About
Pélissier’s Follies is about bringing the life and work of H.G.Pélissier to a wider audience and to ensure that what he achieved as a satirist and composer gets the recognition it deserves.
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In our opinion, his contribution to the history of British theatre and satire needs to be told. However, if Harry Pélissier was as extraordinary as we claim, why is he so unknown? It's a good question and one that remains a mystery. The outbreak of WW1 directly after his death couldn't have helped, nor could the fact that he repeatedly poked fun at those in positions of power and influence.
Creatively, Harry is also hard to categorise. Do you label him a satirist, a composer, a performer or an impresario? As he flitted effortlessly between them all, it appears he fell between the tidy labels that historians and academics like to use and got lost.
As we’ve discovered, bringing a forgotten satirist and composer back from the dead after 100 years has to be done carefully. Curiosity is mixed with suspicion, and one has to prove his uniqueness and relevance.
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This site and Anthony Binns' 2022 biography, The Funniest Man in London, are some of the steps we’ve taken. In the pipeline is the Pelissier’s Follies Songbook, a radio documentary and a musical revue.
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Follow us on Twitter - @pottedpelissier
Anthony Binns & aka Mitch Feral
© JG Pélissier
​​As Anthony Binns I'm an historical researcher and author of The Funniest Man in London and Rediscovering H.G.Pélissier (2020). I graduated with a History BA from Kings College, London in 1976 London. When not working on bringing to life the lost genius of Harry Pélissier and The Follies I work as the playwright, performer and musician - www.mitchferal.com
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​As Mitch Feral I wrote the music hall show Now Here’s A Funny Story – a short, dramatised history of the Victorian and Edwardian music hall which has been touring the UK since 2016. I also perform my own music hall act under the name Tommy Parsons. www.funnystoryproductions.com
I've written several other stage works including Barnstormers (1990), the story of the nineteenth century travelling actress Charlotte Lowes; and the award winning Sweet Engineering of the Lucid Mind (2010).​​
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Jaudy Pélissier
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Despite coming from a family of actors with a 200-year old theatrical ancestry, I'm not an actor. Having started my career in the film industry, I now advise and train international brands and start-ups on branding, marketing and communication. When asked, I still produce and direct films.
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For many years I wanted to doing something with Harry's music. Whilst aware of his music and fame, other interests took priority until I met Anthony Binns. His passion and enthusiasm for Harry and The Follies was the catalyst for much of what we know about him today, and what a wider audience will know tomorrow.
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-pelissier/
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A big thank you to Simon Callow, Graeme Garden, David Roper at Heavy Entertainment, Paul Smith at Opera Tottie and Patrick Allen at Connaught Artists for their constant support, enthusiasm and interest.
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