I have previously lamented here the absence of cabaret in London, and feared when Pizza on the Park – virtually the only game in town – unceremoniously shut its doors (even though acts were booked to appear there) in the summer for “refurbishment”, following a change of ownership.
It has since quietly re-opened – all too quietly in my case, since I never even heard about it – and is now slowly rebuilding bridges with some of the artists who used to grace its small stage in the past. This week, there was the chance to get two for the price of one, when Barb Jungr teamed up with pianist-singer Ian Shaw for a brand-new set for both of them focusing on songs from New York; but though this show deserves to be seen more widely and for longer, Pizza on the Park oddly booked them only for Monday to Thursday, not the more lucrative weekend business. Still, when I finally popped down to visit the room again last night after seeing Mary Poppins again for a late night cabaret nightcap, I discovered that word had got out anyway, and the place was respectably busy, including a visit from contemporary classical composer Mark-Anthony Turnage.
What a pity it is that London doesn’t have more of this kind of cabaret opportunity, like New York famously does, for these late night nightcaps. And it amazes me, too, that the likes of Jungr and Shaw are not household names, but then there’s no justice in the world. And there’s certainly none when it comes to the ghastly “refurbishment” of the room. With cheap IKEA-type uplighters around the room, the air of cultivated cabaret mystery is gone, and you can now see for yourself how decrepit this room is – the roof panels are a mess. So Pizza on the Park is no longer pizza in the dark, but though white tablecloths may give the performers the chance to see their audience, rather than the black ones of old, the performers have the better view: they don’t have to stare at a podium that has cheap fairy lights running riot in a drape behind them.
I'm not entirely sure that the only place to find cabaret in London is the Pizza on The Park. Acts that border the Jazz/Cabaraet scene like Ian Shaw, Clare Teal, Claire Martin, Barb Jungr, Simeon Cosburn etc can all be found if you are prepared to look for them. The 606 Club, The 100 Club, Ronnie Scotts, Cafe De Paris, The Cobden Club, even Pont De La Tour feature these kind of shows regularly. Obviously acts with profiles as big as Clare Teal are not found in these venues very often and are now on the bigger Theatre circuit, however I was one of the lucky few to catch her show, with Ian Shaw as it happens, at the intimate 606 Club just before Christmas. It was sensational. But very glad to hear that Pizza On The Park is back. Next time i'm in London, I'll check out the fairy lights.
Anyway NY and London are 2 conceptually different cities in my mind. not only they differ in appearence but also in trends af art. What is so good in Big Apple won't live in London. If all cities were alike why bother travelling!
It is very wrong to assume that Pizza on the Park is the only place to find Cabaret in the capital. Right now there are shows being hosted by The Theatre Museum, The Zetter Hotel, Turnmills Top Floor, Lauderdale House, Jermyn Street Theatre and (for the last 5 years) The Battersea Barge. Recent years has also seen successful runs at Dulwich Picture Gallery, The Old Vic's Pit Bar and Oxo Tower. The problem with finding cabaret lies in publications not giving it it's own Listings section, as in New York (although this is also diminished). Until Listings publications create dedicated sections to the exciting and well-loved artform then performers and audiences alike will suffer disappointment.
Paul L Martin
I went to Pizza on the Park for the first time on Wednesday to hear Stacey Kent and Jim Tomlinson perform a number of songs from their new album The Lyric. I really really really liked the place and thought the intimacy suited Stacey and Jim (and their trio). The fairy lights on stage are a bit naff, but you get used to them. The service was excellent, our waiter seemed to know when we needed more wine or wanted to order desserts and coffees without having to strain our necks trying to attract attention.
I will *definately* be going to Pizza on the Park again.