To
say that Music Hall started in the public song and supper
rooms of the 1850s, advanced into the theatre of the late
19th century and was killed off by the advent of radio and
TV encapsulates a whole, vital era into a few words.
The Hiss & Boo Music Hall and Variety Show of the 21st
Century - and the 30 years of our existence - is a pastiche
of all that was best of Victorian Music Hall and Edwardian
and post-war Variety: a fast moving blend of comedy, melodrama
and song which involves the audience to the full.
Ours is not an 'olde-tyme' show. Far from it. We are not trying
to recreate the acts of the inimitable stars of Music Hall
and Variety, their memory lingers on. Our show is an affectionate
plaudit to their STYLE. More than anything else we'll be happy
if you leave the theatre feeling you've been ENTERTAINED.
We draw our performers from a pool of established actors and
actresses whose highly specialised Music Hall work is an adjunct
to their professional careers.
We also draw from a list of bill-toppers, some of whom are
the last surviving stars and big names from the world of Variety.
The Hiss and Boo Songsheet
Locating Music Hall and Variety Artistes
Article: "Let me make a nation's songs, and let who will make their laws" by Roy Hudd
Article: "A Great British Tradition" by Barbara Windsor