Who are the London Toasties?

Here you can sit back and read more about the London Toast Theatre and the people who make it all work!

Vivienne McKee tells:

"London Toasties" is the nickname for anyone who has ever worked for the theatre company and the number must, after almost 40 years, reach over hundreds - including actors, theatre technicians, designers and directors like Peter Bensted, Jonathan Ash, Michael Simpson, Adam Wide, Ulla Håkansson, Kirsten Brink, David Bateson, Andrew Jeffers, Søren B. Petersen, Stuart Goodstein, Tom Højlund Olsen, Bennet Thorpe, Katrine Falkenberg, Bjarne Olsen, Claus de Lichtenberg, Søren Arndal, Peter Friis, Anete Lotus Jensen, Stine Rolfsen, Jefferson Bond, Kevin Kiernan-Molloy, Helen Tennison, Eric Reiss, Barry McKenna, Linford Brown, Elliot Head, Hara Yannas, David McCusker, Jens Krøyer, Peter Düring, Rikke Hvidbjerg, Farshad Kholghi, Tina Robinson, Henrik Lund, Pamela Collins, Laura Kamis Wrang, Noah Lazarus, Søren Frandsen and Jens Blegaa - and of course most importantly the managing director, the co-founder of London Toast Theater -and my husbond Søren Hall. And these lovely people mentioned here are just some of the names of people who has worked regulary for London Toast Theatre over the years.

Other actors have come to "hygge" with us for just a few months a year amongst them Arthur Smith, Jane Wymark, Leo Andrew, Nicoline Siff Møller, Sebastian Harris, Niclas Bendixen and Julie Steincke – there are way too many to mention, but my audiences can never overlook the outstanding comedy of the "one and only " David Bluestone ("Dolly" to his friends!) - who has played "the dame" in the Crazy Christmas Cabarets for thirteen years. Whether he - (or rather she!) - flirts with that pain in the neck, Count Dracula, as Nurse Nellie Nightcap, or dodges the guillotine as Madame Babette Bidet in "the Scarlet Fingernail" - the audience simply cannot help howling with laughter at David’s inventive comic talent, his rubber face and that hour-glass figure (pity all the sand fell to the bottom!)

When I started the company in 1982 I had to invite actors over from England to appear in our English-speaking productions, but nowadays many of those same actors have fallen in love with Denmark (and its attractive inhabitants) and have moved here, so I am lucky enough to have a pool of talented, professional actors right on my doorstep in Copenhagen.

Dr. Bent van Helsingør from Elsinore

No LTT people page would be complete without –

Dr. van Helsingør from Elsinore !

"Goddag, goddag, mit navn is Dr. van Helsingør fra Elsinore but you can call me Bent!" - "You’re bent!" – "Thanks shall you have!"

Dr. Bent van Helsingør first appeared in 1986 as a vampire-killer in "Dracula" and has, since then, appeared in every Crazy Christmas Cabaret – except one! In 1997, I thought that I needed a break from playing this odd Danish doctor – and that the audience needed a rest from him too. However that year I received so many letters of protest from members of the audience – "it isn’t a Crazy Xmas without van Helsingør!" that he was forced into making a triumphant return in "Tarzan, King of the Swingers" - as the man who teaches Tarzan to speak English!! Poor Tarzan – no wonder he had problems adjusting to civilisation!

It is a true measure of the Danes’ sense of humour that they love a character who essentially makes fun of them and their life-style. Dr. van Helsingør, with his halting English, his Holmes hat, his over-sized Ecco shoes and bottle of Gammel Dansk - must be the most "hyggelige" Dane of all!

He is a very popular doctor and has his own Facebook site:
www.facebook.com/bentvanhelsingor

In this POVcast you can listen to a very rare interview with Dr. Bent van Helsingør and me:
soundcloud.com

HYGGE happy hour!

"Hygge" is addictive and although now we must scrape back our chairs and stand up, (bashing our heads painfully on the PH lamp) blow out the candles and get ready to leave this Site, we hope you’ll return soon for another "Hygge happy hour"

There is lots more to tell about the London Toast Theatre and I hope you’ll drop in again soon. Don’t hesitate to mail us if you have any questions.

As we say in Danish - "tak for nu" - vi ses snart igen!"

Vivienne McKee

PS: If you want to find out more about me - here is the place to go www.londontoast.dk/vivienne-mckee.html

PPS: Watch the exclusive interview between Vivienne McKee & Dr. Bent van Helsingør from Elsinore about Crazy julehygge.