Café Society Swing looks good!

Cafe Society Swing - A    T R U E    S T O R Y

Starring China Moses, Harold Sanditen, Alexander Stewart - and introducing Cherise Adams-Burnett

Written by Alex Webb  Directed by Simon Green. A Copasetic production

The Leicester Square Theatre  6 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7BX 

Saturday 21 December and Sunday 22 December 2013, 9.30pm

The Times ****  ‘A genuine treat’

Financial Times ****  ‘Fabulous’

Evening Standard ***  ‘An eight-piece band worthy of any West End stage’

US cabaret star Harold Sanditen fronts this swinging show about the legendary New York nightclub which promoted racial equality and progressive causes. From 1938 to 1947 Cafe Society played host to some of the finest musical talent of the 20^th century, including Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie and many others.

Performing the classic songs of the period are Paris-based China Moses (daughter of jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater), rising jazz star Alexander Stewart and a startling new vocal talent, Cherise Adams-Burnett.

Café Society Swing tells the story of the venue from its idealistic Left-wing beginnings in Depression-era America. It follows its thrilling musical journey through struggles and triumphs, to its eventual demise in the ‘Red scare’ hysteria of the late 1940s.

The irresistible soundtrack comes from the Cafe Society All Stars, drawn from the cream of UK jazz talent. Musical highlights include representations of performances by Billie Holiday, Big Joe Turner, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Lucienne Boyer.

The show was commissioned by the London Jazz Festival in 2011 and ran for a sold-out week at London’s Tricycle Theatre in 2012.

The original Cafe Society was based in New York’s Greenwich Village and later opened a midtown venue. The brainchild of former shoe salesman Barney Josephson, it was the first racially desegregated club in New York City.  Proud of its Left-wing leanings, Cafe Society called itself ‘The Wrong Place for the Right People’.  An early headliner at the club was Billie Holiday, to whom Barney Josephson presented the classic protest song Strange Fruit – which became her signature song.

Alex Webb created the show (formerly titled 'Jazz at Cafe Society') with the help and advice of Terry Trilling-Josephson, widow of Barney Josephson (1902–1988).

Saturday 21 December and Sunday 22 December 2013, 9.30pm

Advance tickets £18.50; £20.50 at the door (group discounts available)

Tickets can be booked online via  http://leicestersquaretheatre.com/whats-on,  through the booking line number 08448 733433 or in person at the venue (Box Office open from 2hrs prior to first performance).

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Would this or would this not be perfect for Live Theatre, Newcastle? - Lance.