Reviews
Reviews
May Days
Dominic Alexander said of May Days:
"There is, for example, nothing remotely of pastiche is Alderson’s magnificent long poem, 'May Days', which draws inspiration from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s great political poem, ‘The Mask of Anarchy’. The obnoxious self-importance and callous contempt of Power, of our ruling class, is subject to a relentless attack that only poetry in this form can accomplish with such verve. Equally, the sense that we are seeing a shifting of mood, and a disintegration of the legitimacy and confidence of the ruling powers, is conveyed with both subtlety and force. This long poem was no burden at all to read, rather the reader is swept along by its controlled passion. It is a remarkable stimulus to appreciate the great possibilities in this kind of writing, of which so little is produced today."
Counter fire – The poem
Write Out Loud
Mike Took, editor of the online journal Write Out Loud, has published a review of the performance of May Days at The Playground Theatre on 16 June 2018. He quotes Julia Clark as saying that:
"Overall, it was very skilfully crafted poem which was carefully constructed and captured the mood and feeling of Masque of Anarchy in a way which was relevant to today."
She added that:
"William Alderson brought his poem to the heart of the action. This was a brave and difficult thing to do especially in the week of the anniversary of the Grenfell fire and whilst it worked as a poetic piece feelings are possibly still too raw to be crafted and represented in this way."
Mike Took himself said that:
"May Days was fully appreciated by the audience and the performance was a glowing testimony to the writers and actors concerned, all of whom donated their time to the project."
May Days is published by Chandler Press.
The 16-page pamphlet costs:
£2.00 (+ £1.50 p&p)
€2.00 (+ €1.50 p&p)
US$ 3.00 (+ US$3.50 p&p).
You can email Chandler Press here.
You can also buy a copy at any of my performances.
Poems on this site:
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The Accident
-
Future Floodlands at Peterborough Cathedral
-
i.m. Neil Faulkner
As poem cards:
Counter fire – The performance
Cameron Panting has reviewed the performance of May Days at The Playground Theatre for counterfire.org.
Describing the poem as an "impressive elegy for our times", he said that it
"gave form to the continuing anger against a callous and disregarding establishment, and a voice to those deliberately marginalised."
"The searing verse", he said, "brings forth a number of characters, struggling, fighting, caring", and
"lent itself to a dynamic staging where the actors, performing in traverse, placed at different levels, took on the diverse range of characters, interacting at opportune moments (including a blistering Grime-inspired rap, referencing the union between that scene and the movements for change)."
He ended by saying that
"We need more of these shows, which deal directly with the issues of the day and look them straight in the eye",
and
"the significance of pieces like this, is that they are not just about, but a part of the movements for change."
An accolade, indeed, and a tribute to the director and performers who realised the poem so powerfully on the stage!