EastEnd Cabaret
Encyclopedia
EastEnd Cabaret are a musical comedy cabaret
duo based in London
, England
, originally formed in late 2009.
EastEnd Cabaret consists of Bernadette Byrne (played by Jennifer Byrne), a pan-European chanteuse of mysterious origin, and Victor Victoria (Victoria Falconer-Pritchard), a bilateral hermaphrodite
reminiscent of the "sideshow" male/female Josephine Joseph
. They are known for their mix of original songs and re-appropriated classics including songs from Radiohead
and Right Said Fred
.
Aided by Bernadette's set of Bolshevik
puppets including the erudite Mr Little Red Book, Mr Hammer and Miss Sickle, the pair aim to enlighten and seduce members of the audience into a life of communism
with "Mr Little Red Book's Guide to Good Sex".
Named as one of Time Out London's "Cabaret Superstars" in January 2011 the article featured the 'top ten cabaret performers' on the London scene, who were presented on a series of ten different front covers, including David Hoyle, Le Gateaux Chocolat, Jonny Woo
and Dusty Limits
.
comedy
songs such as "Is It In Yet?" and "Ping Pong", but also for their recontextualisation
of other material, subverting the meanings of songs by Radiohead
, Britney Spears
, Nick Cave
, Right Said Fred
, John Lennon
, David Bowie
and others.
November 2009 saw the first ever incarnation of EastEnd Cabaret at the iconic East End pub owned by artist Pauline Forster
, The George Tavern
. The show was called Bernadette Byrne and the EastEnd Cabaret, and took the form of a cabaret revue, featuring guest poet Tim Wells and comic James Kermack. The show was written by Jennifer Byrne and Victoria Falconer-Pritchard, and consisted of original songs and subverted covers such as 'Roxanne' by the Police
. The cast included a backing group duo called The Unfortunate Three, who accompanied Bernadette as she told tales of the East End, her de-flowering of PC World
employees, as well as the introduction of Mr Little Red Book's Guide to Good Sex.
In March 2010, the main characters of the EastEnd Cabaret show became a duo: Bernadette Byrne and Victor Victoria. Their first performance as a double act was at Carnivale, Whitechapel
and featured original songs, interwoven stories, improvised songs and covers. The Carnivale residency finished on August 8, 2010 after a performance in London's Alternative Fringe Festival.
July 2010 saw EastEnd Cabaret begin a new residency at one of London's most notorious cabaret bars, CellarDoor in Aldwych
, confirming the duo as rising stars of the "new cabaret" scene. The show continues to be critically acclaimed, and follows a similar format set out in their previous appearances, with the characters hosting the evening, interacting with the audience, and performing new, provocative material and improvised song.
"Dark Carnival: Notes from Underground" at the newly-opened The Old Vic Tunnels was a collaborative arts festival curated by The Old Vic, with an aim to "push the limits of art form and interaction". Bernadette and Victor Victoria were asked to take shelter in the tunnels and create songs, stories and puppet
shows for the unsuspecting audience members, acting as hosts throughout each of the evenings.
aesthetic, Bernadette and Victor Victoria aim to seduce audiences and lead them into a life of communism
by mixing a step-by-step guide to sexual positions with quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong
. Bernadette controls the puppet Mr Little Red Book, as he guides the audience though the various sexual positions, each with overtly political connotations. Positions include The Trotsky
Tickle, The Tory
Tit Wank, Fidel
Fruit Bowl and Bourgeois Bondage
. The positions are demonstrated by Victor Victoria using Hammer and Sickle
puppets, Mr Hammer and Miss Sickle.
in the heart of Soho. The squat was taken over by a collective named The Oubliette Arthouse in a building that once housed the Limelight Club, famed for infamous celebrity nightclubbers including Prince
. The aim of 'The Attic' was to recreate the experimental, intimate and informal atmosphere of early cabaret
bars in Paris
and Berlin
, creating a liberating space for performers and audience alike.
EastEnd Cabaret's first full length-show was entitled The Revolution Will Be Sexual,, playing on their communist roots and overtly sexual delectations. The show is a 45 minute exploration of all that the duo are famed for; re-appropriated classic tunes in their own Eastern Bloc
style, salacious original songs about all things deviant, and education from Bernadette's sexually informative puppets. The duo were awarded four and five star reviews across the board, along with a "Must See" accolade from The Stage
and a Total Theatre Award nomination for Best Emerging Company.
In June 2011, the duo appeared on BBC London
's Late Night Show with Joanne Good
, performing 'Is It In Yet' to a shocked host and adoring listeners Although the song contained no swearing and was appearing on late radio, the host apologised on behalf of the BBC for the content of the song and insisted the listeners phone in if they thought it inappropriate. However, with no negative feed back from listeners, Good played the song again several times throughout the show.
Londonist by Franco Milazzo
London Is Cool by William Wallace
Time Out Melbourne interview by Vanessa Mulquiney
What's On Stage review by Scott Purvis
Three Weeks review by Alison Treacy
The Skinny review by Daph Karoulla
Hairline review by Benn Beaton
Fest Mag review by Catherine Sylvain
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
duo based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, originally formed in late 2009.
EastEnd Cabaret consists of Bernadette Byrne (played by Jennifer Byrne), a pan-European chanteuse of mysterious origin, and Victor Victoria (Victoria Falconer-Pritchard), a bilateral hermaphrodite
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
reminiscent of the "sideshow" male/female Josephine Joseph
Josephine Joseph
Josephine Joseph was a Polish Austrian whose body was supposedly split down the middle, one side female and the other male. She claimed to be a true hermaphrodite, but there is no evidence to confirm whether this was the case or not; she may have just been a very skilled male/female...
. They are known for their mix of original songs and re-appropriated classics including songs from Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
and Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred is an English pop band, formed in 1989 by brothers Richard Fairbrass and Fred Fairbrass, later joined by their friend Rob Manzoli. The group is named after a song of the same name which was a hit for Bernard Cribbins in 1962...
.
Aided by Bernadette's set of Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
puppets including the erudite Mr Little Red Book, Mr Hammer and Miss Sickle, the pair aim to enlighten and seduce members of the audience into a life of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
with "Mr Little Red Book's Guide to Good Sex".
Named as one of Time Out London's "Cabaret Superstars" in January 2011 the article featured the 'top ten cabaret performers' on the London scene, who were presented on a series of ten different front covers, including David Hoyle, Le Gateaux Chocolat, Jonny Woo
Johnny Woo (comedian)
Jonny Woo is an acclaimed British comedian and drag queen, with a cult following.Tranny Superstar' or 'Shoreditch's Ringmaster'? 'Bearded Drag Queen' or 'theatrical polymath'? In short, Jonny Woo is a performance artist most often seen performing in heels...
and Dusty Limits
Dusty Limits
Dusty Limits is a cabaret singer and comedian based in the United Kingdom, and one of the leading figures on the “new cabaret” scene.-Biography:Dusty Limits first appeared in cabaret in Brisbane, Australia, and made his European debut in 1999...
.
Brief History
EastEnd Cabaret are best known for their original dark cabaretDark Cabaret
Dark cabaret may be a simple description of the theme and mood of a cabaret performance, but more recently has come to define a particular musical genre which draws on the aesthetics of the decadent, risqué German Weimar-era cabarets, burlesque and vaudeville shows with the stylings of post-1970s...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
songs such as "Is It In Yet?" and "Ping Pong", but also for their recontextualisation
Recontextualisation
Recontextualisation is a process that extracts text, signs or meaning from its original context in order to introduce it into another context. Since the meaning of texts and signs depend on their context, recontextualisation implies a change of meaning, and often of the communicative purpose too...
of other material, subverting the meanings of songs by Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred is an English pop band, formed in 1989 by brothers Richard Fairbrass and Fred Fairbrass, later joined by their friend Rob Manzoli. The group is named after a song of the same name which was a hit for Bernard Cribbins in 1962...
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and others.
November 2009 saw the first ever incarnation of EastEnd Cabaret at the iconic East End pub owned by artist Pauline Forster
Pauline Forster
Pauline Forster is an English Artist, Performer, Musician, Designer and Landlady of The George Tavern in the East End of London. She is best known for her Dog On performance, a mirrored Ford Capri outside the Tate Modern on its opening day, 8 May 2000...
, The George Tavern
George Tavern
The George Tavern is a famous East End pub and music venue located at 373 Commercial Rd, London E1. It was formerly known as the Halfway House.A Grade II listed public house in the heart of the East End, owned and run by artist Pauline Forster...
. The show was called Bernadette Byrne and the EastEnd Cabaret, and took the form of a cabaret revue, featuring guest poet Tim Wells and comic James Kermack. The show was written by Jennifer Byrne and Victoria Falconer-Pritchard, and consisted of original songs and subverted covers such as 'Roxanne' by the Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
. The cast included a backing group duo called The Unfortunate Three, who accompanied Bernadette as she told tales of the East End, her de-flowering of PC World
PC World (retailer)
PC World is OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT one of the WHER MA MEMORY STICK ?!?!??! United Kingdom's largest chains of mass-market computer superstores. It is part of Dixons Retail plc. PC World operates under the brand name PC City in Spain, Italy and Sweden....
employees, as well as the introduction of Mr Little Red Book's Guide to Good Sex.
In March 2010, the main characters of the EastEnd Cabaret show became a duo: Bernadette Byrne and Victor Victoria. Their first performance as a double act was at Carnivale, Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
and featured original songs, interwoven stories, improvised songs and covers. The Carnivale residency finished on August 8, 2010 after a performance in London's Alternative Fringe Festival.
July 2010 saw EastEnd Cabaret begin a new residency at one of London's most notorious cabaret bars, CellarDoor in Aldwych
Aldwych
Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England.-Description:Aldwych, the road, is a crescent, connected to the Strand at both ends. At its centre, it meets the Kingsway...
, confirming the duo as rising stars of the "new cabaret" scene. The show continues to be critically acclaimed, and follows a similar format set out in their previous appearances, with the characters hosting the evening, interacting with the audience, and performing new, provocative material and improvised song.
"Dark Carnival: Notes from Underground" at the newly-opened The Old Vic Tunnels was a collaborative arts festival curated by The Old Vic, with an aim to "push the limits of art form and interaction". Bernadette and Victor Victoria were asked to take shelter in the tunnels and create songs, stories and puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
shows for the unsuspecting audience members, acting as hosts throughout each of the evenings.
Mr Little Red Book's Guide to Good Sex
WIth a somewhat champagne socialistChampagne socialist
Champagne socialist is a pejorative political term originating in the United Kingdom. The phrase is used to describe self identified socialists whose comfortable upper middle class lifestyles are perceived to be incompatible with their professed political convictions...
aesthetic, Bernadette and Victor Victoria aim to seduce audiences and lead them into a life of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
by mixing a step-by-step guide to sexual positions with quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
. Bernadette controls the puppet Mr Little Red Book, as he guides the audience though the various sexual positions, each with overtly political connotations. Positions include The Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
Tickle, The Tory
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Tit Wank, Fidel
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
Fruit Bowl and Bourgeois Bondage
Bondage (sexual)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
. The positions are demonstrated by Victor Victoria using Hammer and Sickle
Hammer and sickle
The hammer and sickle is a part of communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, a Communist party, or a Communist state. It features a hammer and a sickle overlapping each other. The two tools are symbols of the industrial proletariat and the peasantry; placing them...
puppets, Mr Hammer and Miss Sickle.
EastEnd Cabaret presents The Attic
December 2010, EastEnd Cabaret created 'The Attic' a pop-up cabaret bar in a squatSquatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
in the heart of Soho. The squat was taken over by a collective named The Oubliette Arthouse in a building that once housed the Limelight Club, famed for infamous celebrity nightclubbers including Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
. The aim of 'The Attic' was to recreate the experimental, intimate and informal atmosphere of early cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
bars in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, creating a liberating space for performers and audience alike.
EastEnd Cabaret: The Revolution Will Be Sexual
In their first outing to Edinburgh FringeEdinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
EastEnd Cabaret's first full length-show was entitled The Revolution Will Be Sexual,, playing on their communist roots and overtly sexual delectations. The show is a 45 minute exploration of all that the duo are famed for; re-appropriated classic tunes in their own Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
style, salacious original songs about all things deviant, and education from Bernadette's sexually informative puppets. The duo were awarded four and five star reviews across the board, along with a "Must See" accolade from The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
and a Total Theatre Award nomination for Best Emerging Company.
Radio
In February 2011, EastEnd Cabaret appeared on JOY FM in Melbourne, Australia, performing live and discussing their sell-out show at The Butterfly Club. They appeared on an episode of The Cabaret Room with Paul Williamson known as the heartbeat of the Melbourne cabaret scene.In June 2011, the duo appeared on BBC London
BBC London
BBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London and parts of the surrounding area. Its output includes the daily BBC London News and the weekly Politics Show on television, the BBC London 94.9 radio station and local coverage of the...
's Late Night Show with Joanne Good
JoAnne Good
JoAnne Dorothy Good is a British radio presenter, television presenter, broadcast journalist and actor.-Actor:As an actor, she is best known for her role as Carol Sands in the ITV soap Crossroads from 1982 to 1984. She played a schoolgirl in the 1978 cult British horror film Killer's Moon, and...
, performing 'Is It In Yet' to a shocked host and adoring listeners Although the song contained no swearing and was appearing on late radio, the host apologised on behalf of the BBC for the content of the song and insisted the listeners phone in if they thought it inappropriate. However, with no negative feed back from listeners, Good played the song again several times throughout the show.
2010
Erotic Review Magazine, posted by Eleanor HarvieLondonist by Franco Milazzo
London Is Cool by William Wallace
2011
Time Out London London's 10 Cabaret Superstars, interview by Ben WaltersTime Out Melbourne interview by Vanessa Mulquiney
What's On Stage review by Scott Purvis
Three Weeks review by Alison Treacy
The Skinny review by Daph Karoulla
Hairline review by Benn Beaton
Fest Mag review by Catherine Sylvain
Other Notable Appearances
- July 2010 - Madam Jojo's - London's Alternative Fringe
- August 2010 - Dark Carnivale, Old Vic Tunnels,
- September 2010 - Theatre Souk, Theatre Delicatessen
- February 2011 - The Butterfly Club, Melbourne
- May 2011 - The Brick House, East End Film FestivalEast End Film FestivalThe East End Film Festival is one of the biggest film festivals in London. Taking place annually in various venues throughout East London, the festival "showcases hot new talent and homegrown films alongside larger independent releases and special events, informing and inspiring a new generation of...
- August 2011 - Edinburgh Festival Fringe
- September 2011 - Boom Boom Club, Old VicOld VicThe Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
Tunnels - October 2011 - Torture GardenTorture Garden (fetish club)Torture Garden is a fetish club in London, UK. The club started in 1990 and is now Europe's largest fetish club, featuring monthly at the Mass Club in the converted St. Matthews Church, Brixton...