Hilary Scott, Julian Lloyd Webber, the Civic Hall, the Garrick Inn, Nick Eborall, and The Vintner…

Well, Hilary arrived back safely and came down to Stratford on Friday, which made me very happy, and gave the old town of Stratford a little sprinkle of the Las Vegas glitter that had attached itself to her.

And we went out on the old town too on Friday night, which was busy and noisy, but with a good feel about it as hundreds headed for the theatre (and the dress Hilary was wearing made a few gentlemanly heads turn), or, like us, for the Civic Hall to see and listen to Julian Lloyd Webber.

Webber is, along with Steven Isserlis (whose Austrian parents fled to Britain in the 1930s), one of the finest cellists this country has ever produced, with a sure and emotional touch that brought his gorgeous Strad to life as he played a varied selection of pieces (accompanied by the exceptionally gifted pianist Pam Chowhan ), including quite a lot from his new CD Unexpected Songs. But more about the concert and his new CD on Classy Classical a little later.

It had been quite a long time since I’d been to the Civic Hall, a venue I know quite well as I’ve produced and directed a few shows in the place, most notably Reg Mitchell’s musical version of A Christmas Carol, with Guy Adams as Scrooge. The last thing I saw there was ‘An Evening with John Humphrys’, the BBC journalist and presenter.

The old building used to house the District and Town Councils, but when the District Council moved out in the 1970s to take up residence in Elizabeth House, the Town Council moved upstairs so that a modern concert hall-cum-theatre could be attached to the back of the 19th century façade. It quickly became a venue that was a ‘must do’ for a huge variety of musicians, orchestras, bands, and comedians, as well as many traveling professional theatre companies. It also became the home of Stratford’s own symphony orchestra, The Orchestra of the Swan, which is an extremely well-drilled professional outfit that travels the world.

But then, just a few years ago, the Town Trust (effectively the executors of Shakespeare’s estate) who oversee the running of the building decided in their wisdom that the Civic Hall must no longer take commercial bookings (which paid the bills and the wages), but instead only make the venue available to local people to house amateur dramatics, dances, crotchet displays, and film show lectures about the Wellington Bomber and the Great Western Railway. Which is fine, but they don’t pay those bills and wages, and with the fees charged pretty hefty the crotchet people couldn’t really afford to book the place anyway. It was the financial kiss of death.

Thankfully the new manager, Fiona Rae, made the trustees see the error of their ways and gradually brought back acts that people wanted to see, and a town of Stratford’s reputation deserved. Hence Julian Lloyd Webber on Friday night.

Anyway, it was a superb concert and afterwards we made our way to the Garrick Inn for a drink before we ate.

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