Fascinating Aïda

History

Fascinating Aïda was founded in March 1983 by Dillie Keane, along with Marilyn Cutts and Lizzie Richardson. The members have varied frequently, but the central two have been Adèle Anderson – who joined the group in 1984 – and Keane. The trio started performing in a West End wine bar, but they soon caught the attention of the media and performed on television for the first time in July 1983. Over the years they earned three Olivier Award nominations for Best Entertainment, in 1995, 2000 and 2004.

They were voted 'Most Popular Act 1985' by City Limits magazine, and also earned a Perrier Comedy Award 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 in London, when original member Marilyn Cutts joined the group for one last time.

Liza Pulman joined in early 2004. That year, the group 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 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. Some of their most famous songs include Shattered Illusions, Herpes Tango, Lieder and Taboo. 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 magazine for ten years, and written two books, The Joy of Sequins in 1995 and Fascinating Who? in 1985.

The group had an official mascot—a pure bred Irish Setter called 'Dillie', born in 1999. After the death in 2007 of the group's pianist and musical director Russell Churney, 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. In 2008 they performed at the Jermyn Street Theatre, followed by three nationwide tours.

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 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. The 40th Anniversary Show tour began in 2023 and continued into 2024, including three nights at the London Palladium in February 2024.

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 include: 1984 Fascinating Aïda – Donmar Warehouse, London (11 Dec 1984 to 5 Jan 1985); 1985 Fascinating Aïda – Lyric Hammersmith, London; 1986 Fascinating Aïda – Lyric Hammersmith; 1987 Fascinating Aïda – Piccadilly Theatre, West End, London (19 Feb to 3 Apr); 1989 Fascinating Aïda – Lyric Hammersmith; 1994 Fascinating Aïda – Lyric Hammersmith; 1994 Fascinating Aïda – Garrick Theatre, West End, London (7 Dec 1994 to 21 Jan 1995); 1997 Fascinating Aïda – Apollo Theatre, West End, London (4 to 15 Mar); 1997 It, Wit, Don't Give A Shit Girls – Vaudeville Theatre, West End, London (23 Jan to 15 Feb); 1997 It, Wit, Don't Give A Shit Girls – Lyric Hammersmith (4 to 15 Mar); 1998 It, Wit, Don't Give A Shit Girls – Lyric Hammersmith; 1999 Barefaced Chic – Theatre Royal, Haymarket, West End, London (9 Feb to 13 Mar); 2000 Barefaced Chic – Lyric Hammersmith; 2003 One Last Flutter – Comedy Theatre, West End, London (13 Nov to 6 Dec); 2008 Silver Jubilee – Jermyn Street Theatre, London (19 to 31 May) plus small national tour; 2009 25th Anniversary – National tour; 2011–2012 Cheap Flights Tour – National tour; 2013–2014 Charm Offensive – National tour; 2019–2022 – National Tour, interrupted by Covid; 2023–2024 40th Anniversary Show – National Tour, ends March 2024.

International tours and residencies include: 1988 One month season – Ballroom, West 28th Street, New York City; 1998 Small National tour – Australia; 1999 Two performances – Hemingways Resort, Watamu, Kenya; 1999 Three week season – Bar Jeder Vernunft, Berlin, Germany; 2000 Season – Raffles Hotel, Singapore; 2003 Red Pear Theatre, Antibes, France (Sep to Oct); 2004 Fascinating Aida – Mofet Theatre, Raanana, Israel; 2004 Absolutely Fascinating – 59E59 Theaters, Manhattan, New York (Brits Off Broadway Festival); 2004 Absolutely Fascinating – Acorn Theatre, Manhattan, New York (22 Sep to 14 Nov).

Additionally, they performed at the Wellington Festival in New Zealand, a four-week season at the Firebird Cafe in New York, a later return two-week season at the Firebird Cafe, a performance at the New York Cabaret Convention, opened the Sydney Festival for the Bicentennial at the Opera House in 1988 with a 4-week season and national tour, 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, New York (Brits Off-Broadway season), winning two Drama Desk Award nominations.

Selected awards & nominations

Fascinating Aïda have been nominated for three Drama Desk Awards: for Best Entertainment in 2005 and 2010, and for Best Lyrics in 2010 for Absolutely Miraculous!. They received three Olivier Award nominations for Best Entertainment: in 1995 for Live at the Lyric, in 2000 for Barefaced Chic, and in 2004 for One Last Flutter. The group was nominated for a Perrier Comedy Award in 1984 and was voted Most Popular Act 1985 by City Limits magazine. The Independent gave One Last Flutter four stars, calling it a perfectly judged evening.

The New York Times praised their Absolutely Fascinating run for blending subtlety and showmanship. The Daily Telegraph described them as the tops, the News of the World called them irresistible and hilarious, the Financial Times said they were one of the most exquisitely polished shows, and The Sunday Telegraph noted the music was worth hearing again and again. Ken Russell, writing in The Times about their 2009 show, said watching them made him feel he had died and gone to heaven and called the trio impossibly good.

Selected awards & nominations

Fascinating Aïda received a Perrier Award nomination at the 1984 Edinburgh Festival. They were nominated three times for the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment: in 1995, 2000 and 2004. They were nominated twice for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue: in 2005 for Absolutely Fabulous and in 2010 for Absolutely Miraculous!. Keane and Anderson were also nominated for the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics for Absolutely Miraculous!. They were voted 'Most Popular Act 1985' by City Limits magazine.