The Lavender Lounge Bar
LGBT history month event on Friday 26 February 2010 at the Jubilee Library, Brighton.
Brighton Pride event (Step Back in Time) on Sunday 10 August 2003 at The Dudley Hotel, Lansdowne Place, Hove.
Brighton Festival event on Wednesday 19 May 1999 at The Lift, above Pig in Paradise, Queens Road, Brighton.
Come and revel in the atmosphere of an old-time queer drinking club, recreated in song and story. Camp crooning, butch ballads, and magical memories evoke that secret underground world of daring and desire for one enchanted evening.
Reg: "When we were together in a club we felt invincible. The police will never get us!"
Sue: "I saw girls dancing together. Oh it was lovely! I kept going hot all over with it."
The songs in the show were written in the late 1960s to be performed by Nigel the novice drag queen at Jo Purvis' Rehearsal Club in Soho. The stories come from Brighton Ourstory's living memory archive.
The Programme of events:
The floor show will start at 8.45pm. We are delighted to have Len Read, playing smooth nostalgic piano throughout the evening.
1. There's no scene like a gay scene - Phil and Nicky
2. See us trolling along - Phil
3. I first came to Brighton on holiday - Simon
4. My friend Anne - Nicky
5. Pigott's was an ordinary bar - Jane
6. All I want is to go somewhere - Nicky
7. We were very young then - Simon
8. I'd do anything - Phil
9. I got quite sozzled - Jane
10. Where have you been Mrs Robinson? - Nicky
11. It was all hushed and secrets - Simon
12. Get me to the court - Phil
13. We always covered up with boyfriends - Jane
14. The girl that I marry - Phil
15. I went to the Gateways Club - Jane
16. If you go down to the woods tonight - Nicky
17. We were used to seeing the police come in - Simon
18. Bye bye blackmail! - Phil
19. I lived quite a normal life - Jane
20. Everything today is thoroughly kinky - Phil and Nicky
The Performers were:
The Singers: Phil Starr and Nicky Mitchell
The Readers: Jane Boston and Simon Lovat
The Pianists: Glen Capra and Len Read
Thanks must go to...
Our heartfelt thanks to all our fabulous performers tonight who have so generously offered their talents and time to support the work of Brighton Ourstory Project - and to Jo Purvis for kindly passing on to us her wonderful collection of songs. Our thanks also to the Lift, Hove Adult Education Centre, Brighton Jazz Club, Joyce Chester, Tracy Davenport, Ted McFadyen, Tim Nail, Eve Robinson, and the Pearl of Basildon.
Especially for all those of you who turned up at the box office and found all the tickets sold out, here's a little flavour of the camp crooning and butch ballads from that enchanted evening (with thanks to Jo Purvis) to the tune of There's No Business Like Show Business:
There's no scene like a gay scene
It's like no other we know;
Butches dancing close to other ladies
Bitches dancing close to other guys.
We don't care if people think it's shady,
Because it keeps us from normal ties.
There's no club like a gay club
In the evening when you're bent;
Just when all the normals start to watch TV
You to to Brighton and c'est la vie -
Every night in Brighton can be heavenly
So get with it and dance, get with it and dance...