" I Shall Say This Only Once"

Friend John is on the right
My visit of sheffield proved to be a short and ever-so-slightly surreal experience as I plunged from meeting old friend, Jane for tea at a nice but over priced wine bar in the centre of the city to sitting in the centre of a memorial hall sized audience of an am-dram performance of "allo-allo" in the " village" of Grenoside one of the many villagers which overlook Sheffield from the North West.
My old camp -as-Christmas friend John H ( who comments here as Bel Ami from time to time) was in his element. With a Nazi uniform complete with gold braid, Jack boots that Shirley Bassey would die for and a rather unfortunate scene with knockwurst sausage to contend with, he looked as though he was really enjoying himself on stage.
So I could forgive the atrocious acting by the leading lady, the interval raffle where you could win a small anaemic looking pot plant and the running commentary belted out by two old ladies behind me as it was all good natured fun in the tradition of Alan Bennett or Alan Akbourne.
As one of the old dears piped up during the interval
" there's nowt better than a bit of harmless old fashioned smut"
And I guess she was right.

After the show I shared a few pints at the local pub with the cast, who delighted at a semi serious post mortem of their performances and couldn't help thinking with some affection, that although I had wanted to leave the confines of a village for the much anticipated experience of a Northern City break
I suddenly did feel as though I had never really left Trelawnyd

33 comments:

  1. A community is a community...wherever people dwell who over time share experiences and a sense of belonging. Like "home" you take it with you wherever you and loved ones travel. Glad for your night out. Enjoy whatever weekend you can outside work.

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    1. I guess there are many types of villages

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    2. Do they have an affable despot ?

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  2. And you realize that people are people wherever you go....having fun with life!

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  3. We saw Allo Allo at the Llandudno theatre a while back and it was a night to remember - we have an old Shropshire saying over here 'there's nowt like wum (spelling) not sure neither is google!!

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    1. Did it feature a blow up rubber doll (male) dressed as hitler too?

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    2. Don't remember that bit but I do remember laughing my socks off - great stuff !!

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  4. "There's nowt better than a bit of harmless old fashioned smut" I love it. The Carry On tradition lives on....

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  5. There's just something about jolly Nazis that seems so disturbing. Funny, but creepy all at the same time.

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    1. I was more thrown by the nun with the picture of the fallen madonnas with the big boobies

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  6. When we lived in Germany my daughter would have friends she'd met locally over to watch movies. She once played The Producers for them, and got them to sing along to "Springtime for Hitler". They were startled, to put it mildly.
    Your play and audience sounds like fun.

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  7. I think the television series duration was longer than the Second World war, John. "I shall say sis only once."

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    1. I must admit I always hated the tv show....

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  8. When you get to the heart of things, it's not the places, it's the people that make the atmosphere. At least that's what I've found.

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    1. And a shared sense of humour Jenny x

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  9. You were glad you went but you wanted to go home. xxx

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  10. Your voice went a bit weak toward the end - be bold!

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  11. If you wore those uniforms here in Vienna you'd get banged up by the Polizei. Two years at least. You can do what you want with the Bratwurst that's okay. You have been warned.

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    1. I will remove my swastika t shirt from my luggage when I next go skiing

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  12. Old fashioned harmless smut is half the reason I come here!

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  13. I wish you had been here in Glastonbury this evening, when the "Zombie walk" took place. You'd have loved it!

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  14. It used to be that if you put Grenoside into a spell check the suggestion you got back was "genocide" but now it's "graveside". Mmmm - interesting.

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  15. Blogger's not letting me reply on tomorrows post, so here goes:-

    Now I have read his post, well, it reflects more on him than it does on you. It just looks as though he couldn't think of anything to write. Lots of us enjoy your take on life, please come back soon - like tomorrow! Vee x

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  16. Sheffield is not called England's largest village for nothing is it. xxx

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  17. The fact that he comments as "Bel Ami" says it all. :)

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