A decadent energy swept through the dimly-lit Royal Vauxhall Tavern as Miss Hope Springs took to the stage with her bespoke band on ‘tube strike Thursday’. Regardless of the fact that London’s main transport system was completely stationery, it was pleasing to see a turnout that defied this.
An audience of all ages and styles settled down for the ninety-minute musical extravaganza. A good portion of them had actually seen the show before on more than a few occasions, yet still they enthusiastically flock back time and time again, as one audience member told me: “every show is different, it’s stunning. Hope is always writing new songs”.
Before we go any further, I should firstly say that Hope writes all of the songs in her shows. Yep, all original material. Which is pretty astonishing and very rare on the cabaret scene. And you know what? Most of the numbers have a welcome familiarity to them, as though you’ve perhaps heard them before in the Hit Parade. But you haven’t. Many of the songs are written and crafted in such a clever way, so as to act as instant sing-alongs, with Hope throwing to the obedient audience from behind the piano. Stand out numbers for me included ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’, ‘Queen of Fools’ and Let’s Run Away With the Circus’.
Daniel Lismore: “Miss Hope Springs is so good, she’s almost beyond any words I could muster. Probably the best live performer I’ve ever seen”
Hope doled out sassy one-liners, with a glint in her eye, while at the other end of the spectrum, she enveloped the whole room into anecdotal tales for ten minutes or more, culminating in a crescendo-like punchline. It’s almost as though she’s gently teasing open a bottle of champagne, but waiting, waiting, for the cork to pop. This takes great skill and artistic measure, even from the most seasoned pro. Hope has these skills in abundance.
The character of Hope has clearly been worked on at great length. At first glance, a cross between Lady Bunny and Lorna Luft, Hope doesn’t just have a sketchy background story. She has a detailed ‘This is Your Life’ style story, with attention paid to every intricacy. The man behind Hope has really invested some serious time in carving out who Hope is. As my dear old grandmother always said, ‘The devil is in the detail’.
The RVT is an almost perfect setting for Miss Hope Spring’s jazz-fuelled show, and at times you could imagine sitting in a smokey New York or LA jazz joint sipping on a bourbon. Sheer old-school elegance and class seep out of every pore of Hope, and she has that one vital ingredient that is so important to make you a successful cabaret artist: originality. There is no-one out there doing what she does or anyone that even comes close. So it’s exciting for a cabaret hag like me to witness. I’m already looking forward to the next show.
