Circling a star: Steve Furst rescues London’s first pub theatre

When Steve Furst talks about the Circle & Star Theatre in Hampstead, it’s clear it’s not a vanity project. For one thing, he cycled through pouring rain to talk about it – then immediately starts checking the electrics before taking a pew in the bijou and surprisingly versatile space he’s created from what was The Pentameters, one of London’s first modern pub theatres.

Running a theatre was never in Steve’s plans – “not until my friend saw an eviction notice in the window.” Steve, a lifelong champion of live performance, felt London had already lost too many small stages to let another disappear.

Fortunately, The Horseshoe pub is owned by another friend. “He said, ‘Put a proposal together’, which I did, then I had to raise about £40,000 as the theatre was not in a good state.”

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That is something of an understatement. Twelve tonnes of rubbish were removed – including two cat skeletons – before relentless improvements began in September, culminating in a December opening.

And who might fill the snazzy little room decked with melancholic Charming Baker artwork? Not a problem for Steve Furst. Working across television, film and theatre for more than 30 years delivers mates, and he starred alongside them in Little Britain, Friday Night Dinner, Doc Martin, Matilda The Musical, Oliver! and on it goes.

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Steve was an excellent Fagin, but it’s Lenny Beige –his cabaret alter ego in a Willy Hunt suit who has the following. Lenny’s Talk of the Town-style parodies are nostalgia with bite, so the Beige does Bowie night at Circle & Star sold out before many had heard about it. Picture Lenny channelling the Thin White Duke and you know what you missed.

Keep checking the website or become a member if you want to catch Beige – or Hampstead local, composer and producer Guy Chambers (of Robbie Williams fame), who is hosting regular intimate acoustic evenings showcasing emerging musicians. Interestingly Damian Lewis was one of them.

It’s a small stage so where do they wait? “Behind there,” says Steve, pointing somewhere. “It works. Guy plays with them and it’s amazing. We haven’t got a drum kit at the moment, but there’s no issue with just acoustic stuff. “It is about bringing people together in a space that’s full of history and creativity,” he adds.

“Hampstead has always been a home for artists and performers, and this is our way of celebrating that spirit for a new generation.” A new generation for certain, but you might also catch Michael Palin taking a trip down memory lane if you’re lucky and there are even whispers of The Comic Strip founder Peter Richardson returning with former Outer Limits partner Nigel Planer to where it all began.

Circle & Star is available as a dry hire or on a percentage split – though securing a date may be the real challenge, with so much already lined up. Songwriter Sessions with Grammy award-winning composer David Arnold are on offer, alongside monthly comedy nights hosted by Debra Tammer, upcoming literary readings and radio-style rehearsed performances.

“In Glasgow they do ‘a play and a pint’, which lets people cut their teeth doing new work and the audience pays £20 to see it at lunchtime with a pint. I want to try that.” And that’s just for hors d’œuvre as Steve and creative director Justin Bovington start their first theatrical season from 7–12 April with FICKLE EULOGY, written and performed by Nikol Kollars who plays Ann, a daughter who has been given one hour to write her mother’s eulogy and can’t do it.Not because she doesn’t have words — but because she has too many and none of them feel right.

Gracious and receptive, Steve who is anything but ‘beige’ ironically, is suited to working with creatives keen to present original work. And thinking big in a small space could be the Circle & Star mantra – “But the room’s intimacy is its strength,” says Steve. “A deaf woman who has come five times was so emotional after the Guy Chambers night. She told me ‘this theatre has changed my life.’ And that’s because she lipreads and as venues have got bigger, she can’t see performers’ mouths. Here, it’s so close, she can see and we always give her the same seat. That’s brilliant.”

Keen to improve access, he acknowledges that a Victorian building has its limitations, so Circle & Star can only be reached by stairs. “But we did carry up a wheelchair,” chips in Steve. “It wasn’t easy, but we did it.” Steve’s versatility has kept him ‘wanted’ – next up is the HBO series War – and, if he wants to headline, he now has a space. “It’s an important space,” he says. “No one’s going to get rich from doing this. But we can build up something that is memorable and wonderful.”

To book tickets – http://circleandstar.com