West 5 has recently had a major overhaul over the last six months where the main club area has been zonked up, creating a warm and comfortable ambience with new seating area, the dance floor has been given a new lighting rig décor, and the back bar is being refitted into a cleaner and contemporary area! The idea was to create an appealing area for the mid-week which will also cope with the packed nights of the weekends, and they’ve also rejigged their mid-week entertainment to wit. We caught up with that little Scotch Bonnet full of mischief and music,
Mary Mac, to find out more about ‘Mary’s Mac Mastermind’…
What is your new night Mary Mac’s Mastermind all about?
It is a camp fun quiz hosted by yours truly, trying my best to read the questions correctly due to the Scottish education system: any word over 8 letters long and I struggle. Questions vary from TV to sport to News of the Week and of course I belt out a couple of songs throughout the night too.
What makes it different to other cabaret nights on the gay scene?
It’s different in the way that everyone gets really involved, all choose individual team names so we get to see people’s personalities and there’s banter between teams and myself especially when it comes to points. People get very precious over points whereas I’m just grateful if I can add them up quick enough. It’s a quiz but I try my best to make it light hearted and fun too so even if you’re not Stephen Fry you can still enjoy the night.
Why is West 5 a special venue for you?
West 5 has a real community feel about it with friendly staff and great customers regular and new. In Soho and West End venues you are always meeting new people, which is great but it’s also nice to be able to build a relationship with regulars which is a great thing about West 5.
“I try my best to make it light hearted and fun too so even if you’re not Stephen Fry you can still enjoy the night”
Have you seen the new renovation?
The renovation is wonderful and still ongoing, there always seems to be something shiny and new for me to have an opinion on everytime I’m there. I think it looks great and the stage has a real cabaret feel to it with the camp curtains and fabulous lighting.
And finally, tell us a secret no one knows!
I often talk about “my haggis” in my shows but the secret is I don’t actually have one! It was lobbed off and has been donated to The Scottish Scientific Society of Haggis History. True story!
• Mary Mac’s Mastermind is on Wednesdays at West 5, 56 Pope’s Lane, Ealing, W5 4NT.
