The Rap Granny!

Coming from a long line of Musical

Comedy actors, I started performing rather early, writes subscriber Daphne Clarke.

My maternal grandfather, Harry Levaine, performed in the last Royal Variety Command Performance before War was declared, with well-known people like Tommy Handley, Arthur Askey and Tommy Trinder.

I spent much of my childhood, and most of the war years, with my paternal grandmother and my aunt who encouraged me to learn little poems. One I remember particularly was

‘Send them to bed with a kiss’, which I performed at the local Methodist Church Anniversary, aged three.

I can still recall that day, eighty-seven years ago now when, dressed in my best pink taffeta dress and best shiny black shoes, I stood in the balcony on a little stool, otherwise no-one could see me, and confidently recited the first of the three verses. To my dismay, at the end of the first verse, everyone started clapping and I had to sit down. I guess that people didn’t expect such a small child to have learned more than that first verse.

That disappointment stayed with me all my life and sometimes I recited it to myself to prove that I still could remember it. Then, when I was about fifty and living in

Durham and running a large Youth Club at my church, I found an opportunity to recite it! We had our annual Fund Raising Concert... they were a gifted bunch of youngsters and thoroughly enjoyed performing. After a word of explanation, I recited the whole poem, to my great satisfaction.

In 1999 we moved to Richmond and I joined the Leeds University Adult Education ‘Write Your Life-story’ Class which I thoroughly enjoyed. In the second year we did some poetry and I discovered that I could write a reasonable poem... and I haven’t stopped since! I have self-published three anthologies. The first was after I’d done a ‘Words and Music’ evening at the local Methodist Church. After the first concert, a member asked if any of my poems were in a book. I accepted the challenge and Childhood in Kaleidoscope became my first anthology.

Later, I had begun to give poetry evenings at places around North Yorkshire and then our unique and beautiful Georgian Theatre held a ‘Richmondshire’s got Talent’ evening. I entered and came second receiving, I think, £50. I had started with my ‘Obesity Rap’ in which I invited the audience to join in the chorus, which they did enthusiastically. At the end of the evening, two young lads, who had been singing with a guitar, christened me ‘The Rap Granny’ and the name has stuck! I often advertise my evenings as, ‘The Rap Granny Entertains’, and I have appeared twice more at the Georgian Theatre.

I have just published my first fiction book: a book for children which takes two junior age children on adventures to see famous works of art. I have approached our local bookseller about a launch evening and hope the church will also agree. Again, opportunities to share my work with people.

I guess it’s my inheritance but I so love performing. I’m wondering whether I can persuade the Georgian Theatre to do something for National Poetry Day!