Haunting music beckons us in to the auditorium where we’re surrounded by beautiful projections of a forest overlaid with ghostly lines and images.
Having interviewed our storyteller Xanthe Gresham-Knight, plus musicians Kate-Daisy Grant and Nick Pynn for BBC and Radio Reverb I was excited to see and hear what we’d talked about in reality.
Tonight is a sold out event which is wonderful for the venue as well as the artists. TOM and their team are close to my heart so it warms my soul also.
We are about to be treated to tales of love, life, death, war, passion, potions and trees.
The artists are all premier performers in their own right and their artistic coming together, through a storytelling series of events The Guesthouse Storytellers in Newhaven, were the seed for this production.
We start with the Birch song – Kate Daisy Grant singing ‘Oh Little Light, Oh Wonder’ solo plus live accompaniment from Nick Pynn. Grant’s vocals are always utterly beautiful and this was an outstanding example.
The projections meld trees bark, leaves and mandala.
Xanthe then gives us the story of a girl who loses her sheep and dances with Mother Birch. The energy and charm of her delivery is the element that pervades the whole evening, entrancing us. Her dress is highly structured and is the perfect foil for her craft. She’s accompanied with Pynn on his fiddle with Humours of Enstymon.
We then listen to the tale of the Alder Goddess pulled up from the Scottish locks followed by Kate singing Fisher Queen of Weeping Waters.
Next we have celebration of the Ash and Elder with Xanthe’s story of Frigg which, as well as wonder, enlisted many a giggle from the audience. Gresham Knight’s hip circles are something to behold as she tells this orgasmic tome. Nick Pynn’s composition for Elder on his handmade dulcimer was the most electrifying accompaniment.
The performers then move on to the Ash and the story of Od/Odin with Kate delivering “keep that steadfast will of thine/Hold on to the line” as Odin hangs on the Ash.
Yew is honoured with the story of Tristran and Iseult cleverly outwitting Tristran’s father. Alongside this is the traditional song “My Bonny Yew Tree’ and Kate’s song from the D H Lawrence’s poem “Creep under the Yew tree tent”.
The Willow is my favourite tale of the evening encompassing love, jealousy, rage, murder and enchantment as a husband cuts down Willow and kills his wife. It also gives my favourite song from K D G – Willow “I can see her still – like the shadow on the lowland, the hawk above the hill”.
The projections now change to blossom and berries, heralding spring and of course dancing because the Hawthorn is the dancing tree accompanied with the traditional May song ‘I’ve Been Rambling All The Night’ as St Brigit dances with her cloak stretching Goddess Brigit and her body is scattered. I even got to play my part hand dancing with Xanthe aka St Brigit!
Hazel heralds the story of keening and how it was banned in Ireland plus Kates’s astonishingly beautiful vocals that seemed to inhabit her whole being in her Latin song for the loss of the verbal acknowledgment of mourning.
We are asked to join in with the traditional wassail and story of Apples created to make the magical vale of Avalon. Grant’s apple song is delivered alongside.
The Oak is a tree of prophesy with ringing bells and the story of The Skeleton Bride and Kate’s Oak song ‘A Garden County and A World’. The Oak and the bee is followed by Nick’s original tune on violin.
We finish with the delicious story of Pine and the fairies and Kate’s Pine song ‘Where Do We Go From Here’.
Brigit delivers her blessing with corn and the audience leaves via a pine tree arch.
We have been called to the island of Avalon to refresh and become alive fully once more!
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