After last night's storm with it's high winds and rain it was interesting to return to beach hut 399 to discover that the hut next to it had been swept away overnight. It was definitely there last night but today there was no sign that a hut had ever been on that space, you can see the gap in our photo above.
This was symbolic of the story we saw enacted on the windy seafront as Janina and her trusty 'Elastic Band' performed a little musical entitled 'Mary's Story'. Mary had a stormy life from the moment she agreed to be the handmaid of the Lord and the mother of Jesus and this was beautifully brought to life by the players tonight. They set up hut 399 as a squat for the homeless couple, bringing home the reality for these two left wandering the streets with nowhere to rest.
Even when they found the stable their relationship was troubled as they bickered about the circumstances that had brought them to this place. The acting was interspersed with songs written by Janina especially for tonight which she also accompanied in the freezing wind on her ukelele.
There were some charming and poignant moments, especially when one of the performers leaned into the scene to hold a little lighted star for Mary to gaze at as she prepared for the birth.We will look for another opportunity to stage to stage this so that a wider audience gets to see it and hopefully we can find a clear night when there's no rain or wind, although that might be a bit hopeful this deep into the winter!
The next hut is down by Hove Lagoon - number 44 which will feature illustrators and a troupe of all-female Morris Dancers.
