in the arts
from April 2007

They are fast becoming two of the most popular lesbians around - and not just in Yorkshire, but throughout the whole of the country.

Belinda O’Hooley and Rhoda McClure are well on their way to Sapphic stardom - and very possibly a mention in the Queen’s birthday honours for services to entertainment - after their second hugely successful L of a Night.

The dual force behind Yorkshire’s Freshly Squeezed are basking in the glory of another tremendous lesbian production after launching their concept last year at the Leeds City Varieties. This time round, the enterprising partnership took the show on the road down to Nottingham where a sell-out crowd packed into the city’s Playhouse to enjoy a superb line-up of the very best in lesbian performers.

With a mix of relatively new and more established acts, O’Hooley and McClure struck just the right balance to confirm L of a Night as a must in any self-respecting dyke’s social diary.

Topping the bill was the clever and remarkably quick-witted Sue Perkins with further comedy coming from Clare Summerskill and her mix of stand-up and songs. Brighton singer-songwriter Al Start, no stranger to Yorkshire audiences, provided the music along with up and coming band Greymatter. The evening was compered by O’Hooley who left her comfort zone, abandoned her keyboard and made a step into comedy.

But the hit of the night wasn’t even mentioned on the bill. Mary Connell was the evening’s signer and became Sue Perkins’ stooge as the spectacled comedian found increasingly outrageous words for her to sign. And if Connell had her work cut out, Sue was also given a difficult time by an unhappy heckler, but the articulate brunette had the final word and earned a rousing standing ovation.

McClure commented after the show: ‘The atmosphere at Nottingham really surprised us - there was such an incredible excitement throughout the evening, both from the audience and backstage.

‘All the performers were so pleased and encouraged to get a fantastic reception...so much so that Belinda now feels she should branch into stand-up comedy (or possibly as a Robert Redford lookalike). The reaction from 766 women (and three men) was amazing and a joy to watch from the back - this one certainly will be hard to top! One of the highlights for me was the reaction we got to our sign language interpreter. We knew we’d booked four of the biggest lesbian talents in Britain, but we didn’t realise we’d find a fifth in Mary. Perhaps she’ll be headlining the next L of a Night.’

O’Hooley added: ‘Organising an L of a Night is something I feel very proud of - giving something back to the lesbian community and showing everyone that we can do glamorous!’

Julie Gibson