Soho Songs written by Barb Jungr and Mike Lindup, directed by Benji Sperring

Soho Songs written by performer and songwriter Barb Jungr and composer, the legendary Level 42’s Mike Lindup features an ensemble cast of five fabulous singers with a trio of stunning musicians.

“You half expect Jeffrey Bernard or Francis Bacon to lurch, glass-in-hand, on to the stage at any moment.” – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Broadway World

Soho. A magical place. Where everyone comes to make their dreams come true. A pub bar. A day dawns. The homeless person sees everything. The Landlady prepares for another bloody scrap to keep her pub open, as Soho is eroded by developers’ who eat the past and regurgitate everything into another block of super flats. Traffickedjob women, bouncers, the pit musician, drag queens and burlesque dancers, croupiers, actors and luvvies, dancers and chancers; they all come to the legendary Shangri-La pub to share their stories, have a laugh or to tell their tortured tales. As the night welcomes another dawn, the disco lights spin on, the glamour fades and the homeless man returns to his pitch. Come and join us at Shangri-La before last orders.

Staged and directed for The Crazy Coqs by Benji Sperring (Liver Birds Flying Home, An Act of God, Night Of The Living Dead: Live!)

For some time Barb Jungr, entranced by its unique history and her experiences of working there for the last 40 or so years as a singer and performer, wanted to make a piece of work about Soho. Mike Lindup’s relationship to Soho is formed over half a century, as a child visiting with his parents, both of whom were working musicians and as an adult as a musician himself, both in the pit and on stage. Soho Songs is their homage to London’s most extraordinary square mile.

The cast for the 30th June performance will be:

Jill Nalder
Hannah Nuttall
James Gulliford

with

Barb Jungr
Mike Lindup
Benji Sperring

Piano accompaniment by Simon Wallace
Directed & Narrated by Benji Sperring,

“This tale of a formidable yet resilient part of central London is recognisable and relatable to those of us who know it, and an eye-opening revelation to those who don’t.” – ★ ★ ★ ★ LondonTheatre1

“The songs have hints of Brel, Piaf, Weill. Interweaved with disco and parade ground rap. Add some discreet costuming, a touch more theatricality and a venue somewhere that is reminiscent of the old Soho and this could be a hit” – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Musical Theatre Review