The legendary Phoenix Arts Club, located in London’s West End, reopened its art deco doors on Monday 17 May to socially distanced audiences with a stellar line-up of cabaret, musical theatre, non-binary drag, comedy and burlesque performers. For some of the artists, this was the first time they had taken to a stage for over a year. There was certainly a tear or two from both venue staff and regular community members, who were finally able to return to the world of live performing arts.
Since its forced closure in December 2020, the Phoenix Arts Club has continued to provide live streamed entertainment to hundreds of households across the UK, and since opening the box office last week, has already sold over 1,000 tickets, showing there’s clear demand for live theatre. Today it announces three months’ worth of nightly cabarets and comedy evenings at 7.30pm. The season features work in progress nights from emerging artists, Edinburgh Fringe Award Winners and stadium fillers including Simon Brodkin, Love Island’s Iain Stirling, Death Drop’s Holly Stars, Flo & Joan, Glamrou, Luke Kempner, Lounge Onyx, Ru Paul’s Drag Race’s Joe Black, the first female Perrier Award winner, Jenny Eclair, and many more.
Celebrating over thirty years of entertaining both visitors to the West End, and creatives working locally in theatre, film and music, The Phoenix Arts Club is the west end’s multi-award-winning, independently owned and operated entertainment club and speakeasy. Secreted away down the same little side street used in the opening sequence of Harry Potter and tucked beneath The Phoenix Theatre. The lively and nostalgic venue is now open nightly welcomes pre- and post-theatre drinks bookings and is open ’til late.
Peter Dunbar Development & Marketing Director says:
“The whole Phoenix Team has worked incredibly hard to be one of the first venues to reopen in London’s West End, making continued improvements to the venue, devising new food and drinks offerings and booking in this stellar events season. We are thankful to everyone who has purchased a ticket to attend a show so far and booked a table to enjoy a long awaited catch-up with friends over a cocktail. We’ve taken a big risk in opening our doors and many arts venues have understandably remained closed. The logistics for putting on a theatre show is so complex, and the lack of government guidance and uncertainty on whether we’ll be asked to close again has meant many are mothballing their programming until the winter. As a grassroots venue we’re putting all shows on-sale socially distanced at 70 seats until we’re told with certainty we can open to full capacity, and many shows start at just £5 a ticket. By reopening, we are providing a platform in getting artists back to live work, many of whom haven’ performed for over a year.”
