Donna & Kebab are Martha & Eve – A Celebration!
London Previews (find tickets here)
Dates and times: 29 July 7:30pm and 30 July 4:00pm
Venue: Theatro Technis, 26 Crowndale Road, NW1 1TT
Edinburgh Fringe Festival (find tickets here)
Dates: 4-14 August (excluding 9)
Time: 8:45pm-9:45pm
Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot, Teviot Row House Student Union, 13 Bristo Pl, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ
Award-winning music and comedy duo, Martha D. Lewis and Eve Polycarpou – formerly Donna & Kebab – are returning to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the first time in 20 years to celebrate their distinguished careers in a brand-new show.
Donna & Kebab are Martha and Eve – A Celebration! is a nod to their past successes and stories, whilst bringing us up to the present day, with all that they are as writers, musicians and performers.
With “sparkling wit and outstanding musical performances” (The Standard), Martha and Eve carved out their own distinctive place in the field of alternative comedy in the late 1980s, highlighting the experiences of bi-cultural young women dealing with family pressures, subtle racist assumptions and stereotypes (before other ethnically-themed comedy sketch shows like ‘The Real Mccoy’ and ‘Goodness Gracious Me’), and the challenging sexual politics of the time as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The British-born Cypriot legends first met when they were hired as solo singers at Eve’s uncles’ Greek nightclub. Polycarpou had gained popularity on the talent show, ‘New Faces’; Lewis as part of a group for the Eurovision Song Contest. There, a performance residency began and Martha and Eve would increasingly choose to sing together, sharing the spotlight and creating a fiery dynamic music performance.
Among the smashed plates (and often smashed chairs) in the drunken brawls of the nightclub, these two young British born Cypriot women exchanged stories of their resistance to family pressure and the cultural predestined path and transition from good-Greek-girls, to good-Greek-wives, then good-Greek-mothers. The nightclub characters and Cypriot community was to be the foundation for their show Donna & Kebab.
Their first Edinburgh festival performance in 1987 was picked up by the TV programme
‘0-1 for London’. This exposure gave them the attention that spawned theatre shows, international tours, album releases, and over three decades of creative partnership and friendship.
Martha and Eve will be previewing their new Edinburgh Fringe Show 2023 at
Theatro Technis in London on 29 and 30 July, in celebration of their performances at this venue, many times at the beginning of their career.
Credits and Reviews
“Soaring vocals, exhilarating rhythms and a satisfying stew of melody and mirth” – The Guardian
“Internationally renowned Martha and Eve balance the influences of their parent culture with their own urban experience” – Peter Paphides, The Guardian
“Martha and Eve combine talent, charm and the friendliest charisma with spine-tingling vocals, stunning songs, impeccable harmonies and infectious humour” – The Observer
“This fiery twosome ad – lib a treat… Electric!” – Jack Mazerick, The Evening Standard
Awards: Time Out – ‘Best Newcomer’ Award; ‘Lifetime Achievement ‘Award LGR; ‘Outstanding Support’ Award as Patrons of Leukaemia Cancer Society.
Touring: highlights include: Anti-Clause 28 concert Manchester Town Hall, British Council Tours to Syria and Cyprus; Numerous National and International Festivals including Glastonbury, Brighton and Edinburgh (inc a number of performances in the late 1980’s / 90’s at the Gilded Balloon and Assembly Rooms), Cyprus, Dublin; Womens’ and multi-cultural Festivals in Wales, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Discography: Debut album released on cassette in 1993 at Gilded Balloon!, Three CD releases (in 1996,2000,2006); DVD Live at The Hackney Empire by TVS ; Leukaemia Cancer Society Charity single release ‘Thank You For Today’; 12-inch single release ‘Je T’aime’, supporting the campaign for safe sex.
TV: ‘01 for London’, BBC Pebble Mill At One, BBC Alan Titchmarsh show, Sky TV Frank Bough Show, Channel 4 ‘Out On Tuesday’, Sky TV ‘My Greek Kitchen’, BBC2 ‘Edinburgh Nights’, Channel 4 ‘Mid-life Rap’, Carlton TV ‘Village London’, BBC2 ‘Hidden Strengths’, Central TV ‘Here and Now’.
Radio: BBC Woman’s Hour, BBC World Service, BBC Radio London, Tony Blackburn, Sandi Toksvig, DJ Ritu’s ‘A World In London’ and numerous regional, national and International stations.
For more info please visit: www.marthaandeve.co.uk
