Twelfth Night in Guildford

Touring around pubs doing Mummer's plays, reciting stories and singing carols and wassail songs on a Saturday night in Guildford is not easy, but I guess Pilgrim Morris are used to it! Somehow the morrismen and their entourage, including Anna and Nonny Tabbush, Nick Sowden and a handful of Guildford Vox members, managed to squeeze into the main bar of the Star to perform the usual doctor-raising-Turkish-Knight-from-dead play. This was done with far more panache than other, more ponderous Mummer's plays we've seen! Great fun. Then someone handed around songsheets and loads of us joined in the singing. Although I didn't know many wassail songs I did by the end of the night!
The King's Head was closed, so it missed out on it's lucky chalk crosses for the New Year. The Angel Hotel bar was also closed, but the manager let us into the lobby area - which was really good, not so crowded and we had good views of the plays (the doctor one and a version of Cinderella). The (young, attractive) Queen was hoisted up by a couple of morrismen amidst much merriment to chalk the lucky crosses on an oak beam below the balcony.
Next the morris entourage somehow squeezed into the Three Pigeons for another performance. I couldn't face more claustrophobia and didn't want to risk the variable beer there, so I formed an advance party to the Royal Oak and some nice Freeminer Bitter. I grabbed a few seats for the Vox and sipped my pint. The morrismen were a little late, so I only had time to sing a couple of carols before having to run off for the last train home at 12.14pm - but was accompanied by Simon Friend of the Levellers, who was there with a group of friends! Good for him, I say, suporting the old traditions.
Such a fun night out, I'll be back next year!