REVIEW: Ada Campe: Unexpectedly Cheerful at the Phoenix Arts Club (Online)

It has been a year since the first lockdown shook up our lives and produced the most surreal 365 days, I for one, have ever experienced. This (temporary) reality we have been forced into has mandated we adapt to unimaginable novel conditions and that human contact transform into a virtual concept. For some, the choice has been to ride out the storm quietly in solitude but, if you expect a global pandemic to keep a cabaret down, think again! 

The Phenix Arts Club, known for entertaining entertainers, is the definition of a London theatre institution steeped in history and renowned for welcoming in the who's who of the West End and up and coming performers alike. The journey through its side street doors and down its dark stairs to discover an array of weird and wonderful entertainment has been sorely missed by many during this strange time so to combat this separation anxiety, ONLINE from the Phoenix Arts Club has been launched on Friday nights. Streaming in HD from February 26th, this series brings some of Londons most beloved verity acts into your home completely live.

REVIEW: A (Socially Distanced) Evening with Patsy May at the Phoenix Arts Club

A room full of adults belly-laughing, totally on-board and absorbing every comical moment of ‘Patsy May’s Socially Distanced Show' was a delight to attend and a huge uplifting celebration of musical theatre, film, travel and looking at the brighter side of life. Proving copious viable skills to any doubters, in a furry ball of pink and blue adult-level humour from 2014’s Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Laura Bacon has produced a precise, manicured and pacy show which fires on all cylinders. Her best work yet!

 

From the outset, Patsy captivated the room and set the tone for the night ahead. Joined by Lee Van Geleen (Les Miserables, Only Fools and Horses) who had a faultless charisma and chemistry with Patsy, numerous West End-quality vocals landed on an appreciative audience - marred only by Patsy’s mother interrupting the climax of a Sweeney Todd classic, popping up on Skype in a hilarious exchange on the video screen behind them.

Yuriko Kotani (BBC New Comedy Award) provided excellent comical variation involving the audience and adding an interactive element to the evening and felt very much part of the well-rehearsed, slick performance.