Poet Craig Chalmers’ show That’s That One promises ‘poems, and lots of them’, and that’s what will be delivered to you with absolute certainty.
Ahead of taking the show to the Edinburgh Fringe this August, Craig treated local audiences to not one but two performances closer to home. I caught the first of these at The Heartbreakers in Southampton last night, where he presented a collection of poems packed with humour and genuine heart.
Craig is an exceptionally talented performer, and his delivery lifts each poem to another level. He layers comedy and tenderness, but also physicality, into every piece. Yes, physicality, because the evening begins with proper stretches that warm up both him and the audience for what’s to come.
The poems take you on a beautiful rollercoaster of themes and emotions: from going into hospital; to contemplating the futility of a sandwich eaten on your lunch break, or even jury service break. He moves through prayer and introspection, the realities of living in Winchester and counting every penny, or solid investment advice: ‘only invest what you can afford to lose’. There’s also a reflexion on friendships as spinning plates, followed by an apology to close the night, though, honestly there’s nothing Craig needs to apologise for.
Because he is an exceptionally talented performer, he raises the poems to further added layers of comedy and emotion. It is therefore not hard to see why he was a Hammer & Tongue finalist in 2021.
So now ten years after making his Edinburgh Fringe debut, Craig goes now back with a show that is so accomplished, it can absolutely not be missed.
The evening opened with two equally brilliant poets, Harley Truslove and Stephen Muldowney‑Mizen, who treated the audience to their beautifully crafted words. Both are so much loved voices in the local poetry scene, and having them open the night was a beautiful gem before Craig’s performance.
If you missed this Southampton performance, you’ll have another chance to catch Craig on 31st July at The Railway Inn in Winchester, where Stephen Muldowney-Mizen and I will be opening for him. It was already an event I was looking forward to, but having now seen That’s That One, I’m even more excited to be part of it.
And if you’re still wondering what to expect, Craig sums it up best himself:
‘Poems. He’ll start with one and then do another and another and another. It’ll go like this till the end, then you can leave (assuming you arrived).’
Make sure you arrive, and only leave at the very end.
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