THE complete history of poetry in under an hour and a half seemed an optimistic target.

Nevertheless, it was with not inconsiderable enthusiasm that Nick Yapp, John Burns and Erica Grant began their quest with Beowulf, put their head down and headed for the present at breakneck speed.

On the way they nodded at Shakespeare, sent Burns spinning in his grave and gave a wonderfully sensual performance of Ted Hughes' Bride and Groom Lie Hidden for Three Days.

The presentation was a pantomime/lecture/recital-style affair, the three took it in turns to recite contemporaneous poetic examples and perform comedy skits to lighten the mood.

All three were excellent readers. John Burns for me was the strongest, captivating the audience with a rich velvet stream of verse, whatever the subject.

Erica Grant threw her soul behind each utterance and proved an excellent actor in the skits.

Nick Yapp became Ledbury's answer to Benny Hill, flitting from reading to sketch with the grin of a naughty schoolboy.

Downsides? Well, the script had not been memorised, which proved a stumbling block when it was misread. The continual presence of the script in the hands of the players was a little annoying and removed some of the polish from the performance.

The title's challenge was never really going to be fully met - there were a number of poets missing from the chronicle - but with the works of around 80 muses included, one got the general picture.

The show was never less than entertaining, and, for a non-poetry expert like myself, fairly informative. I think a good knowledge of the subject matter would aid appreciation, but the blend of history, humour and verse meant there was something for everyone.

Phill Tromans