Salisbury Arts Centre – 14-15th September
Reviewed by Nicky Wyatt
3***
A packed Salisbury Arts Centre plays host to guitar genius Nick Harper as he entertains with his one man show A Wiltshire Tale. I have to confess to not knowing who I was going to see tonight, I was very much in the minority! This man has a huge following, many greeted and chatted about him like he was an old friend to some I think he was. One lady told me that she had travelled from Melton Mowbray over 4 hours away and had been a fan for more than 30 years.
The show splits into two halves, the first half is Nicks poem A Wiltshire Tale. It is without a history lesson of this amazing county that I call home. It is quite a fast but long poem detailing monuments, landscapes, wildlife and historical events. It’s cleverly written and well delivered although I will confess to drifting off a couple of times, especially when I caught sight of some of the images it relates too. The way he told this reminded me of a medieval storyteller or troubadour which I guess is where he gets the strap line ‘Bard of Wiltshire’
The second half is more musical. It is a showcase of Nicks musical ability. The songs he writes are relevant to his surroundings and also what is going on in the world they are personal to him. I really enjoyed the range of notes he is able to sing, my favourite part of the show was the guitar playing, an absolute talent.