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Mind the horse road Macolm Stent Lichfield Garrick **** ANY TIME spent
with Malcolm Stent is guaranteed to be entertaining, humorous and
nostalgic. His current show, Mind the Horse Road was no different
as he played to a full house in the lovely intimate space, the Studio at
Lichfield Garrick theatre.
He is a fiercely loyal Brummie and is best loved for sharing his memories of post-war Birmingham and commentating on the changes that have taken place in the last half century, not always for the better. He recalls the time when Birmingham was
renowned worldwide for its engineering and manufacturing skills, the
simpler life and values; views which are by-and-large shared by his
audience.
Most of all Stent is a very funny man, spinning a yarn or delivering one-liners. His audience quite naturally join in with songs such as Gypsy Rover and snippets of TV show theme tunes from wayback such as Davy Crockett and Robin Hood. SHEDDING A TEAR He also dedicated a song to those with children
living in far flung places, sharing that, after one performance of the
song, he espied a gentleman shedding a tear. Stent asked of him,
‘Do you have child living abroad?', ‘No…' he replied, ‘… I'm a
musician.' Stent has been earning his living as a full time
comedy entertainer for 35 years and some of the audience have been
following his career for that time. He does, however, have a
humour that appeals across the generations. His portfolio has
developed over the years and he is a recognised as a talented singer and
songwriter, radio presenter, local historian and playwright. His credits
include: Go And Play Up Your End, Play Further Up Your Own End
and A League Apart. When people go to see Stent they know what to
expect. Some hold the view that his show wouldn't travel well, but
as a naturalised Brummie, I can relate to much of his material;
architecture, old fashioned courting rituals including salmon
sandwiches, outside loos, holidays in Ryhl and Mr Holly and Father
Christmas arriving at Lewis's, shared common memories warming his
audience and raising much laughter. Lynda Ford
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