Friday, January 09, 2009

Mikron Theatre Company

Last Run - Songs Of The Canals And Waterways Of Great Britain (1977)



I found this excellent album in a charity shop last Friday. I used to have it on cassette and played it constantly on my way to go boating in the early eighties.

Mikron Theatre Company have been touring the waterways in their narrow boat 'Tysley' since 1972.

"Mikron was originally conceived after a waterways holiday by Mike Lucas, Sarah Lucas and Danny Schiller. "Let's put professional theatre on the inland waterways of Britain!". Mikron is now famous for its national waterways tour, aboard the 1936 Grand Union Carrying Company narrowboat, Tyseley."

Their first four shows covered the history of the canals from their inception, through nationalisation and finally to their restoration and the beginning of the leisure boom. The 22 songs featured here are from 'Still Waters', Up The Cut!', 'Keep Yer 'Ands Off' and 'Puddle It!' Together they tell the history of the waterways often with great humour and sometimes with a little tear in the corner of the eye. Two of the songs on the album are from ex-boatman John Saxon, a couple are traditional and the rest written by members of the company.

For the coming year Mikron have a new show - 'Tales From The Thames' and a revival of last year's 'Fair Trade', the story of the co-operative movement.

I missed Mikron last year - we spent the whole summer about two days behind Tysley, when we finally caught up they'd gone off in the van to Lincoln or some such outlandish place. This year who knows. Details of their shows and the itinery for the coming season can be found on their website. There are also 2 cds now available of some of their more recent 'songs from the shows'.

DL

Password = reynardine

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fantastic! Thanks, Reynardine.

09 January, 2009 15:46  

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