Archive - Thursday, 11 October 2001


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Jongleurs' aim is fun with frills

JONGLEURS, the comedy club which helped launch the careers of top stand-up comedians such as Harry Enfield and Julian Clary, is coming to Cardiff.

More than £2million has been invested in the club, which will create 50 new jobs and will open at the Millennium Plaza after Christmas.

But Bar-Risa, the sophisticated cafe bar connected to Jongleurs, will open in early December.

As well as bringing the very best of the alternative comedy circuit to the city, Jongleurs promises to provide an all round entertainment experience.

People can have a drink and a meal in the club or in Bar-Risa, enjoy nearly two hours of comedy then take to the dance floor until 2am.

Craig Burns, general manager of Cardiff Jongleurs, said: "A night at Jongleurs is a unique experience. It's the only place where you can eat, drink, watch high quality stand up comedy, and dance to the early hours."

The first Jongleurs club was opened in Battersea in 1983 by former drama teacher Maria Kempinska, who is still responsible for booking all the acts countrywide.

Stars who cut their teeth at the London Club include Harry Enfield, Ben Elton, Jo Brand, Paul Merton, Rory Bremner, Josie Lawrence and Julian Clary.

The first Jongleurs club outside London opened in Leicester in 1997 and proved a huge success. Others followed in Southampton, Oxford, Nottingham, Watford and Portsmouth. Commercial director Andy Walder said: "We chose Cardiff because it's a great city. It's vibrant, lively and expanding - a truly European capital.

"It will be the first Jongleurs in Wales and we think it will go down well because the Welsh have a great sense of humour."

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