As Soho strip club is replaced by a new theatre

Comedy is returning to the London venue that was once home to the groundbreaking Comic Strip troupe.

In 1981, Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson, Jennifer Saunders and Alexei Sayle regularly performed at the Raymond Revuebar strip club.

But in the autumn it is being reopened as The Boulevard Theatre by Fawn James – granddaughter of the former owner Paul Raymond – and artistic director Rachel Edwards.

On alternate Friday nights, the venue will host Late Night Scene, which is described as ‘a gleefully unruly after-hours mixed-bill show’.

The first, on November 8, is hosted by Nina Conti; with the subsequent nights compered by Kiri Pritchard-McLean. The show will be programmed by  Simon Pearce, who formerly ran indie comedy production house The Invisible Dot before it went into liquidation.

And on the alternate Fridays, the venue will host The Yes Queens, a female-led improv night curated by producer Julie Clare, with special guests set to include Pippa Evans and  Cariad Lloyd. 

• Here’s the first  review of the Comic Strip at Raymond’s Revuebar,  as published in the London Review Of Books.

Published: 19 Jun 2019