Brighton Fringe Show Announcement Westdal & Hayward: Royally Worked Up
Freyja Westdal and Beth Hayward are a couple of middle-aged women who between them have 3 dogs, 2 kids but only 1 fully functioning pelvic floor. These Agony Aunts (Think Cathy and Clare, but with less oestrogen and more gin) use chatter and song to get the world to sit up straight, get its elbows off the table and tuck into whatever they are dishing out in Westdal & Hayward: Royally Worked Up, at Sweet@The Poets on the 6th, 7th and 8th of May. It’s a satirical, biting, bolshie, and always funny look at the world, from the ladies who brought you the 2019 Funny Women Best Show Award-Nominated show, Westdal & Hayward Need Work. Ageing as disgracefully as they possibly can, their mantra is
“Do it! NOW! Because it’s never too late to start something new, but it might be too late to finish it!”
In Westdal & Hayward: Royally Worked Up! this pair of post-menopausal Mary Poppins throw all caution, false modesty and dignity to the wind to offer their opinions on subjects like Festival Going in your 50’s (“If God had meant for us to camp he would never have invented the Savoy!”) why women don’t like dick pics; and why men should obviously be grateful for that! They are shamelessly unafraid to chat about chafing, sing about sex, pontificate on politicians and moan (melodiously) about the Monarchy, whilst thoroughly boil washing their own and others dirty linen in public.
This year is the 7th year in which Beth Hayward and Freyja Westdal have performed together as Westdal & Hayward at comedy venues and festivals, including a sell-out Edinburgh fringe debut, supporting Dean Friedman on a UK tour and writing songs for the fabulous 4 Poofs and a Piano.
Beth and Freyja met as two aspiring young actresses on a tour where Beth was Freyja’s understudy – a fact that has never been forgotten, in a friendship lasting over 25 years.
Freyja has strong links with Brighton as her parents met and married there during the war. When Swain walked past a B&B in Lower Rock Gardens, he heard Margaret playing Chopin on the piano and the rest is Westdal family legend. Beth, on the other hand, has been known to visit Brighton.
“Reminiscent of the late great Victoria Wood…The songs are genius…They join the ranks of Fascinating Aida and Flo and Joan” (broadwaybaby.com)
“Get in and see them…to die for” (Tiff Stevenson)
“Westdal & Hayward are incredibly funny, bitingly so. These two are comedy assassins who will make you guffaw and very probably even leak with laughter.” (Sanjit Chudha – Talawa Theatre)
· Sweet venue (Venue 18 / 81) 6th, 7th & 8th May at 6pm (50 mins) with tickets priced from £8.
https://www.brightonfringe.org/whats-on/westdal-hayward-royally-worked-up-164253/