Later is a kind of open mic evening that attracts and presents a variety of artists, with a sampling of several very talented poets and a very exotic dancer who expands the theme.
The audience buzzes with anticipation and discovery with each fresh voice. The words and word images stay with you and often take you to another level to somewhere else. The painted picture of "the reindeer who would take an arrow for me" is both graceful and powerful. And the spirit of "what if". The poets pose the questions or paint pictures. The sound of a language foreign to my ear like a delicious new food, experiencing flavour, taste textures on my tongue an in my mouth.
The poems tumble out so quickly and you would like to hear them again and again, each a new adventure and new idea each time. Stop... I need to hear that again. Poetry does that. It's suppose to. The dancer comes back, whimsical and charming and amusing with a quiet command of the space and the audience.
The emcee, a poet in her own right, keeps the feeling casual and moving. This is a production that attracts and affords the opportunity to artists who may not have a full-length collection of material or trying out new work and gives the audience a taste from several performers. The thing about poetry, good poetry, is it opens horizons and appetites. And these were good and worthy poets.
The evening goes too quickly. The potential is great. If the evening had a strong curator’s concept, it might not feel so chaotic; like it slips past you before you can catch up. Even so, Paines Plough has delivered to the audience an unexpected, unique collection of artists.