2012 Retrospective

The Editor looks back at the year 2012 in Polari and how it has explored the LGBT subculture. Part 5: Credo.

Lucille, verses 26-37, Polari Bible.

David Benson, with the spirit of Kenneth Williams upon him, reads from the Polari Bible of how the fairy Gabriel foretold the birth of the saviour, Josie Crystal.

“And the fairy trolled in unto her, and cackled, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Duchess is with thee: fabed art thou among palones.'”

Maggie and Martin.

In this exclusive interview, Maggie and Martin talk to Polari about their album Union, and how their collaboration grew from having fun writing music together into a fully realised project.

“The Maggie and Martin album Union was released in May. The collaboration started when the author Clayton Littlewood introduced the two.”

Bona to Nellyarda!

Polari’s editor, alongside Clayton Littlewood and David Benson, talks about what Polari meant at the height of its use in the 1950s and ’60s.

“At the start of the London 2012 Olympics, Polari Magazine joined Clayton Littlewood at the BBC’s new building in Portland Place to talk about the meaning of the slang Polari.”

[rating=5]
160 min • Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London • March 15th, 2012

Fast-paced and astronomically funny, One Man, Two Guvnors is perhaps the funniest play on the London stage right now.

“One Man, Two Guvnors is riotous. Owain Arthur as Francis Henshall is the perfect guide to the chaos, and his comic timing is flawless.”

The mind behind Sister Wendy: The Musical returns to the stage.

Marcus Reeves talks about Screwged!, his take on A Christmas Carol, and his wonderful cabaret act The Singing Christmas Tree.

The Scrooge story is traditionally very dark and I think that’s what we’ll deliver, with some very rude bits added too.

Dirty White Boy: from blog, to book, to stage.

Christopher Bryant talks with the assistant director and the cast of the play Dirty White Boy in the final days of rehearsals. We talk about settings songs to the action, the underwear scenes, and most important of all the great emotion that is at the heart of the work.

“It’s not a gay play,” Clayton insists. “It’s a social play,” Kat confirms “It’s a commentary on a certain time and a certain place.” Now we’ve really hit on something, and everyone becomes more animated as a result.

Clayton Littlewood’s Soho Stories: the film The Prophet

Clayton writes about the film The Prophet, and Sebastian Horsley.

But what was also nice were all the bum shots. There were bum shots in A Single Man but they were arty bum shots. Bums drifting in cloudy swimming pools. Bums lingering seductively in bedrooms. In A Prophet they were ‘dangerous’ bum shots.

Clayton Littlewood’s Soho Stories: on Katy Manning and Dr Who.

Clayton writes about meeting Katy Manning and the magic of Dr Who.

When I was growing up the Daleks were scary. I mean really scary. They were like the Terminators of their day.

Catching up with Clayton Littlewood one year on.

A year after first interviewing Clayton Littlewood, Polari Magazine talks to the writer about the stage play of Dirty White Boy and the possibilities for a sequel.

When all those celebrities got in contact I thought, ‘That’s it. I’ve made it.’ But when famous people get in contact it’s just like anyone else taking the time out to say they liked your work.