The Stage

Forty acts dropped as Pizza on Park is sold

Published Wednesday 17 August 2005 at 16:45 by Alistair Smith

Exclusive: Cabaret venue Pizza on the Park has been closed for refurbishment by its new owner Pizza Express, cancelling up to 40 musicians scheduled by ex-proprietor and founder Peter Boizot to appear during the three-week period.

The venue, which was sold by Boizot to his former company last week, will now be closed from August 16 until September 7 and it is understood that the majority of performers who had been booked for that period will now be left without a venue in which to perform.

Cindy Hacker, programming manager for the club, admitted that acts had been booked up as far ahead as December. She added: “No one was given any warning and it has all been rather unfortunately handled. It is not only the main performers who have been cancelled but also the musicians. Around 40 performers have had to be pulled and there could be more.

“I’m just disappointed that the performers have not been given enough warning. If they wanted to make refurbishments, they could have put it back to next year. I think they had a moral obligation to do that. Some of the artists have already spent money on publicising their gigs. However, I have heard from some musicians that they might be offering some of the performers Sunday gigs but they should have given them more time to reschedule.”

KT Sullivan & Mark Nadler, whose performance was cancelled, are flying over from the USA to perform. They only just managed to secure a last-minute replacement slot in the Jermyn Street Theatre on August 22, 26 and 27.

Pizza Express continues to offer entertainment in many of its restaurants, including the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho. A spokesperson for the firm has insisted that Pizza on the Park will continue as a live music site, with programming being taken over by the team behind the company’s Kettner’s restaurant venue in Romilly Street. However, it declined to comment on the performers whose shows had been cancelled.

• Jermyn Street Theatre will be holding its Tenth Anniversary Fundraising Gala, attended by its patron HRH Princess Michael, at the Criterion Theatre on Sunday, September 11 at 7pm. Tickets are available on 020 7287 2875.