Our festival will take you back in time to celebrate those Happy Days! With a combination of legendary artists from the 70s, 80s and 90s, that will recreate the feel good factor. Come and reminisce the party vibe at our amazing venue, a 40 acre site in the heart of Surrey, ‘Imber Court‘, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 0BT.
The Festival will blend 3 decades of amazing music with other entertainments including a themed retro bar, pyrotechnics, games area, family fun activities.
Happy Days Lineup
Artists confirmed for Party Saturday 28th – The Human League, Marc Almond, Heaven 17, Kid Creole & The Coconuts, Matt Bianco…Main Stage DJ “Rusty Egan” from British New Wave Bands Visage and The Rich Kids.
Artists confirmed for Soul & Dance Sunday 29th – The Sugar Hill Gang plus Melle Mel & Scorpio (Furious Five), Incognito, Jocelyn Brown, Joyce Sims, Martha Wash (original Weather Girl), Heatwave, Vula (Basement Jaxx Vocalist), Lisa Millett…Main Stage DJ “Bert Bevans” Studio 54 & Orginal Ministry of Sound.
Festival goers will also be able to try our delicious Gastro Grub, which will include a selection of World Fusion food and Vegetarian options.
EXCLUSIVELY for our dedicated fans we are offering for 48 hours ONLY pre-sale tickets for the world premiere of
Pre-Sale Tickets
EXCLUSIVELY for our dedicated fans we are offering for 48 hours ONLY limited pre-sale tickets for the world premier of Cherchez La Femme the musical!! Click here for your: Pre-sale tickets – using the code: hachachacha Get your tickets now as this offer ends at midnight (Eastern standard time) on Saturday!
Cherchez La Femme previews from May 20th until May 22nd then our official GRAND OPENING is on Monday 23rd at La Mama’s Ellen Stewart Theatre on East 4th Street, New York City.
So don’t delay, get your tickets today!
“Cherchez La Femme,” a new musical written by August Darnell and Vivien Goldman featuring the music of Grammy-nominated songwriters Stony Browder Jr. and August Darnell.
Synopsis: Set in Manhattan and Haiti, the play explores heavy themes and lightweight dreams.
It’s reckless, it’s rhythmic, it’s romantic.
CHERCHEZ LA FEMME
is a musical extravaganza that tells the story of one man’s loss and another man’s gain and the powerful women who make it all possible. It explores dark themes (abandonment, sibling rivalry, unrequited love) and light themes (sexual healing, the pursuit of happiness, the smell of success) but never without inviting you to shake your head and tap your toes to the infectious neo-urban-jungle grooves. The play is set in New York City and the Caribbean in the 1980’s.
It’s reckless. It’s rhythmic. It’s romantic.
We have launched an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign to help us reach our goal for the upcoming run this Spring at the Ellen Stewart Theatre in New York City! Cherchez la Femme the musical – Indiegogo Campaign
With a little help from our friends we know we can achieve our goal and make this happen!!!!
CHERCHEZ LA FEMME is a musical extravaganza that tells the story of one man’s loss and another man’s gain and the powerful women who make it all possible. It explores dark themes (abandonment, sibling rivalry, unrequited love) and light themes (sexual healing, the pursuit of happiness, the smell of success) but never without inviting you to shake your head and slap tap your toes to the infectious neo-urban-jungle grooves. The play is set in New York City and the Caribbean in the 1980’s. It’s reckless. It’s rhythmic. It’s romantic.
30 years ago Vivien Goldman interviewed me in London for a magazine called NME. My alter ego, KID CREOLE, had just released an album entitled TROPICAL GANGSTERS on the Island Records label. It was a hit. The interview lasted 3 hours and 35 minutes. A friendship was formed. 7 years ago Vivien visited me in my home in the idyllic Swedish countryside. We joked about writing a musical. The joke became a reality. The first draft of the play was written in 6 days. At first it was called I’M A WONDERFUL THING, BABY.
1 year ago Vivien met an actor named Julius Hollingsworth. She spoke to him about the musical. Julius said “Hey, I have done some work with the La Mama group in downtown Manhattan. Perhaps they would be interested in this!” Behold! Fate rears its magnificent head out of the wilderness. In the Spring of this year, a staged reading of that play (in its 7th re-write) was presented at the La Mama rehearsal space. It was now called CHERCHEZ LA FEMME. The room was packed with fans of KID CREOLE AND THE COCONUTS and DR BUZZARD’S ORIGINAL SAVANNAH BAND and with music lovers of all ages. My erstwhile manager, Tommy Mottola, even showed up. Hadn’t seen him 123 years (or so it seems)!
CHERCHEZ LA FEMME is a musical extravaganza that tells the story of one man’s loss and another man’s gain and the powerful women who make it all possible. It explores dark themes (abandonment, sibling rivalry, unrequited love) and light themes (sexual healing, the pursuit of happiness, the smell of success) but never without inviting you to shake your head and slap tap your toes to the infectious neo-urban-jungle grooves. The play is set in New York City and the Caribbean in the 1980’s. It’s reckless. It’s rhythmic. It’s romantic.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
30 years ago Vivien Goldman interviewed me in London for a magazine called NME. My alter ego, KID CREOLE, had just released an album entitled TROPICAL GANGSTERS on the Island Records label. It was a hit. The interview lasted 3 hours and 35 minutes. A friendship was formed. 7 years ago Vivien visited me in my home in the idyllic Swedish countryside. We joked about writing a musical. The joke became a reality. The first draft of the play was written in 6 days. At first it was called I’M A WONDERFUL THING, BABY.
1 year ago Vivien met an actor named Julius Hollingsworth. She spoke to him about the musical. Julius said “Hey, I have done some work with the La Mama group in downtown Manhattan. Perhaps they would be interested in this!” Behold! Fate rears its magnificent head out of the wilderness. In the Spring of this year, a staged reading of that play (in its 7th re-write) was presented at the La Mama rehearsal space. It was now called CHERCHEZ LA FEMME. The room was packed with fans of KID CREOLE AND THE COCONUTS and DR BUZZARD’S ORIGINAL SAVANNAH BAND and with music lovers of all ages. My erstwhile manager, Tommy Mottola, even showed up. Hadn’t seen him 123 years (or so it seems)!
The staged readings were very successful. They led directly to yet another re-write and an invitation to entertain the masses at the Ellen Stewart Theatre! Pow! A dream deferred becomes a dream deferred no longer.
HERE AND NOW
CHERCHEZ LA FEMME will come alive for a limited run (May 19th – June 5th 2016) at the Ellen Stewart theatre in downtown Manhattan. We will have an 8 piece band and 15 cast members and some real sets and some dynamic lighting and some remarkable choreography. Yes, I am a fan of Cecil B. DeMille and Busby Berkley!
THE A TEAM
We will begin our extensive audition process in January so please contact us if you can sing and dance and act like a New Yorker in the 1980’s!
Where there’s a will, there’s a PLAY.
What happens after this limited run? Well … we bring the wacky world of CHERCHEZ LA FEMME to the rest of the world, of course.
Why not?
Excelsior,
August Darnell aka KID CREOLE
“We may be through with the past but the past isn’t through with us.”
The band, led by August “Kid Creole” Darnell, will play several of their classics and some of their newer music. The March 25th show will also feature a very special guest appearance by Cory Daye, who sang with Darnell while they were members of Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band.
Also joining Darnell on stage will be Haitia Fuller and Fonda Rae, singers he produced for various side projects (Elbow Bones and the Racketeers, Don Armando’s 2nd Ave. Rumba Band).
IN A CORNER THERE’S A BUSY BAR
BARMAN HAS A BLOODY SCAR
VERY SLEAZY, WEEZY-QUEASY
IN THE TOILET THERE’S A RAGGED FOOL
SELLING COKE AND ACTING COOL
PRETTY ICKY, AWFUL SICKLY, OOOOO
TELL ME
WHAT YOU DOIN’ IN A PLACE LIKE THIS?
WHAT YOU DOIN’ IN A STATE LIKE THIS?
AND ON YOUR OWN …
LORD HAVE MERCY!
IN A CORNER THERE’S A POOL OF SICK
NO SURPRISE – THE AIR IS THICK
PRETTY SHITTY, WHAT A PITY
AND ON A TABLE THERE’S A TOPLESS GIRL
OFF HER TITS SHE DOES A WHIRL
VERY DIRTY, VERY FLIRTY, OOOOOO
TELL ME
WHAT YOU DOIN’ IN A PLACE LIKE THIS?
WHAT YOU DOIN’ IN A STATE LIKE THIS?
AND ON YOUR OWN …
LORD HAVE MERCY!
YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART
YOU’RE FALLING APART
AIN’T YOU GOT NO SHAME?
YOU’RE SLIPPING SO LOW
YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW
YOU’RE IN PAIN
SHAME SHAME SHAME
THEY SAY THAT PRIDE WILL COME BEFORE A FALL
YOU PUT YOUR FAITH IN ALCOHOL
PRETTY STUPID, WHY YOU DO IT
THE D.J.’S PLAYING SOME CACOPHONY
THERE’S NOTHING HERE FOR YOU OR ME
WHERE’S THE MAGIC IN THE TRAGIC? OOOOOO
TELL ME
WHAT YOU DOIN’ IN A PLACE LIKE THIS?
WHAT YOU DOIN’ IN A STATE LIKE THIS?
AND ON YOUR OWN …
LORD HAVE MERCY!
WHAT YOU DOIN’ IN A PLACE LIKE THIS?
WHAT YOU DOIN’ IN A STATE LIKE THIS?
AND ALL ALONE …
LORD HAVE MERCY!
YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART
YOU’RE FALLING APART
AIN’T YOU GOT NO SHAME?
YOU’RE SLIPPING SO LOW
YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW
YOU’RE IN PAIN
SHAME SHAME SHAME
