Vivienne McKee
November 13th, 2016

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Vivienne, the star of the show (photo: Hasse Ferrold)

As any astute businessperson will tell you, being successful abroad is almost impossible if you don’t have the locals on your side.

Just like an Irish pub doesn’t primarily appeal to Irishmen, the founder of the Crazy Christmas Cabaret, Vivienne McKee, knew from the outset that her show had to appeal to Danish audiences to be a success.

Success was hard earned
The early days following its launch in 1982 weren’t easy. Before it established itself and moved to Tivoli in the 1990s, McKee and her cast would take to the streets to entreat passers-by into coming in to see it.

The hard work paid off and today it is Copenhagen’s most successful returning show, drawing in a collective annual audience of over 60,000, performing every year at Tivoli’s Glassalen theatre from November to early January.

Raising funds via Kickstarter
It’s no surprise, therefore, to learn that the story of one of this city’s true stars of the big stage, and success stories of the modern era, is going to be told in a documentary.

Following in the footsteps of countless press articles, theatre reviews, a book and even a museum exhibition, documentary film-maker Torben Skjødt Jensen and journalist Steen Blendstrup are currently raising funds via the Danish Kickstarter.

In collaboration with London Toast Theatre, their film ‘London Toast Theatre – a love story’ will chart McKee’s remarkable story of how she fell in love with a Dane and then made Denmark fall in love with herself.

The film-makers have set themselves a 160,000 kroner goal by January 8. Should they be successful, they are confident of releasing the film in October.

And anyone pledging over 250 kroner will be invited to the premiere.