Stage: Maisie Maisie
David Raven (AKA Maisie Trollette) is 80 years old and still going strong
David Raven aka Maisie Trollette celebrates his 80th birthday at the Theatre Royal on 18 August, with a party thrown for him by Brighton’s gay community in recognition of his 40 years in show business, and his fundraising achievements for The Sussex Beacon, local LGBT/HIV organisations and the Thais for Life orphanage for children in Thailand.
David rose to showbiz prominence in the early ’80s as one half of the drag duo The Trollettes, who reigned supreme as ‘queens’ of the London drag cabaret circuit. Along with James Court, the other Trollette, they brought an outrageous slapstick element to London’s drag scene.
Apart from both being first class vocalists, their off-the-wall humour appealed to London audiences in the ’80s who were more used to traditional mime drag acts and drag comics who had come up through the music halls in the ’50s and ’60s. The Trollettes formed a bridge between those traditional acts, including fabulous Panto Dames such as Dockyard Doris and Phil Starr, and the up and coming more outrageous performers like Lily Savage who were in tune with not only a traditional gay audience but more mainstream audiences also.
David shot to ‘gay stardom’ while he was working at Selfridges Department Store in London on the health food counter, serving mushy peas and salami to London’s ‘hoi polloi’. At night, The Trollettes performed in London’s gay hot spots including The Black Cap in Camden, The Elephant and Castle in Vauxhall and The Cricketers in Battersea. These names might mean little to a young audience today, but at the time for The Trollettes it was like working at the London Palladium every night of the week.
A residency at The Union Tavern in Camberwell followed, and their nights there became a magnet for London’s glitterati. When they were in town, A-list celebrities such as Rudolf Nureyev, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova were regular visitors to watch them perform.
Theatre producer John Nathan Turner took a shine to David and Jimmy and took a risk, putting them into their first professional panto in Brighton playing the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella. They were a huge success, and over the coming years David appeared in 19 pantomimes opposite such stars as Peter Davidson, Colin Baker, the late Hugh Lloyd and Wendy Richards, Susan Maughan, Maureen Nolan and Wendy Craig.
David loved his time in panto in Brighton so much that he and his partner Don decided to move here permanently, and they opened Rowland House, a guest house in Kemp Town. Following his move here, the Trollettes went their separate ways and over the coming years David went on to work with some of the biggest names in the business, including Paul O’Grady (aka Lily Savage), Diana Dors, June Brown, Christopher Biggins, the legendary Danny La Rue, The Beverley Sisters and Dorothy Squires, and he introduced a young ventriloquist Paul Zerdin and his puppet Sam to a Brighton audience for the first time at one of the iconic Sunday lunches he hosted at Fudges Restaurant, on Brighton seafront.
Often when entertainers become big names they forget about their communities. Not David; he has been a passionate fundraiser for The Sussex Beacon for the last 20 years. He was there when they made the decision to build what was then one of the first HIV hospices in the country, and he still raises money for them today. His other passion is the charity in Thailand, Thais for Life. Along with other Brighton based entertainers he raises money for the orphanage the charity runs in Pattaya. Their fundraising helps pay for basics such as beds for the children to sleep on, school uniforms, school books and their general education.
David still works all the time and for his birthday show he will be joined by many of the artists he has worked with over the years including the West Enders, Miss Jason, Dave Lynn, Drag with No Name and for one evening only he will be reunited with the ‘other’ Trollette, James Court. Local entertainers will be performing a combined Broadway Tribute, female impersonator extraordinaire Ceri Dupree will be making a special appearance and the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus and the Actually Gay Men’s Chorus will be opening and closing the show. The evening will be compered by Lola Lasagne.
The Pride theme this year is Gay Icons. David Raven is one of our greatest gay icons and his contribution and help in developing Brighton’s LGBT community over the years needs acknowledging by all sections of the community.
Maisie Trollette’s 80th Birthday Show: Celebrating 80 years in the Company of David Raven
Theatre Royal Brighton, Sunday 18 August, 7.30pm, £15–£25, 0844 871 7627 (booking fee applies)
