Legendary poet to perform at Salisbury Playhouse

Wednesday, 12 February 2025 07:00

87-year-old Roger McGough will perform his latest show, ALIVE AND GIGGING, on 26th March at the Salisbury Playhouse.

Performing poetry from his latest book, The Collected Poems, the show covers the Mersey-soaked sound of the ’60s, the Beatles and Dylan, through meditations on fatherhood and family, cats and dogs, political sendups and new writing.

A performance poet like no other, he brings his best pieces to the stage for new and old audiences.

Poet, performer and broadcaster Roger McGough has published over 100 poetry books for adults and children and has been called ‘the godfather of modern poetry’.

He was one of the Liverpool poets, alongside Adrian Henri and Brian Patten, who influenced popular culture in the Sixties.

The Mersey Sound, published in 1967, is one of the bestselling poetry anthologies of all time, selling over a million copies. In the 1960s with John Gorman and Mike McGear, he formed The Scaffold, performing a combination of comic songs, poetry and sketches with several top 20 singles, including the hit song ‘Lily the Pink’.

He has won numerous awards, including the Cholmondeley Award in 1988, the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in 2001, and a CBE in 2004.

A Fellow of The Royal Society and President of The Poetry Society, he presents the popular Radio 4 Poetry Please series.

His most recent books include Safety in Numbers, written during the COVID pandemic, and books for children, including Over to You, Crocodile Tears and Money Go Round.

A new book, Collected Poems of Roger McGough from 1959 to 2024, was published in June 2024.

Tickets can be booked through the Wiltshire Creative website - https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/events/roger-mcgough-alive-and-gigging

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