Ben Whishaw with Abbie Cornish in Bright Star

Brighton Odeon’s film buff , James, runs one of the best film clubs in the UK - the Senior Screen on Thursdays at 10.30*.

For just £2.50, you get a ticket to the show, free coffee, and biscuits. And there’s no age curfew – all ages are welcome. You don’t even need to sign up.

Over the next six weeks, you can see the following films – picked by Senior Screen voters:

Bright Star - March 18th
Drama about the life & loves of Poet John Keats. Directed by Jane Campion and starring Ben Whishaw with Abbie Cornish.
Rating: pg, Length: 1h59m.

It’s Complicated – March 25th

Stars Alec Baldwin and Meryl Streep in It's Complicated

Comedy about a divorced couple who reconnect, and have an affair with each other. Stars Alec Baldwin and Meryl Streep.
Rating: 12a, Length: 2h01m.

Sherlock Holmes – April 1st
Reimagining of the classic Detective and his adventures with accomplice, Dr Watson. Stars Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.
Rating: 12a, Length 2h9m.

An Education – April 8th
British ‘coming of age’ drama starring Carrey Mulligan as a young girl facing difficult life choices in the 60s. Stars Emma Thompson.
Rating: 12a, Length 1hr40m.

Up in the Air – April 15th
Drama starring George Clooney as a travelling worker who likes to be on the road and avoids connecting with people until now…
Rating: 15, Length 1hr49m.

Up in the Air with George Clooney and Vera Farmiga

Nowhere Boy – April 22nd
Drama about the early life of John Lennon and his relationship with his mother. Directed by Sam Taylor Wood.
Rating 15, Length 1hr38m.

*Doors open at 10am.

Jared McNeill, Tunji Lucas and Abdou Ouologu

The essence of Peter Brook’s new play, 11 and 12, is the dispute over whether a certain Muslim prayer should be recited 11 or 12 times. It is based on the book Tierno Bokar by the African writer, Amadou Hampaté Bâ, and draws on vivid experiences from his own life.

Adapted by director Peter Brook in partnership with Marie-Hélène Estienne, 11 and 12 is a fresh, expanded version of the critically acclaimed play, Tierno Bokar. The original was performed in Warwick, using the French language, in 2005.

This new, English-language production by Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord plays at the Barbican, London, until 27th February before extending to an international tour. The cast includes Makram J. Khoury, Tunji Lucas, Antonio Gil Martinez*, Jared McNeill, Khalifa Natour, Abdou Ouologuem, César Sarachu* and Maximilien Seweryn. The music is created and performed by Toshi Tscuhitori.

Makram J Khoury as Tierno Bokar

Makram Khoury is compelling in the gentle way that he brings to life the Koranic teacher, Tierno Bokar. But all the actors in this production bring one to the realisation that there is theatre of a purely entertaining kind, and there is theatre of the kind that marks the mind.

In 11 and 12, the drama explores an extraordinary conflict in West Africa under French occupation. It shows the contradictions that can come about through religious interpretation and how radically these affect everyday life.  The play highlights the importance of living through religious conflicts with personal integrity. “What is God?” one character asks. “God is an embarrassment of the human mind,” responds another.

From my experience of Brook’s theatre in the 80s, I suspect that each theatrical performance is quite different to the last; one senses that there is both discipline and freedom in the way actors operate on the stage and off it.

What goes on behind the scenes is, perhaps, carried through under the lights: the sense of each player being aware of the space between him and others, for instance; the finely balanced  way they move around the stage; and the ability of two actors gaze steadily, unflinchingly into each other’s eyes. At any rate, I found the performance gave momentary opportunities to experience meditation in action: truly vivifying. Momentary, only because the quality of my attention flickers and fizzes.

At the outset of play, the setting for 11 and 12 appears sparse but – just as the desert does – it comes to life under the lights. Likewise, the very first impression of the cast in interaction is that every word and gesture has been pared down to what is essential. There is little chance for identification with any particular role: the actors morph from one character into another, as in Jared McNeill’s moment of high comedy when he reshapes clothing and parodies his mother.

An accidentally discovered phrase well describes the impressionistic way 11 and 12 works upon the mind. “Tell me and I will forget, show me and I might remember, involve me and I will understand.”

In the moments that one can give full attention to the action and dialogue of 11 and 12, which is fast-moving and not over-amplified, the sense of separation from the stage is negligible.

Two men measure each other

On the night I attended, César Sarachu brought refined impact to various characters, not least as a dying man when his hand and arm, raised to the sky, stiffens into immobility. And the arm stays there until it is gently lowered, still rigid, by another actor.  Such attention is not summoned without sacrifice, as G.I. Gurdjieff might say. Another searcher for truth and meaning, akin to that of Tierno Bokar; an influence known also to Brook.

The question one is left tussling with after seeing 11 and 12 is the apt and yet very contradictory meaning of Bokar’s phrase: “My truth, your truth and the truth.”

There was a long pause at the end of the play. A moth danced in the empty space on stage, and we wondered later whether it was a deliberate device; nobody else appeared to see it. The actors walked back on stage together and the audience erupted in applause. They came back a second time, and Jared McNeill brought his hands together and clapped the audience.

Yes, 11 and 12 is challenging drama. It demands focus and tolerance from its audience and perhaps it gives you back exactly what you put into it…

*Antonio Gil Martinez takes César Sarachu’s place at the Barbican until 27th February.

http://www.barbican.org.uk/theatre

8 - Édouard Manet The Fife Player (Le fifre), 1866. © RMN (Musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski.

More than ninety paintings from Musée D’Orsay in Paris are presently on show at the Fundación Mapfre, Madrid.

Showing Impressionism in a startling new light, the exhibition includes works by the great artists of Impressionism, including Manet, Monet, Degas and Cézanne and more.

These are set in the context of myriad other currents of French art at the time they were produced to give a full picture of the environment.

They range from the traditional paintings of the state-controlled official Salon to the arcane Symbolism of Puvis de Chavannes and Gustave Moreau.

10 – Jean-François Millet Spring (Le printemps), between 1868 and 1873, oil on canvas, Paris, Musée d'Orsay © RMN (Musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski.

As they view the French exhibits in Madrid, in close proximity to the Prado, visitors will become aware of the relationship of Impressionism to Spanish art, through the influence of Velazquez and Goya.

Impressionism was the most important French artistic movement of the nineteenth century; it brought a revolution to the western tradition of painting. But was this movement as isolated as it is usually seen to be?

Curated by Stéphane Guégan and Alice Thomine of the Musée D’Orsay, this exhibition presents a new way of looking at Impressionism by studying the full artistic spectrum of its period - something that has never before been attempted in an exhibition.

11 – Claude Monet The Saint-Lazare Station (La gare Saint-Lazare), 1877, oil on canvas, Paris, Musée d'Orsay © RMN (Musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski.

Impressionism: A Modern Renaissance shows the Spanish influence of Goya and Velazquez on artists such as Manet and Whistler; the Batignolles school, with Monet and Renoir and Manet at its centre.

The emergence of women is brought out, through the art of female painters like Berthe Morisot, as well as male artists such as Tissot; and the legacy of Courbet and Millet’s moves towards naturalism.

Fundación Mapfre

Fundación Mapfre is a private Spanish cultural foundation. It is affiliated to the insurance group Mapfre and was created in 1975 to teach and promote culture, art and literature in Spain and South America.

In October 2008, Fundación Mapfre opened a permanent exhibition space in a newly converted historic building in Madrid, on the Paseo del Arte - the famous Madrid art trail.

It is in this new home that Impressionism: A Modern Renaissance will be held until April 22, 2010. The exhibition is free of charge.

Exhibition Tour

The exhibition will travel to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (22 May – 6 September 2010) then to the Frist Center for Visual Arts, Nashville (14 October 2010 – 23 January 2011).

To contact Fundación Mapfre, please click here.

Cymreig Dragon

In a written statement from the Welsh Assembly Government (Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru), Senior Communications Officer,  Rory Powell defends his stance towards health reforms.

He says, “I am aware of some recent criticism of the process of consultation I have undertaken on the reform of Community Health Councils in Wales (Cynghorau Iechyd Cymuned yng Nghymru).

“There has been extensive consultation on proposals to reform Community Health Councils (CHCs) since January 2009, with ample opportunity for everyone to have their say,” Powell said.

“It may be that the small number of people who are now being critical of the process are unaware of the substantial and comprehensive level of publicity that these proposals have received over the course of the past year, and so I am of the view that it would be helpful to make this plain.”

Powell stated there have been three formal opportunities for comment with a fourth extended to CHCs themselves.

“Three consultation documents and sets of draft regulations were issued publicly - in January, June and December last year – and were published on the websites of the Assembly Government, NHS Wales, and those of the CHCs.”

According to Powell, CHCs disseminated the documents amongst their members, including local councillors and representatives from the voluntary sector; and there were a series of events across Wales between January and April last year, which over 500 people attended.

“I also invited CHCs to submit to me their own proposals for joint working, by the end of July,” Powell continued. “I have made two statements on this issue, one in the Chamber of the Senedd as well as a written statement issued to all AMs.

“I have gone substantially beyond what is accepted as good practice in consulting on this matter and can clearly demonstrate that the responses from the three consultations and CHC proposals were taken into account and informed the final structure of CHCs in Wales announced last month.

“It can therefore be seen that I have provided a wide range of opportunities over a considerable period of time, to those wishing to make comment about the future structure of CHCs in Wales.”

For further information please contact:

Rory Powell
Senior Communications Officer - Uwch Swyddog Cyfathrebu
Health and Social Services - Iechyd a Gwasanaeth Cymdeithasol
Welsh Assembly Government - Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru

T: 029 2089 8012, F: 029 2089 8560
M: 07976 610365, E: rory.powell@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Katy Appleton of appleyoga

Born on a farm, Katy Appleton has an earthy, infectious energy that reaches right down the phone line. Her favourite asanas are Downward Dog, shoulder stands at dusk and head stands for presence!

With studios in London’s Belgravia, Southfields and Clapham, Katy has built up a reputation for making her particular brand of yoga - appleyoga - an enjoyable practice.

A dancer with the English Ballet for a decade, Katy took up yoga and became a full-time yoga teacher about 12 years ago. She became known for her work with people like Geri Halliwell and The Duchess of York. Since then, Katy has moved on to develop a very distinct and self-reliant style of her own. Along the way, she has become a teacher of Vinyasa, Hatha and Astanga Yoga, Pilates, and a qualified birth partner (doula).

In the first of two talks, we plunged into what Katy called “the inspiration of the moment” – beginning with the music and discipline of ballet juxtaposed to the flowing quality of yoga.

“I’m very blessed because I’ve incorporated both into my yoga practice and my teaching.” She paused. “I don’t miss that. Having been a ballet dancer for such a long time, the music element has integrated into my whole being: that of wanting to feel the music move me. And I often use music in my classes.”

Acknowledging that music in yoga was still quite unusual, she said, “More and more, I see and hear people using music in yoga classes. But I’m quite particular. I create on this magical thing called the iPod playlist.” Katy explained that, just as you would in ballet, she works with crescendos to create a playlist that moves with the actual format of the class. “The element of music can help people when they’re in very strong Virabhadrasana poses – the standing sequences.

“If they’re in the more water-based movements, there’s a more lyrical feel to the music. I’m very fussy about what I choose to use…” And she draws from across the board: from classical to contemporary music. “I’m not afraid to use music that people might hear on the radio.”

Jungle Yoga, Thailand - with Katy Appleton of appleyoga

She enthuses, “When I put on something like Michael Buble, people’s energy just goes whoof! It’s fabulous to watch that. For me (yoga is) very much a dance of the energetic body. Particularly when teaching in London, I see many people quite flat when they walk into a room; energetically, their work has sucked energy from them. And to put on music inspires 99.9% of people.”

Katy confesses to spending hours on getting the musical details right (she has a Virgo sun). From there, we moved to discipline. “As a student of yoga, one has to have a certain discipline in order to reap its benefits. It’s not one of those things that can just be read about.” Although, she acknowledges, “there’s obviously a great deal of benefit in these wonderful books about yoga that are around.

Katy Appleton of appleyoga with pupils, Ibiza

“But,” she pressed on, “the actual practice of yoga – the self-reflection that yoga brings from its teaching - is not something you can just read about and then it sinks in. It’s a self-reflecting discipline and the benefits are really useful in life. I’ve noticed it in myself and I offer it to my students in a genteel but firm way.

“And I take this from what I’ve understood in myself. That’s the only way I find I can really teach authentically. What works within my own system, I can pass on with complete authenticity; with gusto!”

Katy confessed, “I’m really a bit cynical, Vivienne, to tell the truth, with a lot of this (esoteric) stuff.”  Clarifying her (earthy) attitude, Katy acknowledged, “I’m one of those people who say, ‘Well OK, let’s feel it.’ And I’m always amazingly surprised when I work with Alla (a fifth generation healer). She’s given me a great kinesthetic understanding and feeling for the energy body.

“(When) you look at the chakras, they’re based on the elements: first, Muladhara, the earth element. Then we move up into the second chakra, Svadhisthana, or the water element. The third element, Manipura, is very much the fire element, and so on. And when I’m practicing yoga, it’s very obvious to me that some of the practices or the poses or the flows, have a primary element to them. This comes, I suppose, from my dance background and gives strength and grace. You could also call the strength the ground and the grace the water… ”

Jungle Yoga location in Thailand

As an example, she gave Virabhadrasana II – Warrior 2 – “which has an amazing strength to the pose. Of course, energetically we’re looking at the pranic (etheric) body when we’re in the pose itself, and what it’s doing, which is really Hatha Yoga; it’s there to let the energetic body dance and flow and create its balance again.

“But if it’s come out of balance, meaning the root energy’s flown up, we’ve got too much energy in our head; therefore, stress occurs. Using Warrior 2 can really help root and ground the energy. Rather than taking a yoga pose to strengthen the legs, you can take your mental and emotional state deep down into the pose, taking the breath into that strength and connecting it into the root of the earth; then the water element or ether element, has intention in it.”

You’re aligning ether and water together, there.

“Yes, sometimes I do align lots of things together. It all functions as a whole, which is what yoga asks us to do; whilst I can dissect it down, it’s all happening as  a whole. And I find that (this) gives people a much deeper practice.

“The fact that you’re going deeper all the time with yoga is what really interests me. Many teachers don’t relate to the mental and emotional levels of yoga. But it’s here that one’s life can take such a turn, I think.” Katy’s approach is remarkably holistic in a practice than can – in some places - be little more than a physical education class.

Katy said yoga in the UK is growing up. “People are looking to move beyond the physical practice of yoga to different kinds of benefits.” She clarified her thinking by emphasising that this has to involve an inwards movement.

“There are a few teachers, now, who are able to speak from that space, and from further in than I am at the present moment. Because they really have studied this in themselves: used the tools that yoga points them to, and gone further: ‘This is what I’m feeling.’ And then it becomes very authentic.

“When it’s authentic, people understand they could feel the same. Definitely. It’s fascinating, and I adore teaching that way.” Katy emphasised that what keeps her teaching is the transformation that occurs in her when she’s studying yoga – on and off the mat.

“What I see in my students, who only have an hour or so with me, perhaps once a week, brings great responsibility.” She honours this responsibility by working with students to “help them shift their energetic vibration to a cleaner, sharper, more compassionate, more open, more rounded frequency. Then they walk out into their lives, back into their family, back into their work and feel whole again. We don’t have many practices in our life that take us back home.”

When we catch up again between Christmas and New Year, she is in high good humour over the Rocky Horror Picture Show theme for a New Year’s Eve party she is attending with partner Jack. “With my dance background,” she laughs, “dressing up is part of my nature.”

She delights in describing the pretty basque, mini tutu, leggings “like stockings”, red wig and a tiny Cabaret top hat she intends to wear. Generous to a fault, she makes it sound as though Jack will be the star of the show and she is just the make-up artist.

It is a lively beginning to 2010. The next few months include two appleyoga retreats – one in Thailand, one in Bali; the start of her own teacher training programme, accredited under Yoga Alliance; and a TV series for Sky.

One of the things Katy does to take people further in their practice is to offer substantial yoga retreats. As I write, she is just flying off to Jungle Yoga’s base on Rai Lake in Thailand for a ten day appleyoga retreat. Katy takes Vinyasa flow sessions each morning, with lunar yoga practice and meditation in the evenings.

Learning rafting skills with Jungle Yoga, Thailand

The food sounds heavenly and is sourced in the jungle or at trusted local markets. There is plenty for vegetarians and non-vegetarians, alike. There will be lots of fresh vegetables and fruits; with tofu, cashews and peanuts, fish and chicken served with noodles and rice.

In March, just before she starts work on Sky’s Body and Balance TV series, Katy is off to Bali with another tranche of yoga students. Here at Ananda Cottages, Ubud, she teams up with long-time friend, Louisa Garnier.

And then there is the new teacher training programme that Katy starts this year. We talked about the language difficulties that newcomers often experience. “One of the pre-requisites for Yoga Alliance Accreditation is that teacher training must have Sanskrit in it. But sometimes one can lose a student when one starts to spout jargon.

“I’m not saying that Sanskrit is jargon but when people can’t relate to it directly – in the immediate moment – you can see how they faze over. It’s not the case for everybody of course. But I like to use both languages, hence why I said on the phone ‘Virabhadrasana – Warrior 2’. That’s often how I talk in a class.”

Authenticity is a word that Katy uses a lot. “I like being myself. I don’t want to make myself into something that I’m not.” She is determined that her teacher trainees will “find their own voice, not become little Katy Appleton shadows.”

Shadows or not, everyone can download sequences from the new TV series. Katy has had downloads available on her website for the last couple of years and is doing the same for her teacher training course.

“With the help of friends,” she says, “I’ve been filming about 15 different sequences of particular flows to give them visual support as well as the training in the programme.” Not one to actually stay in the shade, Katy says the technological side of life has “made things more advantageous in many respects. “

In time for the TV series, her Yogaworks DVD has been re-packaged. “It has a new introduction and cover, with different inserts, but the yoga content is just the same.”

Summing up her attitude to yoga, Katy said, “Yoga has held my hand in many turbulent moments. It’s given me a hand to stand in the fire rather than run away from it. It’s easy to close the eyes and go into the ‘three monkeys’ (see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing). We need to embrace the shadow because it’s part of us. When we get to know and make friends with that, it draws the light in, anyway.”

Contact details:
T: 0845 643 7027
http://www.appleyoga.com/

Antonio Carluccio's Simple Cooking

Antonio Carluccio’s Simple Cooking is packed with ‘secrets’ from his professional life. He uses top-quality ingredients in recipes that are prepared simply and without fuss; ideal for both the novice and the cooking enthusiast.

The distillation of a lifetime’s passion for food, Antonio’s book confirms a firm belief that cooking - whether for oneself or for family and friends - is one of the most loving of all human skills.

As a student in Vienna, Antonio cooked for himself and his friends on a very low budget – dishes he had learned in his mother’s Austrian kitchen during the lean, post-war years when vegetables were cultivated in the garden, breads and pasta were made at home, and he foraged daily for wild foods (especially mushrooms). Nothing was wasted, and any leftovers were used in a dish for another day.

He says, “Once you are on your own, you develop a sense of self-sufficiency, and learn how to balance your working or studying time with good and valuable free time.”

Because of those months in Vienna, he became a “passionate, virtually self-taught cook with lots of experience in home cooking… as well as in restaurants; both front of house and in the kitchen.”

Throughout the book, Antonio Carluccio shares his expertise about food preparation and ingredients, starting with the sourcing of meat and vegetables and moving on to food preparation techniques.

He also shows how to ‘upgrade’ the basic recipes by adding a ’luxury’ ingredient and provides ingenious, budget-conscious ideas for using up leftovers.

Some of my favourite recipes are Roasted Peppers, Anchovies in Green Sauce, Beetroot Salad with Mint, Pasta and Bean Soup, Simple Fish Soup, the recipe that has become famous in Carluccio’s Caffès - Pasta with Courgette Sauce and Spinach Balls, Black Angel’s Hair Pasta with Scallops and Shrimps, Polenta with Chicken and Sausage Stew and Sicilian Vegetable Stew. To finish, how about Zabaglione with Bitter Chocolate Sauce – a dessert that is delicious warm or cold!

With Priscilla Carluccio, Antonio ran the Neal Street Restaurant in London’s Covent Garden and spent ten years developing the hugely successful Carluccio’s Caffès.

One of Italy’s great food ambassadors, Anthony Carluccio has written thirteen best-selling books and made numerous television programmes. The latest is Carluccio and The Leopard, in which he travels to Sicily to discover more about the great modern Italian novel, The Leopard, written by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

In 1998, Antonio was given the Commendatore award, the equivalent of a British knighthood, for his knowledge, enthusiasm and lifetime’s service to the Italian food industry. In 2007, he received the O.B.E.

Antonio Carluccio’s Simple Cooking is printed by Quadrille.

*Also see The Culinary Guide

*Preview three Simple Cooking recipes from Simple Cooking here

ISBN 978-1-84400-734-9

John Torode's Chicken and Other Birds

The presenter and judge of BBC’s MasterChef, John Torode, is back after his bovine success last year to celebrate all things fowl in his typical, non-elitist approach.

Don’t judge this wondrous book by its plain cover. John Torode’s Chicken and Other Birds is hugely entertaining and yet, at the same time, immensely practical. He calls it ‘beak to tail’ eating.

“Although,” he says, “(chicken) is the world’s most popular meat, so many people lack confidence when it comes to buying and cooking it…”  So he not only covers chicken, he has plenty of advice for cooking other edible birds, too.

He encompasses “the much-loved, much-murdered Christmas turkey to seasonal game such as pigeon, pheasant and partridge” and assures the reader they will never wonder what to do with a pack of chicken breast fillets ever again.

Chicken and Other Birds runs the gamut of everything from that great Jewish staple, chicken soup, where a whole chicken is simmered so that all its flavour is extracted, to cooking the classic roast in the fashion that Torode’s mother taught him.

Don’t skimp on quality for chicken soup, Torode urges:  “Cook it carefully and you will have a good pot of soup that satisfies and heals.”

He goes on to tell us what to do with ‘old boilers’ – “they make the best stock” – and goes on to say there are two distinct kinds of chicken stock. For brown stock, you roast the chicken bones before simmering them; white stock is more common, using the bones and leftovers from roast chook for the stock.

John Torode’s Chicken and Other Birds includes classic and contemporary dishes from all around the world. His advice is the kind that a relative newcomer to ‘birds in the kitchen’ (and many who are not) will welcome.

Here are some of the recipes that caught my eye and taste buds on the way through Torode’s book: Classic Chicken, Chicken and Asparagus, Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls, Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk, Salt and Pepper Lemon Chicken, Breaded Chicken Livers with Béarnaise, and Aubergine and Miso Pickle as a side dish for Chinese Roast Duck.

My favourites are Chicken with Tarragon Sauce, Chicken, Crab and Avocado Salad, Spiced Duck Salad with Thai Herbs and Roasted Rice, and his ‘one-pot wonders’: Coq au Vin, Guinea Fowl Tagine, Pigeons in a Pot and a heavenly range of tarts, pies and pastries.

At the back of the book is a list of Poultry and Game Dealers, retailers, farms, stalls and online retailers.

John Torode’s hugely popular and long established restaurant, Smiths of Smithfield (London) has now been joined by a new eatery, The Luxe. Only a year ago, he published John Torode’s Beef to great acclaim.

Quadrille is the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-84400-715-8

Sunday 6 November at 7pm

ELECTRIC folk band, Steeleye Span formed in 1969 and has remained active up to the present day.

Taking their name from the song Horkstow Grange, their debut album Hark! The Village Wait set the blueprint for folk-rock for the next 40 years. They are renowned for taking folk rock out of the small club circuit and into the world of gold discs and international tours.

A typical album by Steeleye Span combines traditional songs with one or two instrumental tracks featuring jigs or reels. Although later albums include music written by band members, notably Mike Batt, they have always drawn upon indigenous traditions.

Thanks to their hit singles, along with Fairport Convention, they were among the most commercially successful British Revival bands; All Around My Hat became a certified ‘gold’ record.

Members have come and gone over the years, but Steeleye has remained at the forefront of the genre they helped to define and has become an institution in British music.

The year 1995 was a major landmark for the band: their 25th anniversary was celebrated with a one-off reunion of all members past and present for a charity gig at the Forum in London.

Lead vocalist Maddy Prior - the voice of Steeleye Span for 32 years - left for solo work in 1997 but returned to the band in 2002.

The 2009 line-up sees Maddy at the helm, band stalwart and fiddler extraordinaire, Peter Knight, Ken Nicol (Albion Band) on guitar and vocals and Liam Genockey on drums.

This year has seen Steeleye Span celebrate 40 years together by heading out to play live–first in the USA and then in Australia–before returning to the UK for an extensive tour that takes them up to Christmas.

A live album released in May 2009–Live at a Distance –preceded their world tour and a new studio album release, called Cogs, Wheels and Lovers, applauds a return to their roots by Steeleye Span.

Hear them live at Chichester Festival Centre on Sunday 6 December.

Central to a slim premise is the young hero who was stolen by his nursemaid and given to the pirates to bring up until the age of majority. Now he is 21, he can choose for himself, and is disinclined to choose his nurse on the way out; even though she assures him she is beautiful. Or can he choose for himself? The pirate king and ‘Nurse’ Ruth have other ideas.

Mabel (Katy Batho) and Frederic (Lincoln Stone) in Pirates of Penzance

Perhaps the most popular of all the ‘Savoy Operas’, the storyline is dead simple but the tunes and the words remain as fresh and contemporary as they did to the Victorians. Orphaned pirates, flat-footed policemen and a bevy of blushing beauties (the daughters of Major General Stanley) are the ingredients for this Gilbert & Sullivan feast.

Elegantly recreating the original period settings and costumes, the Carl Rosa Opera gives its best to Sullivan’s sparkling score and Gilbert’s topsy-turvy plot. At its best, the acting is sublimely funny and the orchestra and singers give creditable performances.

The first act takes place on a rocky seashore along the coast of Cornwall. As the pirate apprentice, Frederic insists on returning to his roots and finds himself beached by the pirates for doing so. As he lands, a covey of pretty young maidens appear. And he is immediately, of course, hooked by youth and numerous hormones leaping into operation.

Based on the most slender of premises, that the age of consent is void when you’re born on February 29, the show rollicks to a close with the pirates and the police mainly getting their gals, most of them from the loins of Major General Stanley.

Stage set for Pirates of Penzance

It wasn’t until I saw a young Greek family picnicking on the train to London the next day that I realised some people choose to have lots of children and actually enjoy them. Three of these kids adopted me as a surrogate aunt on the trip back, which made it a lot more interesting than most commutes and also gave some insights into the nature of large families. But I diverse.

Barry Clark does a terrific job of portraying the somewhat pompous but rather shrewd old major who needs to marry off his daughters and manages it en masse with crafty adroitness. More than can be said for the apprentice pirate, who seems a tad unconvincing in both his roles… except when it comes to attracting the ladies.

Major General Stanley (Barry Clark)

Some of the most droll scenes onstage include the Major General skipping through the waves, convincingly suggested by dint of a length of appropriately painted cloth waved up and down by the pirates. And as the Sergeant of Police, Paul Nicholas is simply wonderful, whilst Steven Page does a convincing, realistic pirate king: he ‘looks the goods’, as they say in the parlance, and follows through in proper villain style.

As intimated before, Lincoln Stone is attractive as the pirate apprentice but somewhat superficial in a play that basks in superficiality. Perhaps that’s all the role allows for but a little more passion onstage would be nice. As his bride-to-be, Mabel, Katy Batho has a marvellous voice – something that the Chichester Festival Theatre always seems to get right – but, like Stone, could be more convincing in her role.

Others in the cast include Michael Kerry as the Pirate King’s Lieutenant, Nichola Jolley, Lesley Cox, Victoria Ward and Beverly Klein as a pirate maid of all work. The Cosa Rosa Opera Orchestra is conducted by Martin Handley with Nancy Roberts as lead violin. I wondered whether the Alex Jagger on trumpet is related to the famous musical family.

The audience for this touring production was dressed somewhat more casually than usual and far more inclined to express its enthusiasm overtly. Judging from their reactions, they found this is a jolly good production of Pirates of Penzance.

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See Pudsey wave on children's spectacular 'Do Something Different' on BBC-One.

Do Something Different – a seven hour show for children in need – comes back to BBC One at 7pm on Friday 20 November.

Sir Terry Wogan will be joined on the programme by Tess Daly and Alesha Dixon for a spectacular night of fun and fundraising.

They head a variety of entertainment acts, all doing their bit to raise money for disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

Highlights on the night include:

• Live performances by Pixie Lott, Taylor Swift, Alesha Dixon, Spandau Ballet, Madness, Harry Connick Jr, Sugababes, Stereophonics, Little Boots, Paolo Nutini, Nolan Sisters, Westlife, Alison Moyet and Annie Lennox.

• A special edition of Lark Rise To Candleford, where Sir Terry makes a guest appearance at the village Post Office.

• A special performance from the stars of Strictly Come Dancing.

• The Dragons’ Den team don hard hats and overalls to help renovate a Children in Need community centre in London.

• The cast of The One Show recreate Fame; plus a musical extravaganza from Albert Square and the cast of EastEnders.

• An exclusive preview of the Doctor Who Christmas special.

• The animals from Walk On The Wild Side star in a Children in Need special sketch.

• Contributions from the cast of Merlin, Casualty and top TV detective, Poirot.

• Live performances on the night from the cast of The Bill, performing a Rat Pack classic, and Hollyoaks treating fans to a medley of Queen’s greatest hits.

• Appeal messages from a host of celebrities, including Lewis Hamilton and Lady Gaga.

• Stars of the West End will be live in the studio, including Jason Donovan with the cast of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert.

• Justin Lee Collins performs a live version of a Tom Jones classic.

• Around The World In 80 Days partners, John Barrowman and Myleene Klass, will do a live duet in the studio.

• And, of course, BBC newsreaders will perform a very, very special live performance.

The programme will also feature broadcasts from around the UK, as BBC presenters join their local communities to catch up with some energetic and creative fundraising exploits.

All those who step up to the challenge for Do Something Different  or pick up the phone to pledge money for the BBC Children in Need Appeal will be part of a huge community of supporters who help make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK.

To get involved, and to download the toolkits and 2009 starter pack for fundraising, please click here:

Last year’s BBC Children in Need television broadcast raised £21 million pounds on the night and the 2008 total appeal eventually topped £38 million.