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The Hen & Chickens Theatre

dcoi — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:48:24 +0000

‘The whole pub’s a stage’, as we like to say at the Hen & Chickens Theatre Bar: a small but perfectly formed North London venue with a rich history of stand-up comedy. From upcoming theatre groups to the likes of Russell Brand and Jimmy Carr, acts at ‘the Chicks’ have proved as wonderfully diverse as our list of speciality drinks. Enjoy the best of the fringe over your favorite tipple and embrace both the characters treading our boards and those propping up the bar.The Hen & Chickens Theatre is a beautiful intimate venue with 54 individual raked seats in a black box end on space. It is upstairs in the cosey Victorian pub the Hen & Chickens Theatre Bar on Highbury corner. The Box office and stairs to the theatre are straight ahead as you enter the bar.

This wonderful venue has been established for over 25years and has an excellent reputation for new writing and comedy. Unrestricted View, the resident Production Company and have been producing shows and programming visiting companies for the last twelve years. Unrestricted View is run for and by actors and are committed to brilliant new writing and comedy
The shows at the Hen & Chickens are selected for their fun, relevance, humor, writing, quality of actors and directors, the promise of exciting companies, innovation, exploration of ideas, and enjoyment. We tend to veer towards lighthearted productions and do our best to support producers/performers striving for excellence in their field.

The theatre is well known for friendliness, atmosphere, and good times.
We have an excellent relationship with the pub and many an evening we can find the performers celebrating their artistic successes with their audience in the warmth of the candlelit bar. The Hen & Chickens Bar is well stocked with fine wines and an extensive list of beers and specialized spirits. Freshly cooked bar food is available.

What’s great about simple, fresh, seasonal cooking is that the quality speaks for itself.

The Hen & Chickens’ menu boasts a tasty range of snacks, sharing plates, main meals and puds using some of the best produce our British Isles have to offer. Try our Pork Belly Lardons with apricot and ginger chutney or warm up with a Peppered Steak Pie with creamy mashed potato, peas and gravy, finished off with the Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Entertainment at The Hen & Chickens Theatre Bar doesn’t stop at regular shows and comedy in the theatre; They have got up to all sorts, and here’s where you’ll find out about it. Why not join The Hen & Chickens Theatre Bar club to get details of events, news and offers on tap?

Tags:
The Hen & Chickens Theatre Bar, London Comedy Club, London Comedy, London Stand Up, London Improv, Comedy

Lock 17 Jongleurs

dcoi — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:47:59 +0000

Jongleurs Comedy Ltd has helped to launch the careers of some of the biggest names in comedy and show business such as Eddie Izzard, Harry Enfield, Al Murray, Jack Dee and Graham Norton. With over 25 years experience in the business and in excess of a 1,500 comedians at our finger tips, there’s no better place for booking a comedian.

Not surprisingly Jongleurs has

launched the comedy careers of some of Britain’s top comedy acts
provided 25+ years of comedy
made over 40,000,000 visitors laugh
produced over 60,000 comedy shows
opened 17 comedy clubs nationwide

Maria Kempinska established and opened the first Jongleurs club back in 1983 in Battersea, London. 2008 saw the brand celebrating its 25th Birthday. In 1985 Maria then met her business partner John Davy, and together they built the Jongleurs brand.Jongleurs Comedy Ltd is the company which owns the Jongleurs brand both within the UK and around the world.

Jongleurs Comedy Ltd is Europe’s largest chain of purpose built comedy clubs and the number one comedy brand in the UK. Boasting 25 years of consistent quality in delivery with over 3.5 million footfalls across 15 clubs nationwide, Jongleurs has a membership database of over 450,000 people.

The Jongleurs Brand is one of the world’s leading brands for comedy and provides a wide variety of events, content, marketing and business solutions for consumers and corporate clients.

“Comedy is a very exciting medium. It’s close up and you feel the interaction, and it’s not scripted yet it makes you laugh. Comedy has to be recognised as the best medium for communication. If you want to know what’s happening in a country, go to a club. Over the years, comedy has spread to a wider audience and comedians have developed to what the audiences of today want, which is politics, relationships and general lifestyle issues. I still get excited about auditioning new acts and bringing Jongleurs to a new town.In the business of comedy, the secret is to know what you are there for – and then to do what you do extremely well. It’s about being the best you can. Do what you want to do and do it absolutely brilliantly”.

Tags:
Ginglik , London Comedy Club, London Comedy, “City + Stand Up”, “City + Improv”, Comedy

Ginglik

dcoi — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:47:29 +0000

Ginglik is a self styled independent beat bunker committed to providing quality entertainment and customer service and creating a unique platform for established and emerging artists.

It is uniquely located in a converted subterranean Edwardian public convenience which was built to serve the spectators of the 1908 Olympic Games nearby at White City. Tammi Willis & Colin Welsh lovingly converted it from a snooker club in the summer of 2002, into a lush bunker venue that hosts live music, comedy nights, club nights, cabaret nights and art exhibitions.

It has attracted some of Britain’s most successful comedians, musicians, bands and DJ’s including Robin Williams, Rory Bremner, Jimmy Carr, Harry Hill, Frank Skinner, Paulo Nutini, Narina Pallot, Newton Faulkner, Larrikin Love, Jamie T, AirHammer, Laura Marling, Lucky Soul, The Holloways, Dustin’s Bar Mitzvah, Mary Anne Hobbs, DJ Krust, Alex Patterson and many many more.

They operate a membership policy which makes for a refreshingly friendly atmosphere and generates a community vibe unrivaled by any other London venue.

Their menu consists of a huge variety of snacks, cocktails, soft drinks, hard drinks, shooters, burgers, wraps, white,red and sparkling wine and much more in such a reasonable price. With their scrumptious taste of food and such a warm environment it is the best place to be in.

“The quintessential London experience is to cram yourself into a sweaty Soho basement to perspire alongside San Miguel-swigging recruitment consultants and middle-ranking cheap-suits, and wonder what the really cool people are doing tonight. The answer? They’ve all gone to Ginglik. Cocooned in a womblike shelter deep beneath Shepherd’s Bush Green and bathed in the soft glow of ultraviolet string sculpture, they enjoy an eclectic mixture of live music and cutting-edge DJs, multimedia performance, film and comedy nights. Contain your excitement. You’ve made it. You’re one of them now. ” london.flavourpill.net

Tags:
Ginglik , London Comedy Club, London Comedy, “City + Stand Up”, “City + Improv”, Comedy

The Camden Head

dcoi — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:47:02 +0000

The Camden Head (formerly Liberties Bar) is one of Camden’s oldest boozers, established in 1787. People come to the Camden Head to enjoy quality beers & pub food served up by friendly staff in a relaxed environment by day & live music and comedy gigs by night.

Since its time as Liberties, there have been significant changes to the pub including a redecorated bar & a new tasty pub. food menu at affordable prices. There’s also more quality comedy, live music & spoken word events in the versatile upstairs function room, and some of the more homely features like the cosy fire have been enhanced with the addition of chesterfield furniture around it. Coffee is served all day and we have free wi-fi courtesy of Heineken Hub. The function room, with its own sound system, is also available for parties & private functions.Friday and Saturday nights at The Camden Head feature DJs in the main bar & on any given evening, there’s more than just a smattering of music-lovers soaking up the tunes being played through the pub’s new sound system.

The Camden Head has something unique to offer you, be it for a great night out, a place to go for a drink before or after a concert, or just somewhere different to relax after a hard days shopping at the Camden Markets. Whether you’re a regular or a potential new customer at the Camden Head, we look forward to seeing you at the bar next time you’re in Camden Town.

While The Camden Head has always enjoyed a long relationship with comedy, a renewed energy began to burst through the walls when new owners took over in 2008 (when it was called Liberties). Since then a new wave of independent promoters and comedians have been running their own nights in the 50-seater venue, as well as it being used for the likes of The Camden Crawl and The Camden Fringe.

The list of names who’ve appeared in our venue is quite long now and includes People From The Telly, cult heroes and hot faces on the alternative scene. Here, in no particular order, are just a few you might’ve missed: Stephen Merchant, Alan Carr, Rich Hall, Peter Serafinowicz, Bob Mortimer, Stephen Carlin, Adam Riches, Simon Munnery, Roisin Conaty, Nick Helm, Pappy’s, Daniel Rigby, Anna And Katy, Cardinal Burns, Angelos Epithemiu, Danielle Ward, Trevor Lock, Simon Donald, Rich Fulcher, Sara Pascoe, Jerry Sadowitz and many more.

The Camden Head sits in the heart of Islington, tucked away on the cobbled Camden Passage.
It couldn’t be more perfectly placed – It is just off the bustling heart Angel, across from the N1 Centre, in the heart of the Historic Antique Market – and only a stones throw away from the tranquil Regents Canal towpath.
It’s the perfect pub for summer or winter, with it’s stunning, original, wooden interiors it has a warm cosy feel in the winter months, whilst in the summer, the large open beer garden gives you a chance to soak up the sun and enjoy a jug of Pimms.
As well as hosting one of London’s busiest comedy nights it is also open late at weekends and has the friendliest bar staff this side of Dublin!

Quite simply, if you’re drinking anywhere else, you’ll still wish you were here!

Tags:
The Camden Head, London Comedy Club, London Comedy, London Stand Up, London Improv, Comedy

Madame JoJo’s

dcoi — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:46:37 +0000

There has been a nightclub on this spot in Brewer Street since at least the early 1950s, when Soho was London’s most famous red-light district, populated by the sleazy, scar-faced underworld gang leaders who had thrived in the post-war era. It is believed the club acquired the famous name of Madame Jojo’s some time in the 1960s. In that decade it was bought by Paul Raymond, who can be said to have preserved much of Soho as we know it today, simply by buying most of it and leaving it alone, so that it remains largely untouched by the brutality of modern re-development.

One of Raymond’s most famous properties was the Whitehall Theatre, built in 1930, the golden age of Art Deco. Its interior was rich with typical Deco motifs such as geometric shapes, zigzags, birds, fountains and conch-shells. Decades later, many of its fittings and decorations were removed and rehoused in a tiny nightclub next to the Raymond Revuebar. This little place, Madame Jojo’s, was by now part of the Raymond empire. The Whitehall’s geometric railings and light fittings, its ‘theatre-curtain’ plaster mouldings and Deco fountains, were in perfect harmony with Madame Jojo’s red plush velvet and gilt ambience. Soaked in showbiz legend, they found their ideal home.

In the 1960s the thriving Madame Jojo’s was next-door neighbour to a famous Chinese restaurant called Mr Harry’s, which later became the Piano Bar. The Piano Bar and Madame Jojo’s together made Brewer Street the hub of the Sixties Soho buzz. Through the decades, girls had twirled their tassels on the tiny stage. By the 1980s Madame Jojo’s was highly celebrated as a cabaret and burlesque venue. This was a golden era for drag performance, with shows every night at Madame Jojo’s, featuring such legendary drag artistes as Ruby Venzuela, Lily Savage, Adrella and Regina Fong. Through the 80s and 90s, Madame Jojo’s became a forum for alternative cabaret.

Spectacular sandwiches, hearty home-style meals, sumptuous salads, abundant sweets, original desserts, nibbles and tapas all bursting with flavour, ready for your lunch on the run or dinner at home.
The team of talented chefs at Madame Jojo’s Foodstore specialise in creating addictive, gourmet delights made from the finest fresh seasonal ingredients.

Madame Jojo’s can also cater any event from a casual picnic, a week long bach stay to a business lunch, cocktail party or company function.

The 1990s brought the boom in DJ culture. Madame Jojo’s embraced the clubbing era with open arms, becoming home to many world-famous club nights, such as Electrogogo, Deep Funk, Groove Sanctuary and White Heat. The peculiar chemistry between this little Soho club, and hordes of young music-lovers, has never been recreated in any other venue. New visitors invariably fall in love with its unique atmosphere, finding it the perfect place to enjoy an eclectic range of musical genres and live bands.
Nowadays, cabaret has come full circle. Burlesque and variety are back in a big way, with new audiences discovering the pleasure of watching live entertainment on stage, skilled artists performing in their natural habitat, the classic, intimate West End nightclub. Still going strong after 50 years, Madame Jojo’s is the jewel in Soho’s crown – its place in West End history is assured.

Part of Paul Raymond’s extensive Soho empire, this late-night cabaret/burlesque/drag/DJ club and live music venue has a long and colourful history. It specialises in – but by no means limits itself to – showcases from emerging major label acts, or successful overseas artists hoping to crack the UK. It’s home (every Tuesday) to popular and reliably hip, live alternative music night White Heat and (every Thursday) superior cabaret showcase Bête Noire. Look out too for the terrific fortnightly Magic Night.

Tags:
Madame JoJo’s, London Comedy Club, London Comedy, London Stand Up, London Improv, Comedy