Miss Hope Springs, the creation of the incredibly talented songwriter and performer Ty Jeffries, christened London’s newest cabaret venue, The Crazy Coqs, in Brasserie Zédel.  The show is the tale of a Las Vegas showgirl during the heyday of Hollywood glamour and the ups and downs of her life at the top, and fits perfectly into the gorgeous, original Art Deco surroundings of the space.

Jeffries is full of humor. Hope tells us how her first husband, Irving, left her for a bubbly brunette named…Carlos!  Her second husband ended his life in a concrete overcoat, but that was far cheaper than a divorce.  Her mother, Rusty Springs, gave her advice on making the best of her assets.  Hope had crushes on Tab Hunter and Liberace, never fully understanding why those affairs went nowhere.  As she said, “Liberace may have been good on the piano, but he sucked on the organ.”  She dated Burt Bacharach, Pee Wee Herman (not so pee wee), Jimmy Webb and Earth, Wind and Fire (not necessarily in that order).  The show is full of double entendres and, overall, just great fun.

Jeffries is a gifted composer and lyricist, having written and arranged all the songs for the show.  His tunes are hummable and memorable and his lyrics incredibly witty.  The show began (and ended) with a song written for the venue, “Crazy Coqs Cabaret,” replete with sexy androgynous dancers, the Crazy Coquettes – Alexandra Octavia and Ben Warbis – who also added interpretive dance along the way.  While there were good songs in the first set, the show really took off in the second.  There were quite a few musical highlights in the show. “Trog,” with its funky ’70s beat, ended the first set and left us eager for more.  “I’m Bi,” a song of sexual greed, was first performed by Hope when she played Tallulah off-off-off-off-off- Broadway – i.e., Idaho­—and opened the second set to raucous laughter.  “The Night Is Young” included a hilarious dance break choreographed by Miss Springs, and included her Crazy Coquettes. “Bad, Bad Girl” is another terrifically witty number and, the encore, “The Devil Made Me Do It,” is still in my head. The musical beat is stepped up by the talents of Mario Castronari on bass and Jasper Morrissey on drums.

This show is well worth seeing, plus the venue is pure magic, and the cocktails second to none.  This is a highlight on all accounts on London’s ever-growing cabaret scene.  Hop to it, or should I say, “Hope” to it.

The show continues at The Crazy Coqs on July 22 and 29.

Harold Sanditen
Cabaret Scenes
July 1, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org