The Phoenix Artist Club

Covent Garden / Soho, London –

The Phoenix Artist Club is kind of like a high school theater club, if that club was located in the basement of a West End theater, served lots of booze, and was populated by the Who’s Who of London’s established and aspiring theater scene.

Tucked around the corner from The Phoenix Theatre is a wide staircase that leads patrons down to velvety red curtains and the quirky, intimate bar space. The amicably kitschy décor features a 1930s parquet floor, copper-topped bar, memorabilia from past productions, signed West End posters, and row upon row (upon row) of autographed headshots.

Nooks and crannies provide space for the musical casts to burst into impromptu song, while a tongue-in-cheek “Box Office” section gives the management a place to compare set notes over Red Stripe, and two barebones stages host regular performances that include jazz quartets, cabarets, readings, DJs, and no doubt a lot of impromptu monologues.

Hanging from the ceiling, of course, are stage lights.

A late-night drinking license and budget-friendly prices on standard suds and grub make this members club the after-party spot of choice for West End’s theater crowd, though anyone is free to enter before 8pm – and stay long after.

Before or after a West End show, The Phoenix Artist Club is a worthwhile stop, and probably the best place in town for patrons to sidle up to a table and exclaim, “Hey! It’s…that guy.”