Hippodrome Casino to host live performance
The Hippodrome,
the iconic Leicester Square variety and music hall venue that closed
as a public performance venue in 2009, will be home to live
performance again from 2 July. Live
at the Hippodrome
will host one-off events, late night slots and week-long residencies
from British and international performers in a 182-seat venue called
The Matcham Room.
open was built in 1900 by Frank Matcham, the architect who later went
on to design
the London
Coliseum and
London
Palladium.
It operated as a venue for variety, circus and music hall – from
1958 as legendary nightclub, The Talk of the Town – until nightclub
impresario Peter Stringfellow reopened it as a club and
restaurant in 1983.
The venue was forced to close to the public in 2005 after it
lost its alcohol license, but was reopened as a public performance
space again in 2008 by the producers of cabaret/circus hit La
Clique. The show ran at the Hippodrome for nearly a year
before the venue closed again, this time to make way for a £15 million
renovation as a casino. The Hippodrome Casino is due to open in early July.
Acts
confirmed for the inaugural events in July
include Janie Dee, Jane Monheit, Tony Christie, Kate
Dimbleby, Julian Ovenden and Miss Polly Rae. Future
dates in 2012 will include evenings with Maria Friedman, Adam
Guettel (with Jonathan Ansell), Ruthie Henshall, Barb Jungr,
David McAlmont, Gwyneth Herbert, Kerry Ellis, Judy Kuhn,
Stefanie Powers, Suzi Quatro, Hot Club of Cowtown, Lea DeLaria
and Cerys Matthews.
Independent theatre producer
Nick Frankfort, former executive director at the Donmar Warehouse,
is in charge of programming at the new space. Tickets will
cost between £25 and £35 per event.
Simon Thomas, owner of the
Hippodrome Casino, said in a statement: “People
are surprised when I say the Hippodrome Casino is not just about
gaming. We’re about fun, entertainment and great food and drink in
amazing surroundings. Live
at the Hippodrome
is an essential part of that unique mix. Not only because I could
not, personally, have taken on the challenge of re-building the
Hippodrome without committing to a reawakening of its performance
history, but also because London is crying out for a performance
space to host the rich breadth of artists that Nick’s programming
presents.”
