Fleur kindly arranged cheapo tickets for us to get over to Bethnal Green for the farewell party of the Whoopee Club on 11th Dec, an organisation that has been going in it's current form for yonks. The bearded one and I have several friends whom, over the years have performed at their events which were always thrown with gusto and a ambition. You might find yourself strolling around a totally transformed Great Eastern Hotel or watching synchronised swimming in a period baths (how very bright young people). The Whoopee Club pride themselves on having been in at the start of the Burlesque Revival but I always felt they were more than tassels, far too innovative and far too wide a range of Cabaret to be pigeonholed in that way.
It was an enjoyable night, I like the working man clubness of the place (its in East London home of the arty fart so that is a relief) and the Japanese themed booth selling sushi and okashi took me back, although I decided not to inflict my Gunma accent on the lady manning it. The crowd were a good mix, particularly of ages. My old bagness means that I resent being somewhere full of 19 year olds. An unpretentious yet stylish group of people who were more interested in just yapping, watching and drinking than any thing else, which is as it should be.
Vintage Londoner with retrocentric tastes. Interested in the uncommon,artistic,cultural and visual life of this old tart of a city and its tawdry glamour. Tinctured with cocktails, swear words and the odd rant. I'm friendly but bolshy and my opinions are honest and sponsor-free. P.R and marketing types please see 'About Me'. redlegsinsoho@me.com
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Whoopee club
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2 comments:
The Whoopee Club came to an end due to bad financial mismanagement.
I worked on one of their final shows which was funded by the arts council and another funding organisation. It was quite a sizeable grant - more than enough to put on a good show.
Most of the team who worked on the show did not get paid for the work they did. The producer was 'economical with the truth' in her dealings with people - she did not let on that unless the show was a success, people wouldn't get paid or that the finances of the club were in such a poor state.However, there seems to have been enough money that the club could afford to throw a farewell party...
BECTU the trade union now recommends that their members contact the union before accepting work from The Whoopee Club or the producers due to their total lack of professionalism.
Hope this sheds a bit of light on your query as to why the club came to an end.
Dear Anonymous, I am a freelance journalist researching a feature on the UK burlesque scene and was wondering why The Whoopee club closed. Please email me: lucy_sambrook@hotmail.co.uk, if you could tell me what happened (anonymously of course)x
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