Wonder: The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, performed by Arthur L Wood
Weird and wonderful — yes, The Waste Land really is. A mixture of voices, genders, events, languages, accents, emotions: it’s unlike anything else. It really put Arthur L Wood through his paces, but he was more than up to the challenge.
I’d never come across T.S. Eliot before Lockdown, until I heard Viggio Mortesen read The Waste Land as part of a British Library event. (This was a 2015 recording which they were able to stream. Hooking me in, as there is nothing like hearing Aragon say ‘Ta ta!’ I was fascinated, particularly as sections or stanzas required him to jump between times and languages, almost going monosyllable at points.
At this event, delivered in the Norman era Church of St Lawrence as part of Winchester Poetry Festival, the acoustics and the location were utilised to the full. This time the things which caught my imagination were the number of book titles in the lines (a handful of dust, for example) as well as an unexpected ‘da da’ (yes yes or just a phonic?) Even some rag time! A shocking element was a sexual account which almost seemed to suggest assault and the feelings of the woman involved afterwards. I hadn’t realised until now that there are male and female voices in it, that we slip between Classical, Biblical illusions and more. The work dislocates and connects at the same time — cheers to Ezra Pound for the editing to make the work stand out.
Adding space was cellist Katherine Hodgkinson, allowing us time to reflect on what we were hearing. We were allowed time to ask the question’ what is happening? What kind of world are we living in?’ which is much needed in a world where (as ever) so much is happening. Themes of life before and after, the joy of a pre-war world (with good food, travel, companions, dancing and song), of neighbourliness, of knowing yourself, of love and loss all came out through the combination of spoken word and music.
Do sit on the end of a row as there is audience interaction (sort of !) Arthur did a nice, seamless recovery when he stumbled on a line, and it’s this which makes live performance so special as you see the humanity of the performers. Do stay for the Q&A afterwards as you get to hear from (at my event) more poets and learn that metaphysical poets are referenced throughout too — the poem is like a complex game of literary phrasal bingo!
Learn more about the festival or the poet, or the company behind the production here:
Enjoyed reading this article?! Support my writing at: https://ko-fi.com/susanadventuresinculture
