ROUND THE HORNE “Round the Horne Live and Uncut is an entirely different show from that which Brian Cooke wrote and which ran at The Venue in Leicester Square and then toured a few years back,” Louise Toeman, Associate Producer of the new production, declares of the show which will receive its stage premiere at the Theatre Royal, Brighton (running between 18 and 22 November) before embarking on a national tour early next year (the dates are yet to be confirmed). For the uninitiated, Round the Horne was a radio show that aired on Sunday afternoons and ran between 19651969. The surreal comedy starred Kenneth Horne, a bemused ‘straight man’ to a gallery of bizarre characters (J Peasemold Gruntfuttock, Chou En Ginsberg, Rambling Syd Rumpo, Binkie Huckabuck and, most famously, resting actors Julian and Sandy) played by such outrageous
comic talents as Betty Marsden, Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams. It was Julian and Sandy who brought Polari (the so-called lost language of queens) to the notice of straight audiences. The outré twosome was always luring Horne (“Bona to varda your dolly old eek”) to participate in their latest business venture – be it an employment agency or an antique shop. The scripts of the radio show were the product of the fevered imagination of Marty Feldman and Barry Took (later writers included the aforementioned Brian Cooke) and allusions – to Ruff Trayde and the Cruisers, for instance – along with the furiously Polari-ing of Julian and Sandy gave Round the Horne an especial resonance for gay listeners. “Round the Horne Live and Uncut is using original material from the first three series of the show,” Ms Toeman explains, “material written by Marty Feldman and Barry Took and Barry’s widow is collating that material to create an entirely original show.” Directed by Richard Baron, Round the Horne Live and Uncut has one thing in common with Brian Cooke’s stage show – the actors who play Kenneth Horne (Jonathan Rigby), Hugh Paddick (Nigel Harrison) and Kenneth Williams (Robin Sebastian) are the same. It promises to be a bona evening! Round the Horne Live and Uncut, Theatre Royal, Brighton, November 18-22; national tour dates to be announced.
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THE PARK PLAZA COUNTY HALL, LONDON: GETAWAY!
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After another week of usual work and business humdrum, my partner and Iwanted to get away from home, away from the traffic and not have to break the bank. We were told of a very gay friendly hotel in waterloo that offered relaxation, camp rooms, fantastic foods and an array of very gay friendly staff and the best part of it a standard room was only £99.00. We opted to spoil ourselves a tad bit more then the basic room and opted for an executive studio –a huge suite that can easily sleep three! To get you in the mood there is a VIP service of complimentary pre-dinner drinks (there’s a lot of wine, beer and canapés and some great eye candy too). The decor is elegant, simple and some of the rooms offer camp décor, especially the Penthouse. The Park Plaza is a great choice for a honeymoon weekend; you would swear that they got the team from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy to decorate the brilliantly-named James Bond Apartment, with its white leather lounge, open kitchen, double balcony, great bar, and huge TV. After two bottles of red, two beers and canopes in
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the executive room, we headed for the Atrium for some great food. With a Spanish/Italian influence, a three course dinner for two and a bottle of red proved to be great value. For starters, I enjoyed a Prawn Cesar salad and my partner had oven roasted baby quail with caramelised plums and wilted spinach. For main, I had roasted guinea fowl with sauteed savoy cabbage and fondant potato and my partner had pan fried lamb noisettes, white bean puree and red current jus and we left room for vanilla panecotta, strawberries and cream and summer pudding with wild berry compote. Breakfast is an extra, at £17.95 per head for a full
continental and hot buffet. The Park Plaza situated 10 minutes by bus to Vauxhall night clubs and bars and a ten minute walk to Soho. It’s an excellent getaway with 398 rooms, 7 penthouses, 6 meeting rooms and event spaces, and most of all, delightful, friendly staff that always smile.
Park Plaza County Hall London 1 Addington Street, London SE1 7RY www.parkplazacountyhall.com 020 7021 1800