ONE of the UK’s great writers, Pam Ayres, returns to Storyhouse in Chester with a dazzling new musical revue show based on her book Who Are You Calling Vermin?

An evening of music, song and words about a subject which affects us all, Vermin is based on a recent book of poems, published in 2022, which has been set to music by Bafta, Emmy and Ivor Novello Award-winning composer George Fenton.

The concert features Pam and George, and a cast of West End singers and musicians, including Chester based award winning singer and actor Ian Bartholomew best known for his acclaimed performance of Geoff Metcalf in Coronation Street.

The show is a light-hearted and comedic exploration of tensions in the countryside, which in poems, songs and anecdotes scrutinises the loss of wildlife, the changing climate, second homeowners, and the ever-present conflict between humans and animals.  There’s a serious message or two in there as well. 

Included are the shanty-singing fishermen, shotgun-toting toffs, and poor defeated Joe as he struggles with his new electric car. And the animals are not left out either as we hear from a streetwise fox, a sultry squirrel and the homeless owl. They rock, they rap, they croon, and they invite you to question and to hope for a more harmonious future for us all. 

Who Are You Calling Vermin? will be at Storyhouse for one night only on Saturday, November 16. The show starts at 7.30pm.

For more information, visit: Pam Ayres and George Fenton | Storyhouse.