BURLESQUE, magic and live music will all feature in a special night at Colchester Arts Centre.

It’s being organised by Tea and Sympathy who, after the closure of their shop in Crouch Street, Colchester, last year, have continued to run the cabaret-style party nights for which the place was so well known.

Previous events have included a nautical-themed party on the Colne Lightship, at the Hythe, and most recently a Northern Soul night, at St Martin’s Church, Colchester.

For their arts centre event, Jo Coldwell and Melissa Porter have chosen to an open-ended ‘Quentin’ theme.

Jo explains: “In theory, it could be anything from Quentin Crisp to Quentin Blake, but I suspect most people will go Quentin Tarantino.

“As with previous parties, we’ve got plenty on offer, including magic from Nothing Up Our Sleeves, live music from former West End singer Jo Anna Lee and the Helles Belles’ burlesque troupe. But unlike some of our other events, this will be more like a variety night, with each act coming on after the other.

“One of the great things about this night is we’ve been able to give a slot to some DJs we know. They’re called Sneakers and have been party regulars for a while. We just needed the right theme for them to play to.”

If that wasn’t enough variety for party-goers, there’s even a Pulp Fiction-inspired Jack Rabbit Slim dance competition to get people into that Tarantino mood.

Tea and Sympathy: A Little Bit Quentin
Colchester Arts Centre,
Church Street, Colchester.
Saturday, March 15, 7.30pm. £10, available by e-mail
alittlesympathy@gmail.com