Louise Gold and Jason Carr in cabaret: "Louise Gold Sings Some Nice Songs"

Louise Gold and Jason Carr in cabaret

(“Louise Gold Sings Some Nice Songs”)

Louise Gold starred in her own cabaret, as herself, at Lauderdale House on 24 February 2002, at Jermyn Street Theatre on 20 April 2002, and in the Hampstead & Highgate Festival Special at Lauderdale House on 19 May 2002).

Cast

Cabaret in Lauderdale House (24 February 2002)

Introduced by: Tim McArthur

First Half - Andrew Truluck

Second half - Miss Louise Gold

The Cabaret Hour, Jermyn Street Theatre (20 April 2002)

Performer: Louise Gold

Hampstead & Highgate Festival Special, Lauderdale House (19 May 2002)

First Half - Tim McArthur

Second half - Louise Gold (as a last minute replacement for Issy Van Randwyck)

Production Team

Producers - Tim McArthur and Katherine Ives of Trilby Productions

Director for Miss Gold - Mr Nigel Plaskitt

Miss Gold’s pianist - Jason Carr

Mr McArthur’s pianist - Stephen Robinson

Miss Gold’s puppet builder - Paul Jomain, with Peter Fluck and Roger Law.

Click here for a review/account of the Lauderdale House show.

Click here for a review/account of The Jermyn Street Theatre show.

Click here for a review/account of the Hampstead & Highgate Festival Special show.

It is unclear whether this can exactly be called Louise’s first venture into solo cabaret, for she was talking about the possibility of doing a solo act some twenty two years previously (she mentions it as a possibility in her resume in the programme for Godspell ), and she has also done some improvisation/stand-up comedy. However, this does seem to be the first one where she has really made her mark in the world of solo cabaret shows.

The show was subsequently extended into a two act piece: Louise Gold ... By Appointment, A revised short-version, one act, was performed at Lauderdale House, as part of their Cabaret In The House season, in November 2005.

Louise had previously performed group cabaret as part of a group called Anna Rexic and The Compulsives.

Nigel Plaskitt is a well known puppeteer, who has worked with Louise Gold on: Spitting Image, Tale Of The Bunny Picnic, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Spooks Of Bottle Bay, The Secret Life Of Toys, Muppet Treasure Island, and, Alice In Wonderland. He also puppeteered on Labyrinth , the accompanying promotional video footage for the album Spit In Your Ear, and The Animal Show; as well as appearing in the documentary Best Ever Spitting Image. They both took part in Muppets And Puppets (Kaleidoscope Event).

At the time of this show, Nigel Plaskitt was also directing the pilot episode of Space Sprogs, on which Louise Gold puppeteered.

Jason Carr has accompanied Louise Gold in such shows as: Broadway To Brighton, Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It, Oh Kay, One Touch Of Venus (2000 Production) and A Lost Musicals Occasion, he also worked on Chicago & Company, A Time To Start Living and 110 In The Shade. He also arranged accompanied much of the album Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It (Recording). Louise Gold has also gone on to star in the inaugural production of Jason Carr’s new musical The Water Babies; and he has gone on to accompany her in Final Chic Cabaret 2003, and his own act Somethin’ Good.

Louise Gold, accompanied by Jason Carr, sings The Sun Whose Rays on the album Defiant Dames

Tim McArthur and Katherine Ives at Trilby productions went on to organise Dress Circle Grand Reopening, and, Dead By 12.

Louise Gold’s appearance at the Hampstead & Highgate Arts Festival Cabaret Special in Lauderdale House was as a last minute replacement for Baroness Issy Van Randwyck; a performer, who Louise Gold appeared on stage with five years ago in Kiss Me Kate. It might be noted that about a year and a half later, the Issy Van Randwyck was herself called in to deputise, at Lauderdale House, for Diane Langton (with whom Louise Gold had appeared in the musical Follies at the Royal Festival Hall, and, Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre).

Tim McArthur went on to interview Louise Gold on the radio on Tim McArthur Interview.

Critics Comments

“Louise Gold, a star of the 1980s’ Spitting Image TV show, sang with the ‘Queen’ in her show at Lauderdale House on Sunday evening. And she brought the house down with her version of the song What Happened To Class from the musical Chicago.” THE CAMDEN NEW JOURNAL, 23 May 2002

Links about Louise Gold’s Cabaret Act, Louise Gold ... By Appointment

Paul Jormain: Model’s Puppets And Props (includes a photograph of Binkie): http://www.pauljomain.biz/

Defiant Dames CD: http://www.defiantdames.info/

Lauderdale House, Official Site: http://www.lauderdalehouse.co.uk/default.asp

Theatre Radio’s interview with Louise Gold http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/news/display?contentId=88986