The Oxford Revue
The Oxford Revue is a comedy group primarily featuring students from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University, England. Founded in the early 1950s, The Oxford Revue has produced many prominent comedians, actors and satirists. The Revue writes, produces and performs several shows each term in the pubs and theatres around Oxford, as well as touring to cities in the United Kingdom and performing a month-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year.
| Type | Comedy society |
|---|---|
| Home Page | The Oxford Revue |
| Founded | 1950s |
| Presidents | Leah Aspden Jack McMinn |
History
- According to a version of the Oxford Revue website circa 2003/2004, "the founding of the Revue in around 1952/3 is shrouded in mystery. The most accurate account of it to date is probably that of Michael Palin, former Revue Director, who describes how his brother-in-law and 'another mad gentleman' started the Oxford Theatre Group, as a source of funding for Edinburgh shows, in the early 1950s. From this, he "helped found an offshoot group, the Oxford Revue Group, to take a revue up to the Edinburgh Fringe".[1]
Former members include:
- Michael Palin and Terry Jones (who later became members of Monty Python)
- Dudley Moore (later of Beyond the Fringe, Pete and Dud and Not Only... But Also)
- Alan Bennett (later of Beyond the Fringe)
- Rowan Atkinson
- Maggie Smith
- Al Murray
- Richard Curtis
- Katy Brand
- Stewart Lee
- Ken Loach
- Angus Deayton
- Richard Herring[2]
- Rebecca Front (first female president of the Revue)[3]
- Armando Iannucci
- Philip Pope
- Laura Solon
- Katherine Parkinson
- Peter Harness
- Laura Corcoran and Matthew Floyd Jones
- Sally Phillips
- Guy Browning
- Ben Moor
- Waen Shepherd
- Emma Kennedy
- David Schneider
- Geoffrey Perkins
- Imogen Stubbs
- Patrick Marber
Recent activities (2021 to present)
In August 2021, the Oxford Revue published their online Fringe show 'The Oxford Revue Kills God, Again', directed by Angus Moore and Jack McMinn and filmed in the Burton-Taylor Studio and University Parks - the 42 minute production was then published on their Facebook page in December 2021.[4] On 15th January 2022, the Revue performed another sketch show, 'The People VS. The Oxford Revue', directed by Alison Hall and Alfred Dry, live at the Old Fire Station in Oxford[5] - tickets completely sold out at least 2 days before the opening night[6] and the show itself was critically acclaimed.[7][8]
The Oxford Revue regularly updates its Facebook,[9] Twitter[10] and Instagram,[11] the latter of which recently hosted a series of shorts called 'Insta-Revue!'.[12] They also continue to regularly perform 'Audrey' comedy nights and collaborate with other comedy groups across the UK (including the Durham Revue and the Cambridge Footlights.[13] They brought two shows to Edinburgh Fringe 2022 - The People vs. The Oxford Revue[14] and The Oxford Revue and other Farmyard Animals,[15] both of which were directed by Alison Hall and Alfred Dry. The Oxford Revue performances were given 4 1/2 stars by the Edinburgh Fringe Derek Awards [16]
Logo
The current logo of the Oxford Revue is a pig in a sailor's hat named Admiral Philip, drawn by Revue member Nick Davies in 2013.[citation needed] In 2021, Philip the Pig's design was updated to include a top hat and bow tie, as well as a New Zealand accent.
References
- ^ From an old version of the Oxford Revue website — .
- ^ "The Oxford Revue Tour Dates and Concerts".
- ^ "Rebecca Front". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "The Oxford Revue Kills God, Again". facebook.com/oxfordrevue/videos/456085685891539/. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "The People VS. The Oxford Revue". oldfirestation.org.uk/whats-on/the-oxford-revue-and-friends-2/. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/oxfordrevue/videos/440843057711862/[user-generated source]
- ^ "'A masterclass in laugh-a-minute sketches' - Review: The People vs. The Oxford Revue". 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Review: The People vs. The Oxford Revue". 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Oxford Revue Facebook". facebook.com/oxfordrevue/. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "Oxford Revue Twitter". twitter.com/oxfordrevue. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ "Oxford Revue Instagram". instagram.com/oxfordrevue/. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "The Oxford Revue on Instagram: "Introducing 'Insta-Revue!!' - a new Instagram collection of short videos + titbits made by Oxford Revuers (Including clips from the Oxford Revue Fringe 2021 show, FREE FOR THE FIRST TIME)! Stay tuned for more... :) #oxfordrevue #oxford #revue #instarevue"".
- ^ "CAMBRIDGE FOOTLIGHTS | Cambridge Arts Theatre".
- ^ "The People Vs. The Oxford Revue". oldfirestation.org.uk/whats-on/the-oxford-revue-and-friends-2/. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ "The Oxford Revue and Other Farmyard Animals". assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/the-oxford-revue-and-other-farmyard-animals. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ "Derek Awards (Twitter)". twitter.com/derekawards1/status/1557656463627227136. Retrieved 28 May 2022.