These really are the most wonderfully written and excitingly conceived songs. Few people today – in this country, at least – can master the intricacies of rhyme in the way that Bermange can; and there is significant pleasure to be derived from hearing these wonderful ‘escapades’ into punning, twisting lyrical creation.
As a tasty confection, what they have to offer is hard to beat. You get to the end of it longing for more and are secretly delighted to have discovered a new addiction. I can’t wait for the next helping and I believe more is coming. Let it be soon!
The Night Crazy Coqs at Brasserie Zedel 2nd January 2017 4 Stars Fast becoming one of the most significant events in the cabaret calendar, this entertaining monthly gathering, pioneered by the indefatigable Tom Crowley and trusty cohorts, is a wonderful place to enjoy ‘alternative’ comedy and music in the comparatively safe surroundings of a respectable West End club. On this occasion, the event was made particularly special through its coincidence with Mr Crowley’s keenly anticipated 30th birthday: an anniversary milked tonight for all its ominous and portentous worth by regulars Molly Beth Morossa as Molly the Imaginary Friend, Lucy Farrett as Tina Claessens the Stage Manager, and the cheerful Professor Expert the Producer, made flesh by the charming Andy Goddard: all of whom, if we are to believe what we are told, are still younger than their MC. So much for the company. The guests tonight rejoiced in the headliner, … Read more
The onward march of the Crazy Coqs is pioneering new musical theatre writing continues with Fiver an utterly delicious score by new writers of the book, music and lyrics, Alex James Ellison and Tom Lees.
This was a welcome opportunity to get better acquainted with the repertoire of one of the country’s brightest and most interesting new songwriters
There is a simplicity to the characters which is artless and appealing in its own way, but it also makes them rather thinly drawn, and even over the course of an hour, we find ourselves asking rather more questions about them than we find answered.
JANUARY : The Musical Revue The Crazy Coqs 24th January 2017 It was lovely to get to see another outing for this charming seasonal work-in-progress feast last week. First launched last year at the Canal Cafe Theatre, with a different line-up, this show made a terrific initial impact. Perfectly suited to the spontaneous, almost improvisational atmosphere of the home of the News Revue, this show made a big splash. Then, the authors said it was their intention to go away and improve upon it, and this – glamorously repositioned into the West End – is the result of a year’s further labour. The three-hander offers about a dozen songs – and a couple of brief sketches – loosely linked by the common factor that they all belong in the first month of the year. It’s a clever idea, and given witty and sometimes touching expression in the songs of Patrick … Read more
Feminine Persuasion – Anne Hampton Callaway in Cabaret Crazy Coqs 20 April 2016 5 Stars American singer-songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway is back for a week at Crazy Coqs, this time with a show celebrating women songwriters. It’s the first part of an epic season of cabaret artists performing as part of the London Festival of Cabaret. It’s an evening with a heady blend of standards that takes in everyone from Peggy Lee to Adele. Some of you will have seen Ann before, either solo or during one of her seasons with her sister Liz, and know what to expect. For those who haven’t, an audience with Ann Hampton Callaway is something extraordinary. She remains one of the finest interpreters of some of the greatest writing talents around, and last night she surprisingly added Adele to that list with a stunning take on Someone Like You. Ann’s set included Joni Mitchell’s … Read more
