CityLife

Tom Wrigglesworth: Open Return Letter to Richard Branson

Tom Wrigglesworth

Tom Wrigglesworth
The Lowry
February 11, 2010

Last night saw Wrigglesworth’s story of train ticket injustice come home - as it was on a Virgin service from Manchester to London that he met with fine inspiration for a show that was to become one of the most critically acclaimed and talked about events at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2009.

It’s easy to see why. What Wrigglesworth carved out of the incident is a funny yet poignant tale that blends stand up with the true story (well, with only a few embellishments for creative licence), of how an elderly lady came to be charged an extra £115 for her journey; and how Wrigglesworth came to be arrested when he decided to stick up for her.

Many reviews have made comparisons between Wrigglesworth and fellow northern comic/storyteller Daniel Kitson, the most obvious similarities being in accent (though to be honest it’s more akin to fellow Sheffield fella John Shuttleworth) and use of storytelling devices.

But it’s not just that; they both share a keen sense of poetry in their use of language. Wrigglesworth’s discourse is quite breathtaking in its beauty in places - describing the elderly Lena sitting on the train; a serene figure in her beige coat, huge bag on her knee and probably, like most old people, 'with a packet of mints and a head full of memories’. Meanwhile, the antichrist train manager brandishes his rather phallic ticket machine spewing orange tickets willy-nilly.

It’s a thoroughly heart-warming tale of victory for the little people against corporate bureaucracy, that proves community spirit still exists even amongst a group of apparently disparate travellers.

Let’s hope Wrigglesworth’s journey home from Manchester to London isn’t as a troublesome this time. Though if it is, that would be at least next year’s show sorted.