Miss Hope Springs To Return To Wilton's Music Hall This Month

Multi award wining Vegas-tastic comedy cabaret chanteuse Miss Hope Springs has paid her dues. Playing the piano and singing a repertoire of all original self penned songs she is now in the 12th year of her residency at London's premiere cabaret room Crazy Coqs. Now Hope revisits fabulous Wilton's Music Hall for the umpteenth time since appearing there first in 2014. Her erm, alter ego Mr Ty Jeffries explains. "I love performing at Wilton's with it's epic faded grandeur. When Hope performs there it's definitely a case of one fabulous old wreck performing in another".

But his brand of drag is a long rhinestone's fling from Ru Paul's more earthy glambots, it harks back to gentler era. This is 'old school' drag and Ty's 'cult creation' (The Times) is a vulnerable yet indomitable, fully fleshed-out character with a richly populated backstory. There's gay husband Irving, his 'closenal' hairdresser pal Carlos, ex stripper mother Rusty ("Yes...Rusty Springs! Listen it doesn't get any better than this so make the most of it!" quips Hope) and best friend Kel...Kel Surprise. There are travels and travails galore and multiple unrealised LP's going back to the early sixt...I mean seventies. French album 'Je m'appelle Hope' for example, 'Miss Hope Springs Swings With Strings' and Weimar venture 'Das Ist Miss Hope Springs' to name but a few.

Hope inhabits a similar theatrical landscape to the late greats Lily Savage and Dame Edna while remaining 'totally unique' (Bistro Awards) and is one of a few artists keeping the traditions of Vaudeville alive. Jeffries' first foray into drag was in 1985. At the time he was hanging out with Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat when modelling for New York CLICK Model Management. By day shaven headed Ty strutted catwalks in Paris and Milan and was featured by Comme Des Garçons and Jean Paul Gaultier. But by night, en femme, he was prowling Manhattan clubland venues such as Area, Palladium and Paradise Garage and when back in London, rubbing shoulders with Boy George, Pete Burns and Leigh Bowery at Kinky Gerlinky.

A classically trained composer, educated at The Purcell School of Music in Hampstead, he's played multiple solo concerts at that classical Valhalla Wigmore Hall and his solo piano music has been critically well received with tracks from his album Dusk in the Luxembourg Gardens featured by Suzy Klein on BBC Radio 3 Essential Classics.

You can trace Miss Hope Springs' lineage directly back to Danny La Rue who was a good friend of Ty's father the actor and director Lionel Jeffries who starred with La Rue in Hello Dolly in The West End. "Danny encouraged me when I was just starting out" recalls Ty, "in fact, one of my first performances was at his little Soho club in front of Barbara Windsor.

Inspired by artists as diverse as Jim Bailey, Lindsay Kemp and Tom Waits, Ty has honed his craft since his first solo show at The King's Head Theatre in the 90s and subsequently over the last decade in the West End and USA. With his acclaimed all original songs and nuanced character comedy, it has been said that he single handedly takes the art form 'beyond drag'.

Miss Hope Springs Wilton's Music Hall Graces Alley, 1 Graces Alley (pedestrian access only) E1 8JB

Fri May 19th 7.30pm, Sat May 20th 3.30pm & 7.30pm tickets from £12.50.

TICKETS https://www.wiltons.org.uk/whatson/792-miss-hope-springs

More at www.misshopesprings.com

Showreel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NviJmUZy-uk

'The greatest star that never was sings the greatest hits that never were...Unmissable!' Jonathan Ross

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