The closure follows a worrying pattern across central London, with venues that traditionally supported cabaret, live music and theatrical performance disappearing at pace in recent years, including The Theatre Café, Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, Nightjar Soho, Haus of Cabaret, Proud Embankment, The Windmill, Café de Paris, and another venue, Banana Cabaret, which will be closing shortly.
In response, The Phoenix Arts Club has announced that it will provide a new permanent home for the team who delivered The Room Where It Happens Showtunes Singalong, ensuring continuity of employment for performers affected by the Greek Street Live closure and preserving a vital part of London’s musical theatre ecosystem.
From Saturday 14 February, the creative team behind Overtures Piano Bar and The Room Where It Happens will bring a newly re-imagined late-night musical theatre piano singalong, Sing Out, Louise!, to The Phoenix Arts Club. The show will run Wednesday to Sunday evenings, initially from 10.30pm, moving to a 9pm start as the venue’s programme allows.
Audiences can purchase entry on the door for £10 on the day, or choose a monthly membership at £10 per month, offering savings for return visits. Tickets can be booked in advance on The Phoenix Arts Club’s website: https://phoenixartsclub.com/events/sing-out-louise-showtunes-singalong/
Colin Savage, Creative Director of The Phoenix Arts Club, said: “London is losing spaces that give performers regular, paid work – particularly those working in musical theatre, cabaret and live music. The Phoenix Arts Club has been part of that ecosystem since 1988, and it felt essential that we stepped in. This is about keeping artists working and audiences connected to live performance.”
Dave Cribb, who previously produced and programmed the Showtunes Singalong at The Room Where It Happens, added: “This isn’t just about one show – it’s about an entire community of musicians and singers who rely on these spaces. With so many venues closing, London risks losing something culturally distinctive. I’m hugely grateful that The Phoenix Arts Club is giving us a place to continue, rather than seeing this work disappear altogether.”
The move ensures that performers displaced by recent closures will continue to have a central London venue in which to perform, at a time when opportunities for live cabaret and musical theatre work are becoming increasingly scarce.
ENDS