John Sharples & Barry Pugh are
Bitter and Twisted!
The make-up and costumes are two of the four integral elements of Bitter and Twisted’s show that capture an audience’s attention. Even more Impressive is that the guys make 90 per cent of their own outfits.
However it is their body language and choice of music that keeps the audience laughing and on the edge of their seats, wondering what’s coming next.
The music is mixed and remixed in their own studio and they are always updating the numbers in the show and tweaking them to add an extra laugh or gimmick.
Hat-trick Winners in Best Variety or Comedy Category
OFTEN COPIED, NEVER EQUALLED
"There is nothing else like Bitter and Twisted in the whole of Tenerife.
Why see the rest when you can see the best, and they are the best .... the very best"
Their Brand New DVD is on sale at their shows
and in The Majestic.
THE BITTER AND TWISTED STORY
John Sharples had no interest in drag acts. He didn't feel that any talent was needed to dress up as a woman and mime to someone else. He didn't like the live acts either as he felt that they were hiding behing the makeup. He couldn't see why a man would dress up as a woman and then sing like a man.
All that changed when he saw Lily Savage perform one night. It was long before "Lily" was a household name. John was transfixed. "Lily just held the audience, I was amazed at the talent on stage".
It would be easy to say that Bitter and Twisted started at that moment, but it didn't. It started many years later.
It was 1995. John was Entertainment Manager at Pontin's in Southport. He decided to run a whole night in the Adult bar without the live band or any Cabaret. It was a risk for the Camp because they had always had a live band in the Ainsdale Bar. People who came to the holiday amps weren't fans of change.
John takes over the story, "I had an idea in my mind that was based around the "Noel's house party" TV show. I wanted people to come in and out of a door on stage and make the whole thing a party night with fun entertainment provided by the resident team of entertainers.
We performed a comic version of the Chippendales, The page 69 girls, a fun quiz and Drag Cabaret show that I put together with Darren Elsey, one of the team. The night was a great success and really took off. Infact it was the most popular night of the week"
Our drag numbers weren't exactly fantastic, but it was a beginning and the show grew over two seasons. Phil Lorking came to work at the camp in 1996. He took over where Darren left off.
Phil had performed drag many times over many years. He brought some great numbers into the show that I had never heard of and we had a ball performing them every week. Little did we know what was to come.
The costumes were dodgy, as you will see by the photos, but in those days we didn't know how to make our own.
It was when Phil and I moved to Airtours that the show began to develop into what it is today.
We had both worked at Pontin's for many years and were both ready for a new challenge.
We arrived at "The Alcudia Pins Hotel" in 1997. It was a shock to the system. The budget for entertainment was very small. We had to put on our own shows without a band and it wasn't easy.
We rehearsed new drag numbers and interspersed them with live comedy and singing to backing tapes. The shows were a great success and we started to learn how to make the costumes. Things were starting to look a little more professional.
It was during our time in Gran Canaria that I began to think that we had something a little different. We were working in the "Monseñor Apartments" in Playa del Cura. There was no entertainment in the resort and we had to provide it all in the hotel.
Phil and I were always making new costumes and providing shows which were a mix of live and mime. They were a great success and the customer questionnaires reflected their success.
I had mentioned to Phil that we were more than good enough for the Cabaret Circuit, but he wasn't too sure, so we carried on performing for a pittance whilst working for Airtours. Although the money was bad, the job and the fun it brought was fabulous.
We moved to Tenerife in 1999. The show suddenly grew into something special. We knew that it was good.
We didn't realise how popular it was until we were awarded the top entertainment award for Airtours. Number one in the world! That was some feat considering that Airtours was an enormous company at that time with entertainment in hundreds of hotels worldwide.
We were both happy and the teams that worked with
us were happy too. It was great going to work and
laughing every day and night.
Phil decided that he wanted to live back in England.
I decided to stay in Tenerife, but it wasn't the same
without my best buddy to laugh with.
I took a year or so out from entertaining and got
involved withlocal radio.
Then, one day, like a bolt out of the blue. Phil called and said that he wanted to come back and form a cabaret with ,me, doing the old drag stuff and some new items too.
Finding a name wasn't easy. We went through lists of them. At one point we were called "Minge and Brackett" and "Mop and Bucket"
Finally the name Bitter and Twisted was chosen and we set out to make our own costumes and to find work.
It wasn't easy in the beginning. People thought that we would be a blue act. In the first two months we only had a few gigs.
Then, all of a sudden, the phone went crazy. We were working almost every night of the month. The reaction was incredible. People loved the show and we loved performing it.
To find us on Google Maps, click the right hand map below below!
Info about Bitter and Twisted
is often posted on www.thetenerifeforum.com
Click the tenerife logo to visit the Tenerife forum
We had a great year before Phil finally went back to the UK for good. This time I was going to carry on regardless.
We had worked with a hotel entertainer called Shane in Callao Salvaje. He had performed a couple of solo shows in local bars and he was keen to get on and learn........ so Bitter and Twisted then became "John and Shane"
We worked together for five years and never had a problem with our bookings. We hardly ever lost a show and were still working many of the venues five years later when I decided it was time to move on.
I had always wanted a showbar. A really nice, clean, theatrical showbar where people would be guaranteed a damn good night out!
I had become good friends with Barry and Neil over the last five years. We would often meet after work.
I had no idea that they had the same dream as me. I had been thinking about a bar with an old friend of mine. When this didn't come to fruition, we talked about our dreams etc and it all came out.
Barry has been with me, as Bitter and Twisted, since August 1st. The show has grown and grown. We have many more numbers in the show than we ever had before and we are constantly rehearsing and putting in new ideas.
It is fun to work again. We laugh at the same things and we get excited about all the new pieces that we are putting into our shows.
Bitter and Twisted now has NINE different shows and the TENTH is currently in production!
Bitter and Twisted have had to extend their costume storage space to make room for their new exquisite costumes and props. They have over 120 numbers and every number has its own particular costume.
The Majestic celebrated their Birthday Weekend on Sat 31st July and Sun 1st August. It was a party to remember. Six new numbers were prepared especially for the weekend.
John and Barry are currently preparing for their One-Off Shows in Germany and preparing TEN more new numbers to be seen only in the Majestic.
