Liz Bentley: I’ve only got myself to blame

Liz Bentley is a ukulele-playing poet. Since there is no poetry section in the Fringe booklet, she rolled the dice and ended up in the Comedy section. This is most appropriate.

In addition to the ukulele, she also plays a small keyboard to give her poetry a musical background, since poetry on its own, as she admits, can be boring. Her poems are definitely not. They are infused with a playful humour. Little gems include the ‘Tenants Association Meeting’ and ‘Thank you Universe’.

There are other sides to her character. She is a qualified therapist working in the N.H.S., which gives her opportunities for some wry humour about officialdom.

She is also a breast-feeding mother and this is the title of her final poem, which comes with a musical chorus. This ended delightfully when she remarked to two teenage boys “when you go back to school you can say you joined in with in with a chorus ‘I’m a breast feeding mother’”.

There is an air of improvisation in her approach. With so much material she can go where her mind takes her and sensing the mood of the audience. Her warm, open manner allied to her varied content should prove a winner despite the mid-day start at the rearranged Just the Tonic venue.

****

B

Fringe Programme Page No

69

Company

Liz Bentley

Venue Name and Number

Just the Tonic at C soco urban garden; V266

Dates and Times

  3 to 26 August 2007 (not 14, 21)  12.00 to 12.50

Comedy 2007

Music 2007

Others 2007

Theatre 2007

Musicals 2007

press at one4review.co.uk