Andrew Pepper Live at The Crazy Coqs Every Month

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Cabaret

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

theandrewpepper

Limby.
NEXT: Friday 4th October @cabaret_caerdydd. 🎟️👇

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. 💋

Ooooh, it’s like a trilogy. 3/3. Thank you soooo

Ooooh, it’s like a trilogy. 3/3.
Thank you sooooo much to all the lovely people who took the time to say such lovely things after my show t’other week. You’ve filled my heart to burst. 💗

More loveliness from last week’s profoundly love

More loveliness from last week’s profoundly lovely audience. Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏🥰

The audience was full of lovely people last weeken

The audience was full of lovely people last weekend. Some of them even got in front of the camera to demonstrate their loveliness. Here are 3 such lovelies to whom I am profoundly grateful. 🙏🙏🙏💗

@cabaret_caerdydd, we’re coming for you in 3 wee

@cabaret_caerdydd, we’re coming for you in 3 weeks! We somehow managed to split @_alexmaynard in two at the weekend, but we’ll have him taped back together by the time we’re with you - FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER!

Oh, and please scroll right for details of our rider. Ta. 💋

#CabaretCardiff #CabaretCaerdydd

All good things must end… for now… We’ve ado

All good things must end… for now…
We’ve adoooored our monthly residency @crazycoqs this year, but we have to draw the curtain as panto calls (those kids ain’t gonna scare themselves now). However, we still have one last show up our sleeve, and we’re gonna deliver it with a bang.
💥 SUNDAY 20th OCTOBER - 7.30pm 💥
Tickets on sale now. 👆

Obligatory post-show carnage. To @crazycoqs and al

Obligatory post-show carnage.
To @crazycoqs and all who sailed in her last night: YOU BLED US DRYYYYY! And we’re here for it. Big time!
I’m not one for favourites, but if I were… last night was everything and I couldn’t be happier. THANK YOU!
We’ll be back @crazycoqs one last time this year on Sunday 20th October; and ahead of that we’ll be @cabaret_caerdydd on Friday 4th October.
Tickets in links etcetera, etceteraaa.

Right, am off to sleep and steam. Byeeeee.
💋💗🙏🕺🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

#CabaretCardiff #CabaretCaerdydd

🧞‍♀️ Over the pink moon to be spending Ch

🧞‍♀️
Over the pink moon to be spending Christmas with this bunch of lovelies at the wonderful @lyrichammersmith. Come see us! If the audition is anything to go by, things are gonna be FUN!

More smouldering and pointing on SUNDAY 8th SEPTEM

More smouldering and pointing on SUNDAY 8th SEPTEMBER; and if you come along I might even smoulder and point at you.
@crazycoqs
🎟️ link in bio.

As some of you know, this is also a part-time Caro

As some of you know, this is also a part-time Carol Channing appreciation account. 🤣
Thanks to Aurora Spiderwoman for uploading this to YouTube. I found it whilst deep diving last night and was especially tickled by this moment. Look at her working the room! 👌
#CarolChanning leading the #HelloDolly US tour in 1983. This clip also features a delightfully amenable Davis Gaines as Cornelius.

Louise Penn (from @loureviews.blog) stopped by the

Louise Penn (from @loureviews.blog) stopped by the Coqs on Sunday and wrote a gorgeous review of the show. I shall post a link somewhere, but in the meantime I have to share this quote which I’m absolutely obsessed with. Thanks, Louise! 🙏

Sometimes life throws you a curveball that’s fra

Sometimes life throws you a curveball that’s frankly so curvy it could probably pass as a boomerang. But if you’re lucky, sometimes life sends you a hero in the shape of @daeleedrums to come and save the day.
We had a BIG show on Sunday. Our drummer, Tristan, was flying back from France and coming straight from the airport. The Universe had other ideas…
From the runway in Nice, Tristan made a call to Dae. Dae then hot-footed it to the @crazycoqs. He arrived less than 2 hours before the show, having never met us, seen or heard the music, and knowing absolutely diddly-squat about the show. My genius and frankly exceptional MD (@_alexmaynard) proceeded to talk Dae through Act One of the show, whilst sitting in the dressing room (there was another show going on in the cabaret room). And reader, believe me when I say this show is INTRICATE. At about 7pm we managed to get on to the stage and have a quick rehearsal. Thanks as ever to the wonderous @crazycoqs who got the room ready for us and kept the audience at bay as we milked every minute available. We then ran to the dressing room, as the audience entered the room, and then ten minutes later we started the show.
After Act 1, we returned to the dressing room and Alex taught Dae Act 2, whilst I spent 15 minutes trying to work out the braces on my new trousers. And then we were back on.
Now, here’s the thing… the show was a triumph! I’m still in shock. How did Dae pull that off? How? How? The man is a wizard. If ever you need a real life hero, look him up! Thank you, Dae, for being off the charts (sometimes literally) brilliant and so shockingly unflappable. Thank you, to the peerless @_alexmaynard for leading us through the storm with such clarity and, as ever, for being a sea of tranquility (this metaphor is a bit murky but let’s stick with it). Thanks again to @crazycoqs and Amelia on lights and sound for all their support and sangfroid. And major thanks to the audience who rewarded us with so much patience and love.
What. A. Night.
💗💗💗💗💗

TOMORROW! 7.30pm @crazycoqs! One last time before

TOMORROW! 7.30pm @crazycoqs! One last time before summer recess.

Avengers, assemble! Only 2 more sleeps till we’

Avengers, assemble!
Only 2 more sleeps till we’re back @crazycoqs!
Theatrical MAGIC and the BEST air-con in town.
Join us! 🐓
⭐️SUNDAY 21st JULY - 7.30pm⭐️

Only 4 more days till we’re back @crazycoqs. Ou

Only 4 more days till we’re back @crazycoqs.
Our last Sunday service before summer recess. Tickets available in the link oop there. 🎟️👆

⭐️SUNDAY 21st JULY - 7.30pm⭐️

📸: @popdreamer

Elaine Stritch serving angles and giving me life i

Elaine Stritch serving angles and giving me life in Noël Coward’s ‘Sail Away’, courtesy of @james_grissom’s wonderful Instagram page. 📷 by Friedman-Abeles.
I met La Stritch once. It was at the Cafe Carlyle in NYC (2005, I think). She was making her cabaret debut, aged 80! She’d just stepped off stage and was walking through the room, thanking everyone for coming! She thundered up to me (yes, she came up to me!), shoved her hand in mine, thanked me, and then moved on to the next person. I’m not sure how many syllables I got out. I remember her skin was so soft.
My overriding memory of that night though was her saying, “I really want to do a three act play… so here’s a song by Steve Sondheim” and then launching into a killer ‘Could I Leave You?’ Now where’s the bootleg for that, YouTube?! I can still hear her on each “Leave you?” She wrung out the vowel till it was about 3 notes. Leeeeeeave you? Leeeeeeeave you? It took an eternity. Hilarious and deadly.

Oooh, ya big tease! If you wanna see more, we’re

Oooh, ya big tease!
If you wanna see more, we’re back at it on ⭐️⭐️SUNDAY 21st JULY⭐️⭐️
3 weeks today @crazycoqs.
Tickets available in the bio link.👆

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Photography by Leo Holden.

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