Norman Balon
(Picture: Oliver Lim)A LEGENDARY Soho publican known as London’s rudest landlord is to have a play about him on in the West End next month. Norman Balon — It’s All True will run for one night at the Shaftesbury Theatre in January. It tells the story of Balon, right, who ran the Coach and Horses on Greek Street for decades and was known for his acerbic wit. Once asked to serve a snakebite lager and cider mix, he replied: “We don’t do cocktails in here. Get out.” His regulars included artist Francis Bacon and writer Jeffrey Bernard.
It is written by Balon’s successor, former Coach landlord Alastair Choat, who told us that as well as being a fun show about a “gruff man who survived”, it is a “love letter” to old Soho. Leslie Lewis, who has run nearby French House for many years, will act in the performance.
