Ty Jeffries is a prolific composer, lyricist, pianist, singer, and character comedian, whose critically acclaimed works are influenced by the combination of his classical training and his love of both the golden age of Hollywood and the Great American and British Songbooks. He is the son of the late British character actor, screenwriter, and director Lionel Jeffries, who is famous for starring in Camelot and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Jeffries is best known for his onstage persona of Miss Hope Springs, a blonde ex-Vegas showgirl alter-ego who plays the piano and sings cabaret songs. Jeffries plays Springs as a tragicomic “recovering showgirl” looking back on her life and career. The character is inspired partly by memories of fading Hollywood icons visiting his childhood home, as well as memories of old black-and-white films he and his father watched together.
Jeffries won Best Cabaret Brighton Fringe in 2011 and was invited to open the new cabaret room The Crazy Coqs in London, where Miss Hope Springs Sunday Soirées became an institution. Jeffries went on to be resident at The Matcham Room in the Hippodrome Casino (better known as The Talk of the Town where Judy Garland once played), and headlined at the Rah Rah Room in the old Pigalle Nightclub.
In 2016, Jeffries toured the United States with Miss Hope Springs, performing shows in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and New Hope, Pennsylvania, with an appearance at Lincoln Centre. In 2019, Jeffries won Broadway World Awards “Best Cabaret” at Edinburgh Fringe Festival for his show It’s Miss Hope Springs. In 2021, his solo recorded concert at Wigmore Hall for the iconic Pride 2021 celebration was praised by NYC Bistro Awards. In 2022, Miss Hope Springs celebrated 10 years of residency at Crazy Coqs with a sold out rave review week of shows, with the residency continuing into 2023.
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With support from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
Series presenting partners: Detroit PBS and PBS Books. Media partner: Michigan Radio.
The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Fall 2024 Season
This fall, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series brings respected leaders and innovators from a broad spectrum of creative fields to Ann Arbor’s historic Michigan Theater for weekly in-person events.
Detroit PBS and PBS Books, in partnership with the Stamps School, will stream each week’s event Fridays at 8pm.
See the full schedule of events livestreamed by PBS Books here.
Some programs may not be available online, depending on artist requests. Interested in receiving notifications before online videos go live? Sign up to receive a reminder before each event begins streaming.
