Everyone here at Harwich Arts Centre is looking forward to welcoming Team Shuff and Byng to the Arts centre for their next two weeks of R&D (they are with us w/c 28 April and again w/c 16 June). And of course their public sharing at The Electric Picture Palace in Harwich on Friday 20 June (3pm) is one of the first events in this years Harwich Arts Festival (https://buytickets.at/harwichfestival/1600489)
What is Shuff and Byng I hear you ask. Well its a project exploring the lives, legacy and material of two great female impersonators from the 1930’s -1970’s – Douglas Byng and Mrs Shufflewick. Ultimately it will become a brand new theatre show but for now its a work in progress…
“ In their radically different ways, Shuff & Byng were stars of the first magnitude – their comic genius was something else.” Simon Callow on the project, read his full letter here https://matthewlinley1.substack.com/p/from-the-desk-of-simon-callow
This Easter Monday you can catch cast members Dusty Limits and Kinny Gardner talking all things Shuff & Byng on BBC Radio Essex! Tune in to Rob Jelly’s morning show, starting at 10:00 am, catch Dusty and Kinny live around 10:15 am.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002b1gp
Just as a little tease of whats to come here is some footage of the team at work. First up is a mobile phone recording featuring Tony Lidington, Kinny Gardner, and Billie Bottle performing Cabaret Boys by Dougie Byng at The Outhouse (a LGBTQ+ charity in Colchester)
(Did you know? You can also hear Douglas Byng himself sing “Cabaret Boys” with Lance Lister here)
And here is Kinny singing “Miss Otis Regrets,” accompanied by Billie recorded using a zoom recorder.
(Fun Fact: “Miss Otis Regrets” was famously first sung by Douglas Byng in the 1934 revue Hey Diddle Diddle!)
One of the Third Act participants the team worked with in that first week had this to say!
“I loved everything about the session-in particular the duet at the end, which was sheer joy! I’ve written my own little blurb,( for what it’s worth! )
Shuff and Byng come back to life in this glorious musical production. Grab a ticket while you can -the show’s exquisite combination of sensitivity and fun make for a truly joyful piece of theatre.”
So with that ringing endorsement in your ears
- Do Catch Dusty and Kinny chatting all things Shuff and Byng with Rob Jelly this Easter Monday morning (21 April) at 10:15 am! link here
- Look out for team Shuff and Byng in and around the Arts Centre in the w/c 28 April and w/c 16 June
- But most important of all grab a ticket to be one of the first to see the team share where they have got to with an audience for the first time at the Harwich Electric Picture Palace on 20 June at 3pm. Grab your pay what you can / free tickets for at this link here https://buytickets.at/harwichfestival/1600489
And if you would like to keep up to date with Shuff and Byng do have a look, and subscribe, to their project blog which can be found here. https://matthewlinley1.substack.com/
