Anna Rexic And
The Compulsives
Louise
Gold appeared in this alternative cabaret group, at various venues, most
notably The Drill Hall, and The Royal Court, approximately circa 1982 to 1988.
Please
note, the information the webmaster currently has about the this alternative cabaret
group is very sparse, so there are
quite a lot of gaps in what is presented below. If anyone can help with any
further information please contact the
webmaster 
.
Cast
Louise Gold
Jane Gurnett
Felicity Steel
Production Team
Tour Dates
The Drill Hall
The
The Tricycle Theatre – The group may have performed at an
Equity Benefit at The Tricycle Theatre,
in Kilburn, on the 20 February 1983. The benefit was in aid of a proposed North
West London branch of the actors trade union Equity.
Apparently
the group sang a selection of songs “in
rather bizarre costumes”.
Finding
even approximate dates for when the group were actively performing seems to be
a little difficult. It seems to have been active between 1982 and 1988.
Louise
Gold’s resume for Godspell
(August 1980) mentions that “she has done some cabaret work”, but does not
specify what this is, although her resume of the time also goes on to say “and is currently developing a solo act of
her own”. It seems likely that the latter did not go much beyond the
developmental stage, since in 2002 when she performed “Louise Gold sings some nice
songs” the try-outs for her solo act LOUISE GOLD...BY APPOINTMENT that was
stated as being her debut as a performer of a cabaret solo act.
The
Press Pack for the English broadcasts of Fraggle Rock, issued in 1982, states “Louise is a member of a trio called Anna
Rexic and The Compulsives who have been making quite a name for themselves in
cabaret”. (This seems to be the first reference to it your webmaster can
find, it is not mentioned in the May
1981 press pack for The Great Muppet Caper).
There
is a reference in an article in The
Stage dated 17 February 1983, which specifically names the group Anna
Rexic and The Compulsives among those scheduled to take part in an Equity benefit on 20 February 1983.
In
her resumes between Blood Brothers (August
1986), and, Ziegfeld (1988) Louise Gold is sometimes specifically
named as being a member of the group. But the group is not always mentioned in
her resume. By the time of Assassins (1991), and
definitely Noel/Cole: Let’s Do it (1994)
it seems to be in the past.
A
group referred to as “The Compulsives”
may have taken part in Thing A
Thon in 1987, but it is not known whether that was actually this group with
a slight variation on their name.
During
the 1980s, as well as appearing, with Louise
Gold, in this alternative cabaret group, Felicity Steel was also doing a lot of political theatre with Una Brandon-Jones as a member of the Fall Out Theatre group.
Louise Gold, and, Jane Gurnett
had previously appeared together in My Fair Lady.
Louise Gold returned to The Drill Hall many years later to appear in Pantomime In June.
Louise Gold may have returned to The Royal Court many years later to
appear in a staged reading of Vinegar Tom.
Critics Comments
Links about Anna Rexic and The
Compulsives
Muppet
Central Interview with Louise Gold (one of the questions is specifically
about Anna Rexic and The Compulsives): http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/gold.shtml
