewardson. This was a short skit looking at the often volatile dynamics of a night out and long-distance relationships.

In addition to all the entertainment there was a pop-up T-shirt stall from Influx Clothing, selling very individual, nicely designed shirts. Of course though, this being an Alphabetti Soup event, there was also soup as part of the deal. lovely. The next Alphabetti Soup event is on the 23rd June. Watch the Youtube promo video.

Words and Pictures by Stephen Oliver and edited by Joanne Oliver