In the club

[artisan]

Who performed at the Establishment Club, London? Is it still there?

[sgs]

It was opened by Peter Cook in 1961 and ran for approximately one year. People who performed there included all the Beyond the Fringe crowd, so Cook himself along with Dudley Moor, Jonathan Miller and Alan Bennett. As for others....? I'll have a look.

[artisan]

Why only one year? Did the London council close it down? Or the police Or did it close voluntarily? Where are you going to look sgs?

[sgs]

It was actually somewhat longer than a year. It finally faded out around 1964 after Cook, having returned from a stint in America, sold it - though it is possible that not much money changed hands - to a Soho gangster. It had been in decline since John Bird and John Fortune - yes, the ones still on TV - who, with Eleanor Bron, had been the mainstays of the club, went to tour in the USA and it was being run by someone less than competent. Other people who performed there included Fenella Fielding and Lenny Bruce, apparently. So, no, it wasn't closed down by the government - it was only satire, not sedition. More down to inexpert management and gangland pressure. As for where I looked: a swift phone call to Willie Donaldson, the man who bank-rolled Beyond the Fringe and staged a couple of shows at the Establishment. Could be more details forthcoming in a few days.

[artisan]

I just thought one year was a bit short, that's all.