ONE of Britain's leading actresses and a top player of medieval music are collaborating in a spellbinding performance at Ledbury Poetry Festival.

Janet Suzman and Martin Best will be presenting Sense and Nonsense twice during the ten-day festival.

On Friday, July 6, they will be performing it in the timeless setting of Hellens, at Much Marcle, when the event will include a buffet supper prepared by Nick Stephens, the historic home's curator and talented chef.

The following night, the show will be repeated at the Market Theatre in Ledbury.

Martin Best is a musician, composer and writer who has pursued a life in music and theatre, based on the ancient art of the troubadour. He has been the resident musician and composer at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he met Dame Peggy Ashcroft, with whom he devised Sense and Nonsense.

The show, a miscellany of music, prose and poetry which encompasses Shakespeare, Waugh and Lewis Carroll, has been described as one of the best stage anthologies ever compiled.

Martin has known Janet Suzman, a veteran of the RSC and West End and major film and TV performances, for years. Last year they revived Sense and Nonsense at Stratford, to great acclaim.

"It's a pleasure to work with Janet. We have done a lot of performances together, such as The Hollow Crown," he said.

Martin is also hosting a couple of workshops during the festival, both at Hellens. Music of the Spheres (Friday, July 6), for adults, is an exploration of what music meant during Shakespeare's day and will include demonstrations using the lute and other instruments.

Songs and Stories from Around the World (Saturday, July 7), is aimed at children of six and over, in which Martin relives his days as a global troubadour, singing and explaining songs from Britain, the USA and beyond.

Tickets are £25 for Hellens and £10 for the Market Theatre performance of Sense and Nonsense, £10 for Music of the Spheres and £5 for Songs and Stories from Around the World. To book, ring 0845 458 1743.