Fascinating Aida
Encyclopedia
Fascinating Aïda is a British comedy singing group and satirical
cabaret
act, which has retired twice, most recently in 2004. After the death in 2007 of the group's pianist and musical director, Russell Churney
, all plans for a new show were shelved. Some of their most famous songs include Shattered Illusions, Herpes Tango, Lieder and Taboo. It was announced in early March 2008 that they would get together again for a short spell of concerts and possibly a brief tour to celebrate their 25th anniversary, and the show would include new songs. In 2008 they performed at the Jermyn Street Theatre
, followed by three nationwide tours. Recently, a Fascinating Aïda Official YouTube Channel was created, which shows various past performances and details event dates, and the new website was set up. They have in the past been described as "Absolutely Fabulous meets Noel Coward, as sung by the Andrew Sisters." On 6 April 2009, Fascinating Aïda released a new album followed by a DVD called "Silver Jubilee" in July 2010, filmed at the Theatre Royal, Windsor. They brought the show to New York in their show which was entitled "Absolutely Miraculous", and was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards on 3 May 2010. They have just completed a tour of South Africa and plans for a new show in the autumn are in the pipeline.
Fascinating Aïda was founded in March 1983 by Dillie Keane
, along with Marilyn Cutts and Lizzie Richardson. The members have varied frequently, but the lasting two have been Dillie Keane
and Adele Anderson
, who joined the group in 1984. The trio started performing in a West End
wine bar
, but they soon caught the media attention, and performed on television for the first time in July 1983. Over the years, they gained a growing fanbase and national popularity, earning three Laurence Olivier Awards
nominations for Best Entertainment in 1995 and 2000. They were voted Most Popular Act 1985 by City Limits magazine and also earned a Perrier Comedy Award nomination. The group broke up in 1989 and was subsequently reformed in 1994, and performed for a further ten years, releasing a number of albums, before breaking up again in 2004. Their final show, One Last Flutter, ran from 13 November to 6 December 2003 at the Comedy Theatre in London, when original member Marilyn Cutts joined the group for one last time. When asked in a 2006 interview if the One Last Flutter show in December 2003 had been the group's last ever show, Dillie Keane responded, "It might be! I don’t know! I’m not being deliberately obscure – it depends if I fancy it and I don’t at the moment." Since then she stated on the welcome page on the Fascinating Aïda official website that "Next year will be our 25th anniversary so we really want to do a new show to celebrate." The page was recently updated to give information about the performances and locations.
The group wrote songs for radio and television programmes such as Stop the Week
, After Hours, People Like Us
and TV-am
.
The group were the subject of several BBC
documentaries. All the current members are also established actresses, mainly in musical theatre. Dillie Keane is also a writer, having written a column in The Stage
magazine for ten years, and written two books, The Joy of Sequins in 1995 and Fascinating Who? in 1985. Keane says she now spends her time "juggling acting, cabaret and writing". The group have an official mascot – a pure bred Irish setter called Dillie, born in 1999.
is known for having in the past performed her own rendition of Fascinating Aïda's Look Mummy No Hands, as is punk cabaret singer Amanda Palmer
. Patti LuPone
has recorded Look Mummy No Hands and Shattered Illusions on her album Matters of the Heart, and sung them at her solo show in New York in 2000; Shattered Illusions is also a staple song of Bette Midler
.
Fascinating Aïda have also in the past been joined by Tony award
-winning orchestrator Sarah Travis
.
, and the run includes many new numbers as well as old. They have received very positive reviews for their performances. Following their run, they performed in various venues over England, including at the
Chichester Festival, the Cheltenham Festival, The Oundle Festival
, Aldeburgh, The Harleston and Waveney Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They also performed in Concert for Russell, which commemorated the life of ex-FA member Russell Churney
, who died from pancreatic cancer
in 2007.
gave the One Last Flutter show four stars, naming it a "perfectly judged evening", and IndieLondon said that "One Last Flutter is as good and funny and as full of biting wit and humour as ever."
More recently The West End Whingers
were unanimously appraising of their Jermyn Street Theatre
run. The New York Times
said of their Absolutely Fascinating run: "I hope every cabaret singer looking for new material sees this show. Any young musical-theater performer who wants to see the right blend of subtlety and showmanship should too. The rest of us can savor the strong opinions and sharp wits that can make top-notch entertainment." Other reviews over time include the Mail on Sunday, who said to: "see them before you die otherwise your life will have been meaningless"; The Daily Telegraph
, who said that "quite simply, Fascinating Aïda are the tops"; the News of the World
, who said that "they are more than ever quite irresistible" and "simply hilarious"; The Financial Times who said that they are "one of the most exquisitely polished shows you are ever likely to see", and The Sunday Telegraph said that their show was "brilliantly conceived and executed… The music is worth hearing again and again”.
Their most recent show was reviewed by acclaimed film director Ken Russell
in The Times
, who said that watching them made him feel he had "died and gone to heaven", and that the trio were "impossibly good".
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
act, which has retired twice, most recently in 2004. After the death in 2007 of the group's pianist and musical director, Russell Churney
Russell Churney
Russell Churney was an English composer, pianist, arranger and musical director. He was also a member of the legendary comedy/cabaret group, Fascinating Aïda...
, all plans for a new show were shelved. Some of their most famous songs include Shattered Illusions, Herpes Tango, Lieder and Taboo. It was announced in early March 2008 that they would get together again for a short spell of concerts and possibly a brief tour to celebrate their 25th anniversary, and the show would include new songs. In 2008 they performed at the Jermyn Street Theatre
Jermyn Street Theatre
Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated in Jermyn Street, London.Formerly a restaurant, under the leadership of Howard Jameson, it was transformed into a 70-seat studio theatre right in the heart of London's West End...
, followed by three nationwide tours. Recently, a Fascinating Aïda Official YouTube Channel was created, which shows various past performances and details event dates, and the new website was set up. They have in the past been described as "Absolutely Fabulous meets Noel Coward, as sung by the Andrew Sisters." On 6 April 2009, Fascinating Aïda released a new album followed by a DVD called "Silver Jubilee" in July 2010, filmed at the Theatre Royal, Windsor. They brought the show to New York in their show which was entitled "Absolutely Miraculous", and was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards on 3 May 2010. They have just completed a tour of South Africa and plans for a new show in the autumn are in the pipeline.
History
Dillie Keane
Louise M. "Dillie" Keane is an Olivier Award-nominated actress, singer and comedienne. She is perhaps best known as one third of the comedy cabaret trio Fascinating Aida since its 1983 inception, but she has also had a prominent solo career.-Theatre and Fascinating Aida:Keane was nominated for a...
, along with Marilyn Cutts and Lizzie Richardson. The members have varied frequently, but the lasting two have been Dillie Keane
Dillie Keane
Louise M. "Dillie" Keane is an Olivier Award-nominated actress, singer and comedienne. She is perhaps best known as one third of the comedy cabaret trio Fascinating Aida since its 1983 inception, but she has also had a prominent solo career.-Theatre and Fascinating Aida:Keane was nominated for a...
and Adele Anderson
Adèle Anderson
Adèle Anderson is an Olivier Award-nominated singer and actress, best known as a third of the cabaret group Fascinating Aida.-Career:...
, who joined the group in 1984. The trio started performing in a West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
wine bar
Wine bar
A wine bar is a tavern-like business focusing on selling wine, rather than liquor or beer. A typical feature of many wine bars is a wide selection of wines available by the glass. Some wine bars are profiled on wines of a certain type of origin, such as Italian wine or Champagne...
, but they soon caught the media attention, and performed on television for the first time in July 1983. Over the years, they gained a growing fanbase and national popularity, earning three Laurence Olivier Awards
Laurence Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Award is presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre. Named after the renowned British actor Laurence Olivier, they are given for West End shows and other productions staged in London...
nominations for Best Entertainment in 1995 and 2000. They were voted Most Popular Act 1985 by City Limits magazine and also earned a Perrier Comedy Award nomination. The group broke up in 1989 and was subsequently reformed in 1994, and performed for a further ten years, releasing a number of albums, before breaking up again in 2004. Their final show, One Last Flutter, ran from 13 November to 6 December 2003 at the Comedy Theatre in London, when original member Marilyn Cutts joined the group for one last time. When asked in a 2006 interview if the One Last Flutter show in December 2003 had been the group's last ever show, Dillie Keane responded, "It might be! I don’t know! I’m not being deliberately obscure – it depends if I fancy it and I don’t at the moment." Since then she stated on the welcome page on the Fascinating Aïda official website that "Next year will be our 25th anniversary so we really want to do a new show to celebrate." The page was recently updated to give information about the performances and locations.
The group wrote songs for radio and television programmes such as Stop the Week
Stop The Week
Stop the Week was a long running BBC Radio 4 discussion programme chaired by Robert Robinson which ran from 1974–1992-Origins:The BBC Radio's Current Affairs Department decided that it wanted a programme that would act as a bookend to Monday morning's Start the Week with Richard Baker, which had...
, After Hours, People Like Us
People Like Us
People Like Us is a British comedy programme, a spoof on-location documentary written by John Morton, and starring Chris Langham as Roy Mallard, an inept interviewer...
and TV-am
TV-am
TV-am was a breakfast television station that broadcast to the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 to 31 December 1992. It made history by being the first national operator of a commercial television franchise at breakfast-time , and broadcast every day of the week for most or all of the period...
.
The group were the subject of several BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentaries. All the current members are also established actresses, mainly in musical theatre. Dillie Keane is also a writer, having written a column in The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
magazine for ten years, and written two books, The Joy of Sequins in 1995 and Fascinating Who? in 1985. Keane says she now spends her time "juggling acting, cabaret and writing". The group have an official mascot – a pure bred Irish setter called Dillie, born in 1999.
Adaptations
Camille O'SullivanCamille O'Sullivan
Camille O'Sullivan is a Irish singer, actress, and entertainer. -Background:...
is known for having in the past performed her own rendition of Fascinating Aïda's Look Mummy No Hands, as is punk cabaret singer Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
. Patti LuPone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...
has recorded Look Mummy No Hands and Shattered Illusions on her album Matters of the Heart, and sung them at her solo show in New York in 2000; Shattered Illusions is also a staple song of Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
.
Current members
- Dillie KeaneDillie KeaneLouise M. "Dillie" Keane is an Olivier Award-nominated actress, singer and comedienne. She is perhaps best known as one third of the comedy cabaret trio Fascinating Aida since its 1983 inception, but she has also had a prominent solo career.-Theatre and Fascinating Aida:Keane was nominated for a...
(1983 to present, mezzo) - Adele AndersonAdèle AndersonAdèle Anderson is an Olivier Award-nominated singer and actress, best known as a third of the cabaret group Fascinating Aida.-Career:...
(1984 to present, bass) - Sarah-Louise Young (2011 to present, soprano)
Previous members
- Lizzie Richardson (March 1983 to October 1983, soprano)
- Marilyn Cutts (March 1983 to December 1983, mezzo, December 1983 to March 1986, soprano)
- Glenda Smith (October 1983 to December 1983, soprano)
- Denise Wharmby (1986–1989, Soprano) (August 1986 to April 1989)
- Issy Van RandwyckIssy Van RandwyckIssy van Randwyck is an English singer and actress of Dutch descent. She is a former member of British comedy singing group and satirical cabaret act Fascinating Aida, she has since acted on stage and television.-Biography:...
(1997–1999, soprano) (March 1994 to July 1999) - Charlotte Nytzen (February 2000, soprano)
- Bonnie LangfordBonnie LangfordBonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford is an English actress, dancer and entertainer. She came to prominence as a child star in the early 1970s then she subsequently became a companion of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's Doctor Who and has appeared on stage in various musicals such as Peter Pan:...
(2000, soprano) - Liza PulmanLiza PulmanLiza Pulman is a Drama Desk Award-nominated singer and actress, best known as a third of the cabaret group Fascinating Aida.-Personal life:...
(2004 – 2011, Soprano)
Fascinating Aïda have also in the past been joined by Tony award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning orchestrator Sarah Travis
Sarah Travis
Sarah Travis is a British orchestrator and musical supervisor for theatre and film. She received the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations for the 2005 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.-Career:...
.
Tour history
Fascinating Aïda have appeared in over 100 theatres in the United Kingdom and Ireland as well as numerous tours to other countries.National tours & residencies
- 1984 Fascinating Aïda – Donmar WarehouseDonmar WarehouseDonmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
, London. The show ran from 11 December 1984 to 5 January 1985 - 1985 Fascinating Aïda – Lyric HammersmithLyric HammersmithThe Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on King Street, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which takes pride in its original, "groundbreaking" productions....
, London - 1986 Fascinating Aïda – Lyric Hammersmith
- 1987 Fascinating Aïda – Piccadilly TheatrePiccadilly TheatreThe Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
, West End, London. The show ran from 19 February to 3 April - 1989 Fascinating Aïda – Lyric Hammersmith
- 1994 Fascinating Aïda – Lyric Hammersmith
- 1994 Fascinating Aïda – Garrick TheatreGarrick TheatreThe Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
, West End, London. The show ran from 7 December 1994 to 21 January 1995 - 1997 Fascinating Aïda – Apollo TheatreApollo TheatreThe Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
, West End, London. The show ran from 4 to 15 March - 1997 It, Wit, Don't Give A Shit Girls – Vaudeville TheatreVaudeville TheatreThe Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on The Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each new building retained elements of the previous...
, West End, London. The show ran from 23 January to 15 February - 1997 It, Wit, Don't Give A Shit Girls – Lyric Hammersmith. The show ran from 4 to 15 March
- 1998 It, Wit, Don't Give A Shit Girls – Lyric Hammersmith
- 1999 Barefaced Chic – Theatre RoyalHaymarket TheatreThe Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...
, Haymarket, West End, London. The show ran from 9 February to 13 March - 2000 Barefaced Chic – Lyric Hammersmith
- 2003 One Last Flutter – Comedy Theatre, West End, London. The show ran from 13 November to 6 December
- 2008 Silver Jubilee – Jermyn Street TheatreJermyn Street TheatreJermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated in Jermyn Street, London.Formerly a restaurant, under the leadership of Howard Jameson, it was transformed into a 70-seat studio theatre right in the heart of London's West End...
, London. The show ran from 19th to the 31 May. Also small national tour. - 2009 25th Anniversary – National tour
2008 mini-tour
In 2008, Fascinating Aïda had their "Silver Jubilee Concert", celebrating 25 years of Fascinating Aïda. The group are performing several weeks in London's Jermyn Street TheatreJermyn Street Theatre
Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated in Jermyn Street, London.Formerly a restaurant, under the leadership of Howard Jameson, it was transformed into a 70-seat studio theatre right in the heart of London's West End...
, and the run includes many new numbers as well as old. They have received very positive reviews for their performances. Following their run, they performed in various venues over England, including at the
Chichester Festival, the Cheltenham Festival, The Oundle Festival
Oundle International Festival
The Oundle International Festival is a music festival and organ school held in Oundle, England.- Background :Oundle International Festival was founded in 1985, with the training of young organists as its core component. The summer schools were to be centred upon a new organ, built by Frobenius of...
, Aldeburgh, The Harleston and Waveney Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They also performed in Concert for Russell, which commemorated the life of ex-FA member Russell Churney
Russell Churney
Russell Churney was an English composer, pianist, arranger and musical director. He was also a member of the legendary comedy/cabaret group, Fascinating Aïda...
, who died from pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
in 2007.
2009 national tour
This year, Fascinating Aïda embarked on a full scale national tour, of the Silver Jubilee show, preceding their Autumn tour and New York Residency.International tours & residencies
- 1988 One month season – Ballroom, West 28th Street, New York City, United States
- 1998 Small National tour – Australia
- 1999 Two performances – Hemingways Resort, WatamuWatamuWatamu is a beach resort on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It lies on a small headland, between the Blue Lagoon and Watamu Bay. Its main industries are tourism and fishing...
, Kenya - 1999 Three week season – Bar Jeder Vernunft, Berlin, Germany
- 2000 Season -Raffles HotelRaffles HotelRaffles Hotel is a colonial-style hotel in Singapore, and one of the world's most famous hotels. The hotel was established by the famous Armenian Sarkies Brothers. Opened in 1887, it was named after Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles. Managed by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, it is...
, Singapore - 2003 Red Pear Theatre, AntibesAntibesAntibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
, France September to October - 2004 Fascinating Aida - Mofet Theatre, Raanana, Israel
- 2004 Absolutely Fascinating – 59E59 Theaters, ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City, United States, as part of the Brits Off Broadway Festival of New British Theatre. - 2004 Absolutely Fascinating – Acorn Theatre, Manhattan, New York. The show ran from 22 September to 14 November
- Additionally, they performed at the Wellington Festival in New Zealand, a 4 week season at the Firebird Cafe in New York and a later return 2 week season at the Firebird Cafe as well as a performance at the New York Cabaret Convention. In 1988 they opened the Sydney Festival for the Bicentennial at the Opera House and played a 4 week season as well as a national tour. They did a further four week season in New York, a seven week season at the Mason Street Theater in San Francisco and in 1986 performed at the Sydney Festival and completed a small national tour of Australia.
- 2009/10 Absolutely Miraculous – 59E59. Fascinating Aida performed in New York as part of the Brits Off-Broadway season, winning two Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
nominations.
Albums
- 1984 – Sweet FA
- 1987 – A Load of Old Sequins
- 1994 – Live at the Lyric
- 1997 – It, Wit, Don't Give A Shit Girls
- 1999 – Barefaced Chic
- 2003 – Absolutely Fascinating
- 2003 – One Last Flutter
- 2009 – Silver Jubilee
Selected awards & nominations
- Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
- Nominated for Best Entertainment – 2005
- Nominated for Best Entertainment – 2010 (Absolutely Miraculous!)
- Nominated for Best Lyrics – 2010 (Absolutely Miraculous!)
- Olivier Awards
- Nominated for Best Entertainment – 1995 (Live at the Lyric)
- Nominated for Best Entertainment – 2000 (Barefaced Chic)
- Nominated for Best Entertainment – 2004 (One Last Flutter)
- Perrier Award (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)
- Nominated – 1984
- City Limits
- Voted Most Popular Act – 1985
Reviews
The IndependentThe Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
gave the One Last Flutter show four stars, naming it a "perfectly judged evening", and IndieLondon said that "One Last Flutter is as good and funny and as full of biting wit and humour as ever."
More recently The West End Whingers
The West End Whingers
The West End Whingers is a London-based theatre blog which publishes humorous and satirical reviews of mostly West End theatre productions.The blog was founded in June 2006 by a pair of London bloggers known only as "Phil" and "Andrew" who were inspired to begin the blog after seeing a production...
were unanimously appraising of their Jermyn Street Theatre
Jermyn Street Theatre
Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated in Jermyn Street, London.Formerly a restaurant, under the leadership of Howard Jameson, it was transformed into a 70-seat studio theatre right in the heart of London's West End...
run. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said of their Absolutely Fascinating run: "I hope every cabaret singer looking for new material sees this show. Any young musical-theater performer who wants to see the right blend of subtlety and showmanship should too. The rest of us can savor the strong opinions and sharp wits that can make top-notch entertainment." Other reviews over time include the Mail on Sunday, who said to: "see them before you die otherwise your life will have been meaningless"; The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, who said that "quite simply, Fascinating Aïda are the tops"; the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
, who said that "they are more than ever quite irresistible" and "simply hilarious"; The Financial Times who said that they are "one of the most exquisitely polished shows you are ever likely to see", and The Sunday Telegraph said that their show was "brilliantly conceived and executed… The music is worth hearing again and again”.
Their most recent show was reviewed by acclaimed film director Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, who said that watching them made him feel he had "died and gone to heaven", and that the trio were "impossibly good".
Books
Fascinating Aïda have released two books.- Keane, DillieDillie KeaneLouise M. "Dillie" Keane is an Olivier Award-nominated actress, singer and comedienne. She is perhaps best known as one third of the comedy cabaret trio Fascinating Aida since its 1983 inception, but she has also had a prominent solo career.-Theatre and Fascinating Aida:Keane was nominated for a...
; Anderson, AdeleAdèle AndersonAdèle Anderson is an Olivier Award-nominated singer and actress, best known as a third of the cabaret group Fascinating Aida.-Career:...
(October 1986). Fascinating Who?, Elm Tree Books, ISBN 0241119251 - Keane, DillieDillie KeaneLouise M. "Dillie" Keane is an Olivier Award-nominated actress, singer and comedienne. She is perhaps best known as one third of the comedy cabaret trio Fascinating Aida since its 1983 inception, but she has also had a prominent solo career.-Theatre and Fascinating Aida:Keane was nominated for a...
(December 1994). The Joy of Sequins, Methuen Publishing Ltd , ISBN 0413691101