Here at the Fair cast

Here At The Fair is Mick Ryans sixth folk opera. It is set at a country fair, in 1850. Travelling showmen and women arrive to set out their stalls. We meet: Vincent Crummles (Mick Ryan), a character from Dickens Nicholas Nickleby. He is an actor manager, who has now fallen on hard times; Crummles daughter, Ninnetta (Alice Jones), who is known to her public as The Infant Phenomenon; Steven Starling (Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne), a reluctant clown, based on the character Sissy Jupe, from Dickens Hard Times; Professor Sleary (Pete Morton), another character from Hard Times. Once the owner of a horse circus, he now runs a flea circus; Madam Lavengro (Heather Bradford), a fortune teller; Doctor Maldini (Geoff Lakeman), a snake oil salesman; John Smith (George Sansome), a ballad seller; and an itinerant fiddler (Lewis Wood.) THE CAST Mick Ryan – Described by ‘Living Tradition’ magazine as ‘an outstanding singer, songsmith and musical playwrite’, Mick has made many albums, to excellent reviews. His five previous ‘folk operas’ (‘A Day’s Work’, ‘The Voyage’, ‘Tanks For The Memory’, ‘The Navvy’s Wife’ and ‘The Pauper’s Path’ were all very well received (‘A fantastically moving piece of work” – ”R2’ magazine; ‘Another classic’ – ‘Folk North West’.) His songs are much sung on the folk scene and beyond. Heather Bradford – has had prominent roles in three of Mick’s previous shows., and received outstanding notices for her performances. Before joining Mick’s company, Heather was a member of the harmony trio ‘Hen Party, with whom she made two acclaimed albums, ‘Nobody Here But Us’ and ‘The Heart Gallery’ (‘This is harmony singing at its very best’ – Josie Bedford.) Pete Morton – is an energetic and charismatic performer of original and traditional songs. Regarded as one of the best songwriters on the folk scene, he is highly popular at clubs and festivals in the UK, on the continent and in America. His songs have been much recorded by other singers, most notably, perhaps, by ‘The Voice’ finalist, Sally Barker. Geoff Lakeman – is the father of Sean, Sam and Seth, all of whom, along with his daughters in law, Cara Dillon and Kathryn Roberts, appear on his solo album, ‘After All These Years’, which has received five star reviews (‘Pure Class’ – Mike Harding) and much radio play. His fine singing and musicianship have made him a favourite at clubs, festivals, theatres and arts centres, both at home and abroad. Alice Jones – is a singer, dancer and multi-instrumentalist (keyboards, clarinet, whistles, guitar.) Described by ‘fRoots’ as ‘a seriously impressive singer’, she was a member of ‘The John Dipper band’ (‘Meltingly fine vocals’ – Verity Sharp, Radio 3), and is much in demand as a solo performer. ‘Granny’s Attic’ – have been acclaimed as ‘the future of English folk music’. The band, all music graduates, consists of:- Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne – whose recent solo album was described as showing ‘an outstanding musical maturity’. He is an extremely powerful singer and, in spite of his youth, is widely considered to be a virtuoso on the anglo concertina, and the melodeon. George Sansome – has a pure, beautifully controlled, voice, and is an expertly deft and subtle guitarist. His singing and playing exemplify musicality of the highest quality. He also plays very fine euphonium. Lewis Wood – is an absolute demon on the fiddle. He has the technical understanding of the classically trained musician together with the expressive ‘feel’ of the traditional musician. This is an extremely rare combination, and makes his playing very special indeed.