Review from the Bury Free Press – Friday 21 May 2010

In a festival first, Sonnet Walks toured the town at the weekend, with the promise of Shakespeare, a little history and the element of surprise thrown in for good measure.

Starting at the Guildhall, director Abigail Anderson handed members of my group our route and a flower for identification purposes. I felt a little like I was going on a blind date (I’ll be outside the Corn Exchange at 1.30pm, waving a red carnation…), but decided to go with it. We were barely outside when we were accosted by Harriet Garbas, wearing a bridal veil, who recited Sonnet 116. Then, at almost every turn, enthusiastic actors popped out.

We took part in an aborted wedding at the Unitarian Meeting House, where Birgitta Kenyon, Jonathan Lodge and members of the Voice Squad performed Sonnet 8, beautifully set to music. Then, Freda Barratt invited us into her home for a touching performance of Sonnet 27. The 90-minute walk, which included 10 sonnets, was a triumph which engaged the imagination. Let’s hope it returns next year, but in a slightly different form, so I can do it again.

CB