Marc Allum, Wharf Theatre, Devizes

Review for Marc Allum – Allum’s Antiques Almanac

The Wharf Theatre

Tuesday 16th June 2015

From the minute Marc Allum arrives at The Wharf Theatre you are drawn into the world of antiques.

Straight away he talks about Antiques Roadshow as he unloads his box of props for the evening and looks at the items that a few lucky ticket holders have brought along for valuation – he tells me that some may be disappointed with what he has to say about their treasures.

Once Marc is on stage and talking, the audience are taken into the life he has lived. The obsession with collecting that started with Victorian bottles dug out of building sites and the search for a complete one rather than bits of the broken glass.

Every one of his own objects he has brought along has a story. He lovingly relates the history, the dates, and even sometimes the values, and they have come from visits to foreign parts, out of mixed boxes of china in auction houses and from online auctions.

The second half of the show he looked at items brought in by some of the audience.

His miscellaneous knowledge shone through! He talked through each object and was keen to hear the stories and provenance – and at all times he asked permission to give valuations – nobody needed a security van to leave the building!

Marc is entertaining, funny, interesting and charming and he made us all feel alright about the car boot sales and shops that we scour for bargains. It was a joy to hear him say that although his own house in Chippenham is ordered and clean, it is stuffed full of his collections!

If you missed this evening you can still find signed copies of his books at Devizes Books.

Margaret Bryant