Maria Kempinska: Having a laugh

As funny girls go, Maria Kempinska has raised more laughs than most. Since the Chiswick-based entrepreneur opened her first Jongleurs comedy club in 1983, she's proved that one should never underestimate the power of humour.Comedy royalty, such as Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Rory Bremner, Graham Norton, Jack Dee and Frank Skinner all cut their teeth on the circuit in her club before their careers took off.

Now, 24 years on, Jongleurs is a burgeoning business that has sent Maria and numerous comedians alike laughing all the way to the bank. Yet the humble way in which it all began - above a pub in Battersea - is no joke.

Maria, who was an English and drama teacher at the time, took a huge financial risk to fulfil her dream of opening a comedy club. "It was part of my teaching procedure to get my students to perform old-time music hall acts," she says, recalling how the idea first took shape. "This was supposed to increase their performance skills. But then I suddenly thought that this could be a form of entertainment audiences would enjoy. The idea to create a club where that could happen just springboarded from there."

However, at 28, and with no business acumen whatsoever, Maria didn't find it easy to translate her idea into reality."It was really tough," she admits. "I came from an academic background and didn't know who to turn to for advice. My parents, both Polish refugees, were from different worlds: dad trained as a barrister and my mother was a mathematician.
"In those days, business was very male-dominated. I had no business plan and my bank was reluctant to lend me the money.

"But I'm one of those entrepreneurs who just gets up and does it. In the end I arranged an overdraft from my bank on the pretext of something else, and rented a room above a pub in Battersea from Regent Inns."

Maria named the club Jongleurs, which is French for jugglers, and a medieval term for wandering minstrels. "When I started out, my idea was to promote up-and-coming talent," she says. "Every Friday night, variety acts would perform here.

"I was living hand to mouth then, but thought that if it all went wrong I'd be able to pay back the money I'd borrowed from the bank bit by bit. I knew a woman who'd borrowed money from a bank to make a record, and when she couldn't repay it, the bank let her repay her debt with £5 a week over a long period. It made me realise I could borrow money for my business and not have to settle the debt in one lump sum."

Fortunately for Maria, no such scenario ever arose. Her instinct that the club would be a success quickly proved to be correct. Within three weeks, budding stand-up comedians such as Harry Enfield and Ben Elton were approaching her to perform there. Eighteen months later, the club was flourishing. "It became primarily comedy-based because these were the type of acts that wanted to be in the line-up," says Maria. "By then, Eddie Izzard and Paul Merton were among them, and Arthur Smith was my regular compere."

Maria met her business partner, John Davy, two years after the launch of Jongleurs and together they expanded the brand."He had more business knowledge than me, which meant we could set up systems more easily," she recalls. "Our comedians would perform two or three gigs a night, at different Jongleurs venues all over London. It was an exciting time, especially as we were showcasing the best comic talent around." Seven years ago, Maria sold Jongleurs to Regent Inns, but retained the Intellectual Property rights to the business.
As well as continuing to make sure that Jongleurs shows are the best, she is executive producer of Live At Jongleurs, sources new talent for the club and works on other outlets for the brand.

This includes organising vast amounts of corporate functions for the Jongleurs acts, and special projects such as Jongleurs Posh, which is the best of Jongleurs stand-up in five-star hotels, the Jongleurs On The Road Theatre tour, and Jongleurs island cruises.
As one might expect after so many years in the business, there's very little Maria doesn't know about comedy. "It's changed a lot since I started up the club," she says. "A whole variety of humour is accepted these days, but it used to be more niche and arty. It's broader and more interesting, has more depth and more coarseness. Being a comedian is one of the hardest professions you could choose."Which begs the question, why are there so few successful female stand-up comedians? "We have about four per cent of women who can do stand-up," concedes Maria."Comedy is tough for women because you are out there on your own. Audiences tend to give a lot more towards a male comedian than they do to a woman.
"Men will heckle women much more quickly than they will heckle another man. Sadly, they heckle women about their looks. Jo Brand was on the receiving end of this but she turned the comments about her appearance to work in her favour.

"Men don't get heckled about their looks that often, but when they do, they feel exactly the same as women do; they take it personally. "As a comedian doing stand-up, you're like Daniel being thrown to the lions. You have to understand how to accommodate a very energised room and capture your audience. Men and women just communicate differently. When women are talking, we discuss our lives and our kids. But men don't do that. They like to find a leader in a group through humour. Humour finds the alpha male."

When pressed, Maria lists her personal 'alpha male' favourites: Eddie Izzard, Paul Merton, Ed Byrne and John Maloney. But she often uses humour as a tool herself. "I did a two-minute motivation speech recently at the London Business Awards," she says. "By injecting comedy into it I raised £7,000 for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. I try to use humour and always have. It relaxes people and breaks down barriers. But I'm now more conscious of its impact; reflect on it more, and how to use it."

A highly successful businesswoman, Maria, 52, is also keen to help other women in business. In April, she launched Impress Network, a vehicle to give women already in or starting out in business, free advice and information. "I'd like entrepreneurial women to talk about their businesses and share their knowledge," she says. "In this way it will encourage and support women taking the first steps and give them accurate, vital information. I hope to organise events where they can meet and exchange ideas. I've already got Linda Bennett from LK Bennett and entrepreneur Lynne Franks on board."

Away from her hectic business commitments, Maria likes nothing better than to relax at home in Chiswick, where she has lived for seven years. "I was drawn to this area because it's so lively and interesting and seems to be getting better all the time," she says. "For me it's like country and city all rolled into one."

Home for Maria and her two children, Stefan, 20, and 19-year-old Kazia, who are both students, is an original house designed by architect Norman Shaw. "I love it here; it's a great house for entertaining," says Maria. "A few years ago, someone from a film company pushed a note through my door, asking if they could use my home in a film. I agreed and it turned out to be for Love Actually, for the scene where Colin Firth's character comes home and hands out presents to his family at Christmas."

Rather than head into central London for a meal out, Maria prefers to dine at local restaurants such as La Trompette and the High Road Brasserie. "I am a Champagne tart," she laughs. "I only wish Chiswick had more bars." When it comes to being pampered, she's a regular customer at Red Chat, a hair and beauty salon run by Sonia Byrne, which specialises in natural treatments and products. "It's a great place to get your hair, nails, facials and massages, all under the comfort of one roof," says Maria. To keep fit, Maria is a member of the Hogarth Club. "I go to the gym three or four times a week, and have a personal trainer, " she says. "I've been a member for eight years, so I should look amazing, but I definitely
do not." She's got to be joking...

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