Pocock's Living Room at The Grapes
Mark’s stories are both poetic and down-to-earth... Despite his passion for love, Mark acknowledges that everything is not always rosy in affairs of the heart.
There is something very warm, open-hearted and… well let’s say it… gosh darn romantic about this starry-eyed chap who spends his evenings telling love stories to strangers in rooms above pubs.
We’re at The Grapes, in an upstairs room with “the best ceiling in Bath.” It’s a muggy Friday night in May, with a busy hubbub from the street below, but there’s no chance of dozing – this will not be a passive experience, Mark Rutterford tells us, we have decisions to make and things to do.
There’s a collection for MIND tonight, and a nod to Pride coming up soon – Mark names his identity as a straight white man but emphasises that love stories are for everyone. He makes thoughtful choices with his story details and plot lines throughout, underlining a sense of inclusivity and care.
"Mark has beguiled me into leaving my cynic at the door"
Mark is a story writer and a storyteller. Over the course of the evening he delivers a selection of gently narrated rom-coms. The first, he claims, is too slushy even for Mills and Boon. It’s a tale of a ruddy-cheeked country couple, with a sweet as sugar ending. But somehow Mark has beguiled me into leaving my cynic at the door – I am charmed rather than stony-hearted.
One of the audience jobs is to contribute to the World Cup of Love Songs – we shout out our choices and winners are decided by cheers and applause. Mine gets booted out in the first round (Madness, It Must Be Love - I was robbed). Another story is a choose-your-own-ending adventure – we vote at key plot points and Mark adjusts his tale accordingly.
"a fundamental part of the human experience"
Despite his passion for love, Mark acknowledges that everything is not always rosy in affairs of the heart - he shares his best and worst romantic moments, triumphs and disasters, and asks us to share ours too. We discover that sometimes love actually physically hurts, like when you literally sweep someone off their feet while falling down the stairs, and that love letters are not just a thing of the past. He’s comfortable and relaxed with audience interaction, welcomes it in fact, and the connection he creates is what makes the night – during our short time together we become friends hanging out, exchanging anecdotes.
Mark’s stories are both poetic and down-to-earth. There are a few stumbles and forgotten lines but we can forgive him, as he forgives us our romantic mistakes, heartaches and missed opportunities. Mark ponders what an alien might say about our “erroneous belief in love” – tonight we’re reminded that it’s still a fundamental part of the human experience.
★★★★
Love. Stories. ❤ was performed at Pocock's Living Room, The Grapes on Friday 26th May, and will return on Saturday 10th June. Find out more.
Beccy Golding is a Bristol-based poet, fool, writer and arts administrator. She has recently created a brand new spoken word night for older / aging / elder women, called Stone the Crones.
Daily poetry at @FridayIsPoetsDay
@stonethecrones on all the socials