CelebCity with Jo Brooks: Big Beach Bootique celebrity revellers
Patricia Hodge in Brighton, Big Beach Bootique celebrity revellers, and Tommy Tickle about town
Production to be staged by Theatre Royal Brighton Productions, the first ever Dandy Dick Stakes took place this week at Brighton Racecourse. Patricia Hodge – from BBCs hit Miranda – and Nicholas Le Prevost, the stars of Dandy Dick, joined the entire cast to watch the race, which Theatre Royal Brighton had sponsored to mark the launch.
Dandy Dick by Arthur Wing Pinero opens at Theatre Royal Brighton on 28 June. Written by Pinero while he was resident in Brighton in 1887, Dandy Dick tells the hilarious story of the Very Reverend Augustin Jedd, a pillar of Victorian respectability, who preaches regularly against the evils of horseracing and gambling. However, a visit from his tearaway sister, Georgiana, leads him to risk all at the races, much against his better judgement. Mayhem ensues, with romantic intrigue, mistaken identity and a runaway horse.
Olivier Award-winner Patricia Hodge, whose career spans film (Betrayal, Behind Enemy Lines), theatre (Noises Off, Calendar Girls) and television (a BAFTA nomination for Hotel du Lac, The Falklands Play and Miranda), will play Georgiana.
Also in the cast will be Michael Cochrane, John Arthur, Rachel Lumberg, Peter Sandys-Clarke, Florence Andrews, Katie Stokes, Matthew Weyland, Micheal Onslow, Samuel Martin, Charles de Bromhead, Jennifer Rhodes and Andrew McDonald. We’re booking our tickets as we write – make sure you get yours!
Funny business
Brighton was caught by surprise last week when Tommy Tickle – a wholly inappropriate clown – took to the streets to deliver invitations to brand new night club FunFair. Dressed in his trademark trousers and swigging from his personal vodka bottle, Tickle visited vintage shops, local businesses and Brighton landmarks to make sure the crème de la crème of the Brighton scene would be at FunFair’s media launch on June 20. We’re digging out our most elaborate outfits for the opening to keep in theme with the spectacular opulence and vintage mystique of the club, inspired by the Brighton Pier and rambling fun fairs of old. The brainchild of Tava O’Halloran and Daniel Wright, who have recently moved to the area, FunFair aims to surpass their popular London clubs in a distinctly Brighton vein.
Tava and Daniel’s London establishments – ‘The Bathhouse-Bishopsgate’ and ‘The Baby Bathhouse’ – boasted accolades such as Time Out’s ‘club of the year’, Vogue.com’s ‘Hottest Venue’ and were included in the Evening Standard’s ‘50 Top Things to do in London’ – to name just a few. With guest-lists which name-checked the likes of Prince Harry, Paloma Faith, Vivienne Westwood, Alexa Chung, Kiera Knightley and Henry Holland, The Bathouse venues established themselves as the London nightspots to escape away to. Now FunFair is the place to be. To request an invite to the media launch please email emma@jb-pr.com. Check out FunFair’s facebook page for details of the public opening facebook.com/FunFairClub.
SPOTTED
At Fatboy Slim’s Big Beach Bootique – not only Mrs Fatboy herself – Zoe Ball – but also boxer Derek Chisora and the lovely PussyCat Doll Kimberly Wyatt.
