John Betjeman, the much loved household name, wrote works steeped in British heritage and humour, taking place in landmarks from Margate to Westminster Abbey. A wealth of boaters, suitcases and varsity scarves provided costume, scenery and a certain charm for Some Six or Seven Performers’ production of Beguiled by Betjeman. The cast make no bones about their amateur footings - the programme lists tenor Jack Yates as a choral scholar, whilst fellow tenor Charles Mills is a ‘thespian accountant’. The figure to play John Betjeman for the evening is Brian Garner. He is described as ‘qualified merely by Age’ which is a valid qualification when it comes to Betjeman’s poetry and his recitals are as rhythmic as they are eccentric.
Most of the evening’s poems are sung, however, ‘aided and abetted’ by the music of British composers John Gould and Donald Swann. I agree with abetted; the poems trundled along to the cheerful accompaniment of Greg Kaighin on the keyboard, but sometimes the musical settings came across as less of a help than a hindrance. It is unreasonable to expect a real piano in temporary venues, but I do feel Beguiled by Betjemank would have benefited from greater sound and greater presence. For one thing, it might have helped the vocalists, whose solos sometimes got lost in tuning trouble and lack of real melodic line. Gould and Swann’s musical settings are generally fairly simple, which may keep emphasis on the poetry itself but sometimes detracts from the show’s entertainment. The cast were strongest in the group numbers. Vocals benefited from the harmonies and added texture. Poems such as ‘Station Syren’, ‘The Varsity Students’ Rag’ and the delightful ‘Inexpensive Progress/ Executive’ were embellished with occasional choreography, which added a touch of Gilbert & Sullivan to proceedings.
The music hall atmosphere we glimpsed from time to time ought to have been used more, if only as a reminder that Betjeman’s poetry is very of its time; national treasures that have been somewhat buried. Louise Hoare sang well in poems such as ‘Eunice’ and the touching ‘Sun and Fun’, but had the slight misfortune of having to voice the dated musings on the Second World War in ‘In Westminster Abbey’, which didn’t really wash with a modern audience.
Amidst the jollity there is contemplation, with phrases such as ‘Calm rock pool, on the shore of my security/ Hold me when the tide goes down’ proving just as memorable as the witticisms elsewhere. As Garner’s final recital of ‘The Last Laugh’ ends with the words ‘Give me the bonus of laughter/ As I lose hold’, we are reminded that nostalgia can be bittersweet.
