Fascinating Aïda
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Fascinating Aïda is a British comedy singing group and
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...
cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
act founded in March 1983. The line-up consists of founder member
Dillie Keane Louise Miriam "Dillie" Keane (born 23 May 1952) is an Olivier Award-nominated actress, singer and comedian. She has been a member of the comedy cabaret trio Fascinating Aïda since its 1983 inception, and has also pursued a solo career. Early ...
;
Adèle Anderson Adèle Anderson (born 14 June 1952) is an English Olivier Award-nominated singer and actress, best known as one third of the cabaret group Fascinating Aïda. Career Anderson has appeared internationally in concerts, in theatrical plays, on the ...
, who joined in 1984; and
Liza Pulman Liza Kate Pulman (born 1969) is a British singer and actress. She is an acclaimed solo singer and comedienne and one third of the satirical comedy trio Fascinating Aïda. As a member of the group, she received Drama Desk Award nominations in 20 ...
, who first joined in 2004. The group received a
Perrier Award Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle. Perrier was part of the ...
nomination at the 1984
Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...
, and went on to be nominated three times for the
Olivier Award for Best Entertainment The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Family Show is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End theatre, West End Thea ...
(1995, 2000 and 2004), and twice for the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The category was established beginning with the 1990 ...
(2005 and 2010). Keane and Anderson were also nominated for the 2010
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. Stephen Sondheim holds the record for most wins and ...
.


History

Fascinating Aïda was founded in March 1983 by
Dillie Keane Louise Miriam "Dillie" Keane (born 23 May 1952) is an Olivier Award-nominated actress, singer and comedian. She has been a member of the comedy cabaret trio Fascinating Aïda since its 1983 inception, and has also pursued a solo career. Early ...
, along with Marilyn Cutts and Lizzie Richardson. The members have varied frequently, but the central two have been
Adèle Anderson Adèle Anderson (born 14 June 1952) is an English Olivier Award-nominated singer and actress, best known as one third of the cabaret group Fascinating Aïda. Career Anderson has appeared internationally in concerts, in theatrical plays, on the ...
– who joined the group in 1984 – and Keane. The trio started performing in a West End
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, ...
, but they soon caught the attention of the media and performed on television for the first time in July 1983. Over the years they gained a growing fanbase and national popularity, earning three
Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
nominations for Best Entertainment, in 1995, 2000 and 2004. They were voted 'Most Popular Act 1985' by ''
City Limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate limi ...
'' magazine, and also earned a
Perrier Comedy Award The Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Awards (formerly the Perrier Comedy Awards, and also briefly known by other names for sponsorship reasons) are presented to the comedy shows deemed to have been the best at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. ...
nomination. The group broke up in 1989 and subsequently reformed in 1994, performing for a further ten years, releasing a number of albums, before breaking up again in 2004. Their 20th anniversary show, ''One Last Flutter'', ran from 13 November to 6 December 2003 at the
Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,
in London, when original member Marilyn Cutts joined the group for one last time. The show earned the group their third
Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
nomination.
Liza Pulman Liza Kate Pulman (born 1969) is a British singer and actress. She is an acclaimed solo singer and comedienne and one third of the satirical comedy trio Fascinating Aïda. As a member of the group, she received Drama Desk Award nominations in 20 ...
joined in early 2004. That year, they performed their show ''Absolutely Fabulous'' twice in New York. First in June for the Brits Off-Broadway Festival, then from September to November at the Acorn Theatre, Manhattan. The show earned them a 2005
Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
nomination for Outstanding Revue. In 2007, Keane 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 group wrote songs for radio and television programmes such as '' Stop The Week'', ''After Hours'', '' People Like Us'' and the breakfast broadcaster
TV-am TV-am was a TV company that broadcast the ITV franchise for breakfast television in the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 until 31 December 1992. The station was the UK's first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchise ...
. Some of their most famous songs include ''Shattered Illusions'', ''Herpes Tango'', ''Lieder'' and ''Taboo''. They were the subject of several
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
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'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
'' 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 The Irish Setter ( ga, sotar rua, literally "red setter") is a setter, a breed of gundog, and family dog. The term ''Irish Setter'' is commonly used to encompass the show-bred dog recognised by the American Kennel Club as well as the field-bred ...
called "Dillie", born in 1999. After the death in 2007 of the group's pianist and musical director
Russell Churney Russell Churney (10 September 1964 – 27 February 2007) was an English composer, pianist, arranger and musical director. He was also a member of the comedy/cabaret group, Fascinating Aïda. His sister is Ooberman keyboardist and vocalist ...
, plans for a new show were shelved. 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 is a performance venue situated on Jermyn Street, in London's West End. It is an off-west end studio theatre. History Jermyn Street Theatre opened in August 1994. It was formerly the changing rooms for staff at a Spaghetti ...
, 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 ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (also known as ''Ab Fab'') is a British television sitcom based on the ''French and Saunders'' sketch, "Modern Mother and Daughter", created by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. The show was created and written by Saund ...
'' meets
Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...
, as sung by the
Andrew Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January 3 ...
." 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 The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
on 3 May 2010. They completed a tour of South Africa and then opened successfully in the Charing Cross Theatre in the autumn of 2011, before starting a UK tour.


Adaptations

Camille O'Sullivan Camille O'Sullivan is an Irish musician, vocalist, and actress. O'Sullivan is known for her unique, dramatic musical style and covers of artists such as Radiohead, Tom Waits, and David Bowie. As an actress, O'Sullivan has appeared in Mrs Hend ...
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 Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...
has recorded ''Look Mummy No Hands'' and ''Shattered Illusions'' on her album ''Matters of the Heart'', and sang them at her solo show in New York in 2000. ''Shattered Illusions'' is also a staple song of
Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...
.


Current and previous members


Current members

*
Dillie Keane Louise Miriam "Dillie" Keane (born 23 May 1952) is an Olivier Award-nominated actress, singer and comedian. She has been a member of the comedy cabaret trio Fascinating Aïda since its 1983 inception, and has also pursued a solo career. Early ...
: 1983–1989, 1994–2004, 2008–present (alto) *
Adèle Anderson Adèle Anderson (born 14 June 1952) is an English Olivier Award-nominated singer and actress, best known as one third of the cabaret group Fascinating Aïda. Career Anderson has appeared internationally in concerts, in theatrical plays, on the ...
: 1984–1989, 1994–2004, 2008–present (contralto) *
Liza Pulman Liza Kate Pulman (born 1969) is a British singer and actress. She is an acclaimed solo singer and comedienne and one third of the satirical comedy trio Fascinating Aïda. As a member of the group, she received Drama Desk Award nominations in 20 ...
: 2004, 2008 – July 2011, July 2012–present (soprano)


Previous members

* Lizzie Richardson: March 1983 – October 1983 (soprano) * Marilyn Cutts: March 1983 – March 1986, 2000, 2003 (mezzo 1983, soprano from December) * Glenda Smith: October 1983 – December 1983 (soprano) * Denise Wharmby: August 1986 – April 1989 (soprano) * Issy van Randwyck: March 1994 – July 1999 (soprano) * Charlotte Nytzen: February 2000 (soprano) *
Bonnie Langford Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford (born 22 July 1964) is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series ''Just William''. In the 1980s, she played c ...
: 2000 (soprano) * Sarah-Louise Young: July 2011 – 2012 (soprano) Fascinating Aïda have also in the past been joined by
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
-winning orchestrator
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 To ...
.


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 and residencies

*1984 ''Fascinating Aïda'' –
Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Micha ...
, London. The show ran from 11 December 1984 to 5 January 1985 *1985 ''Fascinating Aïda'' –
Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.
, London *1986 ''Fascinating Aïda'' – Lyric Hammersmith *1987 ''Fascinating Aïda'' –
Piccadilly Theatre The 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, London, England. Early years Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...
, 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 Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...
, West End, London. The show ran from 7 December 1994 to 21 January 1995 *1997 ''Fascinating Aïda'' –
Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.
, West End, London. The show ran from 4 to 15 March *1997 ''It, Wit, Don't Give A Shit Girls'' –
Vaudeville Theatre The 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 ...
, 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 Royal, Haymarket, West End, London. The show ran from 9 February to 13 March *2000 ''Barefaced Chic'' – Lyric Hammersmith *2003 ''One Last Flutter'' –
Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,
, West End, London. The show ran from 13 November to 6 December *2008 ''Silver Jubilee'' –
Jermyn Street Theatre Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated on Jermyn Street, in London's West End. It is an off-west end studio theatre. History Jermyn Street Theatre opened in August 1994. It was formerly the changing rooms for staff at a Spaghetti ...
, London. The show ran from 19 to 31 May. Also small national tour. *2009 ''25th Anniversary'' – National tour *2011–2012 ''Cheap Flights Tour'' – National tour *2013–2014 ''Charm Offensive'' – National tour


2008 mini-tour

In 2008, Fascinating Aïda had their "Silver Jubilee Concert", celebrating 25 years of Fascinating Aïda. The group performed several weeks in London's
Jermyn Street Theatre Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated on Jermyn Street, in London's West End. It is an off-west end studio theatre. History Jermyn Street Theatre opened in August 1994. It was formerly the changing rooms for staff at a Spaghetti ...
, and the run included new numbers. They received positive reviews for their performances. Following their run, they performed in various venues over England, including at the
Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...
Festival, the
Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
Festival, The Oundle Festival,
Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town in the English county, county of Suffolk, England. Located to the north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the int ...
, The Harleston and Waveney Festival and the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
. They also performed in ''Concert for Russell'', which commemorated the life of ex-FA member
Russell Churney Russell Churney (10 September 1964 – 27 February 2007) was an English composer, pianist, arranger and musical director. He was also a member of the comedy/cabaret group, Fascinating Aïda. His sister is Ooberman keyboardist and vocalist ...
, who died from
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
in 2007.


2009 national tour

Fascinating Aïda embarked on a full scale national tour of the Silver Jubilee show, preceding their autumn tour and New York residency.Official Website
/ref>


International tours and residencies

*1988 One month season – Ballroom, West 28th Street,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, United States *1998 Small National tour – Australia *1999 Two performances – Hemingways Resort,
Watamu Watamu is a small town located approximately 105 km north of Mombasa and about 15 km south of Malindi on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It lies on a small headland, between the Blue Lagoon and Watamu Bay. Its main economic activities ...
, Kenya *1999 Three week season – Bar Jeder Vernunft,
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, Germany *2000 Season -
Raffles Hotel Raffles Hotel is a British colonial-style luxury hotel in Singapore. It was established by Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers, in 1887. The hotel was named after British statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern S ...
,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
*2003 Red Pear Theatre,
Antibes Antibes (, also , ; oc, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal, Antíbol) is a coastal city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department of southeastern France, on the French Riviera, Côte d'Azur between Cannes and Nice. The town of ...
, France, September to October *2004 ''Fascinating Aida'' – Mofet Theatre,
Raanana Ra'anana ( he, רַעֲנָנָּה, lit. "Fresh") is a city in the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel. It was founded in 1922 as an American-Jewish settlement, 1 km south of the village of Tabsur, where an important ...
, Israel *2004 ''Absolutely Fascinating'' – 59E59 Theaters,
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, 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 four-week season at the Firebird Cafe in New York and a later return two-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 Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
nominations.


Discography

Fascinating Aïda have released eleven albums and five videos.


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 *2012 – Cheap Flights *2014 – Charm Offensive *2016 – Back in the Saddle


DVDs

*2009 – Silver Jubilee *2012 – Cheap Flights (Release Date: Monday 7 May 2012) *2014 – Charm Offensive *2016 – Back in the Saddle (Greatest Hits) (Released 9 December 2016) *2017 – Hello Dillie (Released 25 February 2017)


Selected awards & nominations

*
Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
**Nominated for Best Entertainment – 2005 **Nominated for Best Entertainment – 2010 (Absolutely Miraculous!) **Nominated for Best Lyrics – 2010 (Absolutely Miraculous!) *
Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
**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 Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle. Perrier was part of the ...
(
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
) **Nominated – 1984 *City Limits **Voted Most Popular Act – 1985


Reviews

''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' 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 praising their
Jermyn Street Theatre Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated on Jermyn Street, in London's West End. It is an off-west end studio theatre. History Jermyn Street Theatre opened in August 1994. It was formerly the changing rooms for staff at a Spaghetti ...
run. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' 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 Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'', who said that "quite simply, Fascinating Aïda are the tops"; the ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
'', who said that "they are more than ever quite irresistible" and "simply hilarious"; ''
The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikk ...
'' who said that they are "one of the most exquisitely polished shows you are ever likely to see", and ''
The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...
'' 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 Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films in the main were liberal adaptation ...
in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'', who said that watching them made him feel he had "died and gone to heaven", and that the trio were "impossibly good".Fascinating Aïda – Times Online, reviewed by Ken Russell
/ref>


Books

Fascinating Aïda have released two books. * Keane, Dillie; Anderson, Adele (October 1986). ''Fascinating Who?'', Elm Tree Books, * Keane, Dillie (December 1994). ''The Joy of Sequins'', Methuen Publishing Ltd,


References


External links


Official WebsiteFascinating Aïda Official YouTube
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fascinating Aida British comedy musical groups British cabaret performers British satire