Homecoming for crazy cabaret star

Musicians’ tribute to Big O and more in stage spectacular

- by LEWIS CLARKE

IF SOMEONE told you the world’s finest potato-themed cabaret was making its way to rural Devon, you might raise an eyebrow.

But for Emmelita Puddy, it’s just another audacious chapter in a career defined by gravity-defying stunts, unlikely stages, and a deep-rooted passion for laughter.

She isn’t your average performer. She’s the brains and bounce behind The Moulin Bouge - a glorious mash-up of circus, comedy, cabaret and carbs that’s captivated audiences from Brighton to Bideford.

But before she was running a theatre company with a dog that plays piano (yes, really), she was just a “weird kid from Lundy,” uncertain that the arts could ever be a real job. What followed was a life carved out of risk, resilience, and relentless creativity.

Born and raised in North Devon, Emmelita remembers a childhood brimming with movement. “I was always a very active person with a lot of hobbies like sports and dance,” she says. Whether it was energy to burn or a need to keep out of trouble, the young Emmelita kept busy. “I think a lot of my teachers would have described me as a ‘class clown’ (or just a pain)... Turns out I was just already in training to be silly professionally.”

Despite an early stint in a school play, an admittedly disastrous one, she didn’t foresee the stage as her calling.

“During my time growing up I would never have imagined that I'd become an artist,” she says. “We went to see the circus when it came to visit but I didn’t imagine there'd be such a thing as a circus school or that I’d ever go to one!”