First, have you read the book? It’s what you would call a poetic satire on country living, on the ‘great unrest’ between animals and people. Pam tells the stories of the animals and the people and their sometimes uneasy co-existence, from the cynical fox and the homeless barn owl to the struggling farmers. All done through poems ripe with Pam Ayres’ natural charm and wit. It makes a great gift for those who live in or love the countryside.
Second, we are very excited to see that friend of G&J Loveday Ingram is bringing the stage version to Storyhouse this November, for one night only (Saturday 16th November).
The book has been set to music by BAFTA, EMMY, & IVOR NOVELLO award-winning composer George Fenton (his credits include The Madness of King George, Hitch and Sweet Home Alabama alongside 3 Oscar nominations for his score for David Attenborough’s Blue Planet, Frozen Planet and Planet Earth, and so many more scores that we all know and love) and the concert features Pam and George, and a cast of West End singers and musicians that bring each and every character to life, all under the creatively watchful eye of director Loveday Ingram.
And if that’s not enough to entice you, everyone’s favourite bad guy, Geoff Metcalfe from Corrie, aka the multi-award winning actor, singer and musician, Ian Bartholomew, stars too. He won Best Villain in the Soap Awards for that role, did you know? Although you will also recognise him from Wonka with Timothee Chalamet and appearing alongside Jason Statham in Operation Fortune.
I mean, there’s shanty-singing fishermen, shotgun-toting toffs, and poor defeated Joe as he struggles with his new electric car, so it’s going to be a giggle. And the animals are not left out, either, we hear the fragrant Dung Beetle Song, the streetwise Fox Rap, the grey squirrel as he sings his tragic, I Got The Wrong Face, and the horrible but true, Shitcreek River.
On a cold winter evening, Who Are You Calling Vermin promises a light-hearted evening of poems, songs and anecdotes, and a lot of laughter. We’ll see you there!
