Sad news reached the Queerguru Office from The Old Manse in Stackton Tressel in Suffolk UK about the passing of Dr. Evadne Hinge, one-half of the legendary musical duo Hinge and Bracket who morphed from playing London’s infamous gay pubs to starring in a production of the opera Die Fledermaus. at The Royal Opera House
Dr. Evadne Hinge and Dame Hilda Bracket were characters devised by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe and were a pair of elderly, intellectual female musicians. The Dame was a retired opera singer who still thinks she can sing, with the DR as her male accompanist and they developed into a dual-drag act featuring a pair of eccentric old ladies. Beloved by gay pub audiences in the early 1970s but their act was distinct from drag queens in that their portrayal was more realistic than an exaggerated caricature, which allowed them to gain more mainstream appeal.
Their careers soon soared after they guest starred on BBC’s TV music hall variety series The Good Old Days, and then they starred in a BBC Radio 4 series, The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket, which ran from 1977 to 1979. Followed by their own TV series Dear Ladies which ran on BBC2 from 1983 to 1984. They were so popular by then that in their next radio series At Home guest stars lined up to perform with the two ladies, including Rosalind Plowright, Anthony Newley, Jack Brymer, June Whitfield, Benjamin Luxon and Evelyn Laye.
They appeared in plays in London’s West End and starred in two Royal Variety Performances… it was rumored that The Queen Mother was a big fan! One of the major things that endeared them to the gay community was that the pair never forgot their roots and even now as you view any of the videos of their many performances you’ll see a queer uncurrent that was intended for us and went unnoticed to the mainstream (straight) world
Logan retired the character of Dr. Hinge after Fyffe died in 2002. Now both of them are gone they will never be forgotten …. not just because or their remarkable talent …… but for the significant roles their played in the growth of the UK’s LGBTQ+ community
George Logan 7th July 1944 – 21st May 2023 RIP
