Black Cap (London pub)
Encyclopedia
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
, London known for its drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
cabaret.
History
The pub was initially called the Mother Black Cap after a local legend concerning a witch, and had that name, according to licensing records, as early as 1751.In the late 20th century it became known for its drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
cabaret, and promoted itself as the "Palladium of drag". Drag acts such as Danny La Rue
Danny La Rue
Danny La Rue, OBE was an Irish-born British entertainer known for his singing and drag impersonations.-Early life:...
, and Hinge and Bracket
Hinge and Bracket
Dr. Evadne Hinge and Dame Hilda Bracket were the stage personae of the musical performance and female impersonation artists George Logan and Patrick Fyffe...
started their careers at the pub.
A notable regular performer at The Black Cap, was Rex Jameson's drag persona Mrs Shufflewick. A performance was recorded there in 1972. Rex Jameson was a variety artist who hit the big time in the fifties and sixties and went on to attract cult audiences in the seventies. The character Mrs Shufflewick was celebrated by artists such as Danny La Rue
Danny La Rue
Danny La Rue, OBE was an Irish-born British entertainer known for his singing and drag impersonations.-Early life:...
, Roy Hudd
Roy Hudd
Roy Hudd, OBE is an English comedian, actor, radio host and author, and an authority on the history of music hall entertainment.- Early life :...
, Bob Monkhouse
Bob Monkhouse
Robert Alan "Bob" Monkhouse, OBE was an English entertainer. He was a successful comedy writer, comedian and actor and was also well known on British television as a presenter and game show host...
, Barry Cryer
Barry Cryer
Barry Charles Cryer OBE is a British writer and comedian. Cryer has written for many noted performers, including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie...
and Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
.
Mrs Shufflewick appeared weekly for Sunday Lunch The Black Cap during the seventies. A Hammond organ and drum kit took pride of place on a tiny stage upon which Mrs Shufflewick appeared for two shows. Sunday crowds were huge and several professional artists used to come to watch the shows including Charles Hawtrey
Charles Hawtrey (film actor)
George Frederick Joffre Hartree , known as Charles Hawtrey, was an English comedy actor and musician.Beginning at a young age as a boy soprano, he made several records before moving on to the radio...
, Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
and Barry Cryer
Barry Cryer
Barry Charles Cryer OBE is a British writer and comedian. Cryer has written for many noted performers, including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie...
Rex died in 1983 and in memorial to Rex Jameson, the Black Cap now has an upstairs bar, called the Shufflewick Bar.
During the eighties, artists such as Reg Bundy
Reg Bundy
Reginald Sutherland Bundy was a British dancer, actor and television presenter best-known for his drag as H.I.H. Regina Fong....
performed his alter ego Regina Fong on Tuesday nights, attracting a cult following of "Fongettes" Top drag acts such as Adrela and Lilly Savage also appeared the The Cap during the eighties.
External links
- www.theblackcap.com Official website