Brighton Year-Round 2025
What Lies Beneath: The Story of Masquerade
David Bramwell
Genre: Live Literature, Solo Show, Spoken Word, Talk
Venue: Sweet Venues at the Yellow Book Bar
Festival: Brighton Year-Round
Low Down
David Bramwell’s What Lies Beneath: The Story of Masquerade explored the origins and impact of Kit Williams’ treasure-hunt book Masquerade. The performance combined spoken narrative and projected images to trace the blend of art, myth and real-world obsession. Presented at Sweet Venues Brighton, it focused on how a story unfolded into a national mystery.
Review
David Bramwell’s What Lies Beneath: The Story of Masquerade was presented as part of The Once and Future Festival at Sweet Venues Brighton, in a small upstairs venue accommodating around thirty people. Bramwell, a writer, musician, and broadcaster known for his investigations into folklore, psychogeography, and the eccentricities of British culture, brought to the evening a depth of research and a distinctive narrative voice.
As the audience entered, Bramwell was seated in a high-backed chair, with a projected image of Masquerade by Kit Williams already setting the scene. He rose shortly after beginning and remained standing for the remainder of the performance, holding the room with a quiet but firm presence. There was no elaborate staging. The slides and spoken word carried the entire experience, which was structured as an unfolding narrative rather than a formal lecture.
Masquerade is the story of Jack Hare, charged with delivering a golden amulet from the Moon to the Sun but losing it along the way. Hidden within the book’s illustrations and text were clues to a real-world buried treasure. Bramwell traced the origins and consequences of this work, guiding the audience through the blend of art, story, obsession, and eventual controversy that surrounded it. His handling of the material was detailed and precise, balancing fact and myth without falling into sensationalism.
Bramwell’s delivery was assured. His style combined the rigour of a documentary with the light touch of an experienced storyteller. Humour was used sparingly and to good effect, allowing the more absurd elements of the story to emerge without undermining the seriousness of its themes. His enthusiasm for the subject was evident but controlled, inviting the audience to share in the curiosity without being overwhelmed by it.
The narrative structure was well judged, gradually peeling away the layers of the Masquerade phenomenon and leading the audience to a carefully measured sense of bathos as the true end of the treasure hunt was revealed. This slow unravelling, moving from wonder to absurdity, was handled with precision, ensuring the audience remained fully engaged throughout.
The slides were generally well chosen and supported the talk effectively. However, at times the narrative relationship between the spoken word and the projected images could have been made a little clearer, particularly when transitioning between different phases of the story. A small refinement here would make the overall presentation even sharper.
What Lies Beneath: The Story of Masquerade was an excellent and highly recommended show. It combined thorough research, clear structure, and a finely balanced delivery, offering a rare example of storytelling that respects both the complexity of its subject and the intelligence of its audience. Bramwell demonstrated a command of material and form that few could match, resulting in an hour that was absorbing, thoughtful, and quietly powerful.
Highly recommended, excellent work.
