Come along and celebrate the life of our former President Roy Hudd at the Sondheim Theatre at 5pm on Sunday 14th May 2023 in a one-off ‘News Huddlines’ reuniting some of the original cast members including Chris Emmett and Alison Steadman.
Tickets and further information can be found here.
| Royal Hippodrome Theatre, Eastbourne Saturday 3rd June 2023 10.30am – 6.15pm A full day of music hall, variety, comedy, song, mind reading, ventriloquism, archive film clips and interviews. |
Booking for BMHS members opens on Monday 30th January 2023. A booking form was included in the winter edition of The Call Boy. Tickets go on general sale on Monday 6th March 2023.
Tickets: £32.
The theatre’s box office telephone number is 01323 802020 or you can book online here.
Artistes appearing include Bernie Clifton, Hilary O’Neil, Max Fulham, Andy Eastwood, Matt Daniel-Baker, Peter John, Richard Gauntlett, Philip Day, Michelle Grant, Jane Horn, Kevin Gauntlett, The cast of the Hippodrome’s 2023 summer show, Don’t Stop The Music, Carol Anne Wells and Laurence Payne.
Sadly, Dame Maureen Lipman has had to pull out as she will be appearing in London during May and June in her one-woman play Rose. However, we are delighted that Susie Blake will be joining us that day, chatting about her long career which includes working with Frankie Howerd, Russ Abbot, Victoria Wood and Roy Hudd; appearances on Coronation Street and Mrs Brown’s Boys; and stage roles in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em with Joe Pasquale; When We Are Married and Wicked. Susie is currently touring in the Agatha Christie play The Mirror Crack’d playing the leading role of Miss Marple.
British Music Hall Society
AGM
Sunday 26th March 2023 2.30pm
THE BRITISH MUSIC HALL SOCIETY’S ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
will take place on
Sunday 26th March 2023 at 2.30pm
at the Water Rats, 328 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8BZ
Hear what the Society has achieved in the past year, plans for the future and vote for your future Committee. Once the business side of the AGM is dealt with, there will be tea, coffee and biscuits and a chance to meet fellow members of the Society.
Join us for a pre-AGM lunch at the Water Rats at 12.30pm, with two courses available for £20. If you would like to have lunch with us beforehand, please contact Dean Caston by email contact@britishmusichallsociety.com and select from the following menu choices:
MAIN
Roast Chicken served with Roast Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables & Gravy
Roast Beef served with Roast Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables & Gravy
Vegetarian option
DESSERT
Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Lemon Posset
We look forward to seeing you there.
Peter Charlton will tell the story of Jay Laurier from red-nose comic to Shakespearian knight with some silly songs joined together with Nine Inch Nails. Peter will be accompanied by Stephen Lethbridge at the keyboard.
Venue: The Water Rats, 328 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8BZ.
Time: 7.30pm
Book tickets here.
PETER CHARLTON trained at The Northern Theatre School, Bradford. His professional debut was in 1954 in “The Housemaster” with The Castle Players at the Grand Theatre Lancaster, alongside Frank Finlay and David Pugh. After touring with the Northern Childrens’ Theatre, a season with the 1957 York Mystery Plays (where Judi Dench made her debut) and a few weeks with York Rep, he went off to do National Service, mainly with NATO in France. On demob Peter spent some years with various repertory companies, tours, puppets and the occasional variety show ending up at the Prince of Wales in London with Max Bygraves. There followed a long spell with BBC TV, most of it writing and directing childrens’ television programmes. Music Hall sort of crept in one day and refused to go away starting with Professor Alexander’s Vintage Music Hall and including the Players Theatre, the Bee & Bustle Music Hall and a tour of East Coast America. Passionately interested in the history of Music Hall, Peter is currently one of the Historians of the British Music Hall Society.
Our final ‘In the Limelight’ talk of the year is next week, on Thursday 17th November at 7.30pm at the Water Rats. Midge Gillies will be talking about the history of Piccadilly Circus, the subject of her latest book which she describes as “a people’s history” of Piccadilly Circus. She will discuss how music hall performers helped to turn the world-famous junction into “the hub of the universe” and why one police officer described it as “the wickedest pavement in England”. Her illustrated talk will describe what went on at the London Pavilion and how its history marked the changing world of music hall. She will tell the story of the acts who performed at the subterranean night club, the Café de Paris and its tragic finale, as well as the big bands who performed at the GIs’ favourite, Rainbow Corner, and the more sedate Criterion. She will introduce you to performers such as the “Man/Doll” Phroso, invite you to take a cup of tea at the first Lyon’s Tea Shop and explain why Piccadilly Circus was the best place in the world to celebrate – whatever your class or means.
Many of you will be familiar with Midge from her 1999 biography of Marie Lloyd, The One and Only. Midge also spoke most eloquently about Marie’s life at our recent commemoration service. Tickets may be booked via Ticketsource and the booking link can be found here.
As part of the Society for Theatre Research (STR) lecture series, Tony Liddington will be talking about pierrot troupes on Tuesday 13th December at 7.30pm.
The pierrot troupes grew from a single idea into a major international cultural industry, which boosted morale and national identity during the UK’s times of crisis. Tony Liddington will draw upon his 2022 book – “Don’t Forget The Pierrots!” The Complete History of British Pierrot Troupes & Concert Parties, which is the first scholarly exploration of this popular performance form and its heritage.
Further details can be found on the STR website here.
Join us to celebrate the life of the internationally-renowned actor/comic/impressionist & opera singer, Joan Turner. Actor/Author/Comic/Singer David Benson hosts a deliberately-excessive celebration of La Turner’s ‘best bits’ covering the six decades, during which she developed and shared her unique talent with fans – who, loyally, stayed with her through thick and thin.
Click here for YouTube link to trailer.
Tickets for the 7:30pm performance on Tuesday 1 November 2022 at The Water Rats, 328 Grays Inn Road, King’s Cross, London, WC1X 8BZ are available from Ticketsource here
britishmusichallsociety 