Stephen K Amos to compère GayExtravaganza at Hackney Empire

Funny man Stephen K. Amos

Some of Britain’s finest LGBT comics are taking part in Hackney Empire’s GayExtravaganza – Homo of Comedy 2012! event this month as part of World Pride.

Susan Calman, Sharon D. Clarke, Bobby Crush and Ria Jones will be among the performers paying tribute to gay comic icons such as Kenneth Williams, Danny LaRue and Liberace.

A ‘Carry On’ tribute is also on the bill, with music provided by the London Gay Men’s Chorus, as well as a 20-piece big band and the all new 4 Poofs and a Piano.

Stephen K. Amos and Sandi Toksvig will be co-hosting the event, which is part of the Empire’s Ha Ha Hackney British comedy retrospective.

Amos says: “I’m really looking forward to seeing the acts, especially all the West End divas, as I’m sure they’ll be belting it out. I can’t wait to see the all new 4 Poofs and a Piano too – though I’m not sure what the story is with the old ones!”

The British stand-up is a staple at the Edinburgh fringe and has made numerous radio and television appearances, winning a BAFTA for his documentary, Batty Man, about homophobia in the black British community.

“In the old days it was about being harmless; gay comics were always effeminate, so as not to come across as threatening to any straight man.

“But these days more of us out there don’t adopt a prescribed, overtly camp style. It’s more challenging to an audience when comedians don’t fit into a specific box, and I think this is really encouraging.”

As the event’s compère, Amos hopes to find a medium between the traditional glitz and glamour of Pride and a serious consideration of the struggle for gay equality.

“You have to strike a balance,” he continues. “It’s important to be happy and flamboyant but you’ve also got to remember all those people that made it possible. I think there will always be prejudice and ignorance and fear and you should never rest on your laurels. There are still going to be people out there who are going to be bigots and are going to hate, so it’s up to us to make sure that we keep standing up and being proud and fighting for our rights.”

Susie McKenna, who will be directing all six Ha Ha Hackney main house shows, adds: “So many of the artists we’ll be paying tribute to, like Kenneth Williams for example, lived almost double lives as performers. So it’s important for us to pay tribute to the bravery of these people.”

GayExtravaganza
Sunday 8 July
Hackney Empire