The Establishment (club)
The venue allowed the opportunity for budding comedians and satirists to perform new material in a nightclub setting, outside the jurisdiction of the Lord Chamberlain, whose censorship of language and content was a problem for many performers. Some who appeared included Lenny Bruce in 1962 (subsequently banned from entering the UK a year later), Barry Humphries (as Edna Everage), and musically, The Dudley Moore Trio. The Establishment, a tie-in album of comedy routines and sketches featuring John Bird, John Fortune, Eleanor Bron and Jeremy Geidt, was released on the Parlophone label in 1963.
A second club was established in New York City in 1963. However, both folded after only a few years. The Establishment in London closed in 1964.
Legacy
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: First paragraph doesn't make a lot of sense. (October 2017) |
In March 2008, the site of the club was renamed Zebrano's but after a small group of Peter Cook devotees, Sally Western, Jonathan Hansler and Robert Ross, pressured the management for some recognition of the old club's importance in satire, the owners agreed to place "The Establishment" in writing above the door. A green plaque was also positioned above the door by Westminster City Council after campaigning by the same group.
The Establishment was referenced in the book Stop-Time by author Frank Conroy. The book is a semi-autobiographical account of Conroy's own life, and he mentions getting drunk at The Establishment, and then racing his car home to his apartment outside London while he was living in England with his wife in the '60s. The Establishment also featured briefly in the semi-fictional Peter Cook and Dudley Moore biopic Not Only But Always (2004); seen only in an exterior shot, it bore no resemblance to 18 Greek Street.
The location of the original venue currently operates as a bar as of July 2024.
External links
- Peter Cook plaque unveiling Feb 15th 2009 - The old Establishment Club
- "Peter Cook & Clives James - The Establishment Club". Video of Peter Cook reminiscing, extract from Clive James' Postcard from London.