The purpose of A Word or Two is simply to celebrate language which seems to be fast vanishing from our midst. It could be described as showing what impact the written word can have on impressionable youth and is very much a personal stroll through literature, a literature that has long stirred my imagination and that, for one reason or another, I cannot let go.
The poetry and prose I have chosen to accompany my journey is both silly and sad, sacred and profane; ranging from A.A. Milne to the Bible; Shaw and Wilde to Coleridge and Marlowe; W.H. Auden and Nabokov to Rostand and MacLeish; Shakespeare and Byron to Nash and Leacock. It is intended not just to show the myriad of colours words can paint, but to illuminate along the way the several phases of my particular moon. If there must be a "theme," let it be my eternal gratitude to a family who, from the moment I formed my first sentence, made me aware of the joy and magic of language which, after all, is our heritage to hold on to for dear life while we can.
Over the years I have performed this piece in various towns and venues to raise money for the arts and such charities as World Literacy. Since then, I have revised it considerably and it now needs a proper production. In that regard, I'm thrilled that Des McAnuff has consented to come on board and add some fresh inspiration. I'm also grateful to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival for providing me the space on which to present it and to you, the audience, without whose presence, there is of course, nothing. Thank you so much.
April 12 - Oct 28
May 3 - Oct 27