Queer, Jewish cabaret collective Homos and Houmous is taking it up the residency at the legendary Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
We've been mopping the floors and plumping the cushions ready for your arrival. Chanukah has laid out the bridge rolls, That Ray has even bleached the loos for your arrival!
Homos and Houmous welcomes all hebrews, shebrews and theybrews, goys and gals. You're all welcome: you don't have to be Jewish!
Closet nothing. Covet everything.
Drag – Storytelling – Political Treatise – Music – DJs – Semitic Overtones
Glad-rags encouraged.
DOORS 7PM
SHOW 8.30-11.00
DJ TAMTAM 11.00-12.00.
Hosts: Chanukah Lewinsky and That Ray
Rivkah Brown
Vivi Lachs
Ruth Nicolson
Ninotchka
Joé de Vivre
£18 well-waged / £12 waged / £4 unwaged
No one turned away for lack of funds. Please opt for a ‘well-waged’ ticket if you can to help subsidise and maintain fair access to arts programming.
Please send your questions and broigeses to contact.homosandhoumous@gmail.com
We also welcome enquiries about how to give larger donations: support us to keep paying our artists properly.
Expect more theatre, more schmaltz and even more houmous. Your nan will love us.
---
Since 2016 queer Jewish performance collective Homos and Houmous (H&H) has been schlepping around London with a smorgasbord of drag, comedy, live klezmer, poetry and politics. It’s hosted by music hall grand dame Chanukah Lewinsky (think Julie Walters on speed) and drag punk pin-up That Ray (Peaches meets disney villain). Our vibe is Shabbat dinner argument meets Bette Midler doing musical stand-up in a New York bathhouse.
We are a part of the emerging renaissance of Jewish leftist art making and Yiddish revivalism. Check out the rad projects of Pink Peacock Cafe, Vashti Media, Jewdas, Na'amod, and Yiddish Open Mic Cafe.
Night Czar Amy Lame has said of us: ‘This is what makes London, London, and we must not lose it.’ (BBC Sounds).
With support from Arts Council England.
homosandhoumous.org
Sign up to our mailing list for future events: http://eepurl.com/gUO8hH
---
Bios:
Rivkah Brown is the editor of Vashti, a new Jewish media platform, and a reporter and editor for Novara Media.
Vivi Lachs is a historian, Yiddishist, Research Fellow at Birkbeck College, and feisty Yiddish singer. Her book Whitechapel Noise exposes the sex, politics, and religion of the immigrant East End. She sings edgy Yiddish music-hall songs which tell about (amongst other things) happenings in Morgan Street Market, Victoria Park, and on the London trolleybuses with the bands Klezmer Klub and Katsha’nes.
Chanukah Lewinsky is a Yiddish music-hall grand dame, and co-host of Homos and Houmous. She took the year off to bird-watch and look after Aunty Debby’s parakeet–poor thing has gout–but now is back with a vengeance. Now armed with a third husband, expect riotous laughs, shimmering wordplay and the all the campery you expect from everyones’ favourite queer Jewish Yiddishist anarchist performance night.
Ruth Nicholson is a pianist, violinist and aspiring guitarist from Sheffield. Projects include the gig-theatre show A Beautiful Way to be Crazy, which is currently available to stream on demand from The Cockpit, trying to escape the winter lockdown blues by cycling as far as is reasonably allowed, and planning the next allotment season. Musically Ruth is classically trained but has eclectic tastes and likes playing klezmer and jazz the most at the moment.
Ninotchka are a wild & wicked folk-punk trio based in Bath, UK. The epitome of something old and something new: they mix ancient Eastern European folk dances, Klezmer, Irish jigs and the occasional pop song with drop tunings, breakdowns and a notorious high-octane energy. In the past five years they’ve played notable venues such as The Green Note in Camden, Moles and The Bell in Bath, Frome’s Cheese & Grain and are two-time veterans of Glastonbury Festival. They have recently released their debut EP for major streaming platforms called “Folklore Against Fascism,” a soulful and fiery blend of Klezmer and folk-punk.
That Ray is a fearless (if grumpy) pop punk icon. A long term resident at Homos and Houmous; their career peaked when announcing the Corbyn defeat live in 2019. Now, welcome them for their H&H hosting debutt (sp) to prod at the heart of Jewish neuroses and humour, and sully Chanukah’s family friendly fun. Expect sweat, blood, piss, costume mishaps and disquietingly good makeup. They will be late but it will be worth it.
TamTam is a Glasgow-based DJ spinning semitic beats, beigels and bass. They're a resident at Homos and Houmous, Houseplay, Equaliser Leeds , Brotherhood Sound System and Headroom Dance and a full-time international DIY dyke on a bike on a hike (George Michael look-alike). TamTam has DJ'd at Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Lisbon Pride.
---
Accessibility: (from RVT's website)
The RVT welcomes people with disabilities and will try to help with your access needs. If you have a disability please feel free to contact us before your visit if you want to ask us anything. Limited PA tickets are available for most events and we can try to reserve seating if needed, there are seats with an upward step and some stools on ground level.
The RVT has an accessible main door and is flat throughout the main space. There are toilet cubicles that can be accessed without steps, but are not wheelchair accessible. The nearest accessible toilet is by Vauxhall Bus Station. On busy events we can’t always guarantee a clear view of the stage for people in wheelchairs, and the main dancefloor area does get very busy with flashing lights lasers and haze effect. Please contact dave@vauxhalltavern.com with any questions.
Homos and Houmous has some funds ring-fenced for personal access costs. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
contact.homosandhoumous@gmail.com
COVID Harm Reduction:
We will be complying with the government's latest guidelines around social distancing. We will keep you all up to date as the situation progresses.