Andrew Pepper Live at The Crazy Coqs Every Month

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Cabaret

“A winner whatever he’s doing”
– Evening Standard

theandrewpepper

Limby.

What a lovely way to end the year! Thank you so mu

What a lovely way to end the year! Thank you so much, @loureviews.blog!
People often ask me to define my shows and I always struggle because truthfully they rarely fit into a nice, neat box. So, to be recognised in a list that celebrates this is wonderful. 💗 I just wish I could have seen all the other shows on the list.
Now seems as good a time as any to remind y’all that I’m back @crazycoqs on 30th January and tickets are selling! 🎟️

#Repost @loureviews.blog with @use.repost
・・・
Some shows can’t be classified as Plays, Musicals, or Solo shows.

Here are my picks of 2024 shows from cabaret, circus, and the unclassifiable!

Perfect Show For Rachel @barbicancentre @fusetheatre

Rewind @newdiorama @ephemeral_ensemble

Afrique En Cirque @southbankcentre @yamoussa

House of Pepper @crazycoqs @theandrewpepper

Lorna Dallas: Snapshots @crazycoqs @lornadallasbrown

Philip Quast: The Road I Took @crazycoqs

Signal to Noise @southbankcentre @forcedents

Bluets @royalcourttheatre

Dagmar’s Vamps of Weimar @crazycoqs @hershdagmarr

Smashed @sadlers_wells @gandinijuggling

Just over a fortnight left in Saltbum. Snooze, ya

Just over a fortnight left in Saltbum.
Snooze, ya lose. 🧞‍♂️

Trailer by DMLK.

RING THEM BELLS! I’m back @crazycoqs on Thursday

RING THEM BELLS! I’m back @crazycoqs on Thursday 30th January!
New year. New show! Ding dong!

I hear those virtual tickets make lurvely stocking fillers. 👀🎄
Ticket link in bio!

Just in the nick of time… HAPPY PANTO DAY! Poo

Just in the nick of time…
HAPPY PANTO DAY!

Poor panto. It sure does get a bum rap; and I get it. There’s a helluva lot of panto that gets cynically thrown together. But the actual art form itself… well, conversely, I love it because it is so devoid of cynicism. What actually is the antonym of cynicism? Panto?

Think about it… if you’re asking an audience to believe that a performer can simulate the back end of a cow, and you’re asking said audience to do that without so much as a double take, well, then you’ve clearly got a helluva lot of faith in humanity, and you should be applauded, that’s what I say.

Life is hard. Cynicism is often the easiest choice. So, an art form that gently coaxes us to be anything but; an art form that actually believes it can get a room full of strangers up on their feet, year in year out, to sing some old nonsense from a giant song sheet, is bloody well worth its weight in gold, I think.

I’ve been thinking long and hard about what picture should accompany such rampant profundity, and then I stumbled across this gem. What better way to honour panto day than a photo of our fearless leader, @nicholailabarrie?! I honestly don’t think he has a cynical bone in his body. Somehow, he’s managed to survive 20 plus years in this industry with his inner child well and truly intact. It’s what makes him so eminently skilled as a pantomime director and so delightful to be in a room with. Be more like Nicholai. Be more like panto.

Happy #PantoDay, to all who celebrate!

Team abnz. Living (and loving) that life @lyrich

Team abnz.

Living (and loving) that life @lyrichammersmith until January 5th.

📸 by See Li.

Sometimes the internet is a beautiful place. Today

Sometimes the internet is a beautiful place.
Today, I picked up my phone and discovered that one of my favourite artists had created a gorgeous piece of art for me. I adore @isalu_ishii’s work; so to have inspired her to put paint to paper is just beyond. If you don’t know her work, give her a follow and bathe in the beauty!
THANK YOU, @isalu_ishii; I love it!
Happy Everything!
And yes, my legs really are that beefy! 👀
💗💗💗

People keep asking when am back @crazycoqs, so her

People keep asking when am back @crazycoqs, so here y’are: THURSDAY 30th JANUARY - 9.15pm. And tickets are on sale NOW. Link in bio, natch!
Get into the groove!

It’s so good, it’s going on the grid. This w

It’s so good, it’s going on the grid.

This was filmed about a fortnight ago when we were still in the rehearsal room. We were all quite nervous that morning. What if they don’t like us? What if they eat us alive? Worse than that, what if they’re bored?
And then they arrived. Absolute sweethearts. All of them. So adorable, so engaged, and for 2 golden hours they played with us.

We’ve moved into the theatre now and this week we’ve been performing school matinees for nearly 600 kids at time. It’s a very different experience. Glastonbury has nothing on 600 primary school kids, trust me! It’s a wall of noise. Sometimes, I wonder if they’re really enjoying the show or just the chance to scream. And then I watch this video and remember these absolute gems who got the story and truly came along for the ride. 💗

Also… when you see a tall, bald guy, just say “Boo!” It’s a great idea.

Kids know best!

Il y a un an aujourd’hui, je déménageais à Pa

Il y a un an aujourd’hui, je déménageais à Paris et pendant trois mois glorieux, j’étais française.

Btw, I’m still French (and I shan’t be taking questions at this juncture).

Ooooh, I’m having a lovely time rehearsing @lyri

Brilliant words from our marvellous panto bard, @s

Brilliant words from our marvellous panto bard, @sonjalal.

On the subject of camp…
Christmas Day in the Pepper household often takes a bizarre turn around 3 Prosecco’clock. It’s at this point that I usually find myself having to explain to my dad why the word “camp” is not just applicable to men with a certain fluidity of wrist. Inevitably…

“But how is Shirley Bassey camp?!”

HOW IS SHE NOT?!?

The question of camp is one I’ve pondered for years. I even read Susan Sontag (and had opinions 👀). I’m non the wiser. Recently, I stumbled across this interview (from the British Comedy Guide) with Sonia. These words are just about the best explanation for camp that I’ve discovered. “Multiplied by daft.” Chef’s 💋.

Btw, I knew Sonia was a true camp connoisseur when I whopped out a Carol Channing number in my audition, and she both knew the song and was excited to hear it.

P.S: Come see our show @lyrichammersmith. It’s gonna be CAMP.

P.P.S: I was once asked to write an essay on camp. I didn’t get far, but it was provisionally called “camp but…” You see, in my experience, “camp” is usually followed by “but…”; and within that “but…” are multitudes. Listen out for it.

About 30 years ago (streuth!), I went up to my bed

About 30 years ago (streuth!), I went up to my bedroom and turned the radio on. THIS song and THIS voice stopped me in my tracks.
And then I came to my senses. I rushed to find a blank cassette tape, shoved one in the player, and pressed “record”. I got about 2 and half minutes of gold and then the song ended. Maybe the DJ had introduced the song beforehand, because he ploughed onto the next track without pause or comment. So… that was that. This was in the days before YouTube or Google or Shazam. And so the song became a great mystery in my life. But I was obsessed with those 2 and a half minutes.

About 10 years later, I finally discovered it was written by Barry Manilow from an original unfinished lyric of Johnny Mercer’s.
And then… tonight… just as October is drawing to a close, I FINALLY (thanks to YouTube) re-heard that version from way back when in its entirety, and discovered it was the late, great Nancy Wilson. Needless to say, I’ve now been on a deep dive. And thank God, because I’ve just discovered this live rendition, performed in 1993 at Blues Alley, Washington, D.C. It’s probably gonna take me 30 years to get over this now. Good grief! What a performance! What a performer! 🙌

#WhenOctoberGoes
#AndWhenOctoberGoes #NancyWilson #BarryManilow #JohnnyMercer

I think we might have broken Jordan. This was take

I think we might have broken Jordan. This was taken immediately after coming off stage this time last week. I can’t believe a week has gone by already. Streuth! I’m sure gonna miss cabaret shenanigans these next 3 months. Although, truth be told, I probably won’t notice too much. If rehearsals are anything to go by, this panto is going to be FUN!

Home for the next few months. @lyrichammersmith ♥️ Just look at her. This is my first time working (for longer than a night) in a Frank Matcham-designed theatre. He sure knew what he was doing. I had a good shufti around the auditorium yesterday and (aside from the boxes) I could only find 8 restricted view seats. The sight lines here are just incredible. As well they should be.

Fun fact: the theatre officially opened
in 1895 as The New Lyric Opera House just down the road on Bradmore Grove. Then, in 1966, the theatre found itself under threat of demolition. So… the auditorium was DISMANTLED piece by piece, flat-packed, placed in storage, and then reassembled on the current site in 1979. Rather fittingly, the current owner of the site is non other than… IKEA!

In the latest episode of ‘Revolving Doors at the

In the latest episode of ‘Revolving Doors at the House of Poivre’, Uncle Alex was whisked away to Mumbai for the month. Not to worry, @jordanpaulclarke was on hand. I’ve worked with Jordan before. We did ‘Assassins’ back in 2018, so I was acutely aware of his brilliance, but I wasn’t ready for THIS.
If you’ve seen our show you’ll know it’s a BEAST with approximately 9 zillions cues per minute. Reader, let me tell you, JPC got his head around it all in about five minutes flat and even managed to ad-lib, improvise and add his own flavour. What a guy! The man is a BOSS! Also, today is now officially his birthday, so send him all your lovin’, please. 🎉

Tonight (well, last night now) was our last night @crazycoqs. We’ve LOVED being resident there each month this year. Thank you to everyone who came, not just tonight, but all throughout the year. You have given us LIFE. We’ll be back at the end of January with a new show… ‘House of Pepper: Rebooted!’. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but hey, I’ve got 3 months to work it out. And if you wanna find out, tickets are on sale NOW!
Right, that’s enough, stop distracting me; I need to sleep. New adventures await! I start panto rehearsals in 8 HOURS. Weeeeeee. ✌️💗💗💗

Okay, seeing as it’s soooo popular, it’s going

Okay, seeing as it’s soooo popular, it’s going on the grid. It can be my annual portrait because TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! 🥳
I’d like to draw your attention to my glasses, not on my face, but sitting on the table. This is how it is now. On, off, on, off. This past year, my vision has become both short-sighted and long-sighted which basically means I can see everything and nothing. Often at the same time. Larks! Frankly, I can think of no better metaphor for where I currently am in life.

Happy Libra season, to those who celebrate. 💋💋💋

And while we’re paddling around the memories, he

And while we’re paddling around the memories, here’s a pic I just unearthed of my time on Cherry Tree Lane. There may have been a touch of makeup involved.
Pictured with my glorious partner in crime, Sarah Flind.
☂️
#MaryPoppins #RobertsonAy

Still can’t get my head around this either. Th

Still can’t get my head around this either.

The only time I ever bunked off school was when I went to London to see her in a matinee of ‘A Delicate Balance’. Best lesson of the year.

I’ve been obsessed with her for more than half my life, and will probably continue to be. I don’t think a week passes when my friends and I don’t discuss her in some way. Just a few days before she died, my mum asked me why I thought she was the greatest. I couldn’t really answer. I still can’t. And that’s fine. I think trying to summarise her talent is reductive. It’s a bit like trying to put fire in a box. The elements cannot be caged.
So, instead, I’m posting this. Isn’t it stunning? I’d not seen it until last week. And now every time I come on here I’ll be reminded what an absolute beauty she was.
Thanks, Mags, for the matinee and all the other lessons.

📸: Robert Deutsch

Please make it make sense. Prince Edward Theatre,

Please make it make sense.

Prince Edward Theatre, London. June, 2006. Gavin Creel joined us as the newest company member of ‘Mary Poppins’. Most of us had been in the show together for 8 months by this point. It can’t have been easy, joining a company alone like that. On top of this, Gavin was American and taking on one of the most quintessentially British (and most coveted) roles in the theatre. He arrived and within approximately 30 seconds we were all smitten.

He brought sunshine and charm. Charm for days. My God, that smile, those dimples. And that dirty twinkle. We were his. Immediately. And he was ours. He was our leader. How did he do that???
Well, he didn’t. That’s the trick. Watching Gavin lead a company I saw that it wasn’t about doing; it was about being. Centred. Calm. Kindness, grace, generosity. All the things people are now writing about him are true. So true. Weekly Saturday Krispy Kreme doughnut spreads in his dressing room also helped!

So many of us build up walls throughout life. And then there are the Gavins of the world: light oozing out, unencumbered. He was very easy to love.

And then there was the talent. That open spirit made him a beautiful actor. It’s why his Cornelius Hackl was such a joy. And, of course, the voice. The VOICE! And his total mastery of it. His impeccable musicianship. My God, his phrasing was sublime. All those portamentos! Who in musical theatre hasn’t sung along to him, wishing they could be him at some point or other?

If you don’t know his work, get thee to your nearest YouTube. If you’re unfamiliar with his extraordinary activism, get Googling. And if you’re unfamiliar with his song-writing, have a listen to ‘Whitney Houston’ (yep, that’s the name of the song). My God, it’s a bop.

I think that’s what I’m going to do right now because currently it feels like we’ve slipped into another dimension.
Please make it make sense.
💔

Come together, @cabaret_caerdydd, because I’m co

Come together, @cabaret_caerdydd, because I’m coming for you NEXT WEEK! FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER! And I can not wait! Get booking. 🎟️link in bio. 💋

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Photography by Leo Holden.

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