‘Salon Behind the Bins’ with Hanan Issa & Sam Hickman

Salon Behind the Bins was conceived many years ago by my brilliantly talented friend (and current National Poet of Wales) Hanan Issa. It was an evening of sharing our work and coming together to chat about life, love, the city we adore and art that has shaped us. A very simple and enjoyable evening that, no doubt, would be the hit of the summer.

Sam Hickman is wearing a gold dress with a green feathered head dress, posing by the bins. — Photo: Rhian Dixon

The week before the event, with ticket sales gradually creeping up and buzz building for an event many years in the making. Hanan had a death in the family. Over the phone, we discussed the best ways to proceed with the event and as I was pacing the aisles of Queen Street’s Superdrug we came up with Three possible options.

1) Cancel The event
2) Do it as a solo show
3) Find some guest performers to do the show with me.

Like most performers, my career has taken a very long time to get going again after the lockdowns and the restrictions of the pandemic. My Wales Millennium Centre debut was meant to be April 4 th 2020 and ended up being postponed twice. Firstly, to October 2022, then to February 2023. So my immediate instinct was to try and make the evening work however I could even if it was just me stumbling through my critically acclaimed one woman show ‘Sexy Rude Harp Concert’ for 90 minutes.

Sam Hickman is lying on the floor, on a carpet, next to her harp. — Photo: Rhian Dixon

Personally, I was not in favour of doing it as a solo show because so much of the event was built around friendship and dialogue. Our aim for the evening was to create a space full of varied voices and discussion, as well as showboating about how brilliantly talented and glamorous we are. I didn’t want to let the audience down by having it be half the performers and a completely different event.

And so we were left with one final option (honestly, the one I liked the most): DO A CABARET.

In the haircare aisle of Superdrug on Queen Street, between the brushes and the dyes I sent out some Asks.

Many years ago, (2022) I had a National Theatre Wales (RIP)-funded variety show, ‘The Sam Hickman Variety Hour’. We played the Sherman Theatre twice and after the success of those shows I was asked to do the show at Wales Millennium Centre’s Cabaret space (a conference room in a bowling alley).

After three very successful and beloved shows the dream was over, and I was never asked to do anything ever again in this town. I’m only being slightly dramatic here, but that was literally it for me for almost two years. I had a giant photo of my face put on the side of WMC’s Cabaret (conference room in a bowling alley) and it served as a shrine to my once rising star that had quickly extinguished. And I went back to busking on the streets of Cardiff to pay the bills.

Pictured is: Sam Hickman, Lauria Watts, It's Llewellyn and Sara Huws. — Photo: Rhian Dixon

The basic layout of the variety show was a Musical Guest, Comedian, and then an ‘Other’. For our ‘Other’s during the big shows we had fabulous performers like ‘Buoys Buoys Buoys’, we had ‘Barry Brian And Bean’ come do a sketch, we had spoken word performers, we had drag. If the show had had a life after the initial trilogy, I always think about what my dream line up would be…

Firstly, our comedian, easy, Laurie Watts: Hilarious, Smart, a perfect fit. It’s Llywelyn: Burlesques Superstar and one to watch. Sara Huws: Host, performer, rare books specialist. If someone was going to bring something weird and wonderful it would be her!

And finally, the musical guest. As I cycled to Bute Park to have a sandwich and a think with my various Superdrug lip-glosses and hair ties, I burst out laughing thinking of getting this guest. The definition of a Star, I’ve seen her perform many times and she’s Talent with a capital T. Our budget was tiny, and I wasn’t sure if she’d even agree but I put the ask out to my friend (and recent collaborator at ‘The Hickman Bolley Follies’) Frances Bolley who very nicely asked, and she said yes.

So, we ended up with the absolutely showstopping Adjua as our musical guest. I’m still pinching myself that all these fabulous people agreed to come help me out and perform on such short notice! By the time I’d eaten my sandwich and gotten home to work on what on earth I was going to play on the night, everyone had said yes!

The evening in the end turned out to be a success. So much so that while watching the performances I forgot I was also hosting, producing, and playing Box Office (having fun at work? Unheard of!). All thanks to my incredibly talented colleagues, friends and collaborators. (And a special ‘thank you’ to Rhian Dixon for coming to capture it all for FOMO).

As for the original flavour ‘Salon Behind the Bins’? Well, you’ll just have to come along later this summer.