Comedy, horror, cheese, and performances so good I wish it was twice as long.
It’s October, the weather is miserable, and we’re all looking for something to pick us up and give us some spooky atmosphere. What could be better than a halloween cabaret? BOO! My Cabaret was a hilarious night out perfect for the season, with a huge range of acts from lip-syncs and musical performances to slapstick to dramatic performances, which had something for everyone to enjoy.
Each act was different enough that nothing felt repetitive, and combined worked towards the halloween theme of the cabaret, with references to various horror tropes and films, music with spooky lyrics, and a particularly chilling monologue. On occasion the act seemed an odd choice (why is this man miming cheese making?) but all ended up being thoroughly entertaining – the cheese making was the highlight of the night for me! As each act got going, I could hear the audience – a surprisingly varied mix of people – react with gasps, giggles and cheers as they realised the reference.
Each act provided some degree of comedic value, of course, but what surprised me was that nothing was done half-heartedly – the comedy was never in expense of the quality of the performance, but instead enhanced it. The talent level of those involved is so high that I feel sorry for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to see this wonderful group of people.
Everyone involved gave a genuinely brilliant performance, with notable names being Nathan Peter Grassi providing some great audience interaction as the “Ghost with the Most” and Justine Malone with some wonderful Meat Loaf performances. One act which I particularly enjoyed was a performance of “A Little Priest” from the musical Sweeney Todd, something which was so good I would love to see them continue with the entire musical!
Audience interaction and participation was great fun, especially for the parties of those involved: I was laughing as much at the reactions of the audience as I was at the slightly baffled people who had been invited on stage. Some credit has to go to the layout of the
performance space here, where a mix of cabaret tables and standard audience seating meant that it was easy to choose a spot to maximise or minimise the change of being picked on, whatever your preference. The performers, however, seemed very open and able to politely move on if someone didn’t feel comfortable with the spotlight, which is something that is often a concern for meat these types of events. All of this made the experience comfortable and welcoming, keeping the horror on stage rather than in my own anxious mind.
Overall it was an excellent experience, with amazing performances that I would happily watch over and over again. The time seemed to fly by, and there was no moment where I wasn’t entertained by something. My only complaint was that it wasn’t twice as long!