Cabaret is a mercurial delight of a genre, defying convention and frequently living on the fringes. Which, of course, is why it’s doubly worth investigating in the festival, with highlights that jump from nihilism to puppetry, not to mention a rich seam of drag performers bringing more unexpected ideas to the Fringe each year.
‘Apocalypse Cabaret: Songs For The End Of The World’ is Nietzsche meet Bette Midler from LA based Scout Durwood. A solo karaoke jockey finds herself the last survivor at the end of the world and reveals how she ended up straddling the gap between civilisation and apocalypse. Razzle dazzle and existential dread come together in this one-woman comedy cabaret. Expect songs, dark laughter, and high-octane energy.
In Vetted, Veronica Green, who you may know from RuPaul’s Drag Race, is searching for her perfect vet – the right person to mark those fluffy milestones with her and explain a few animal instincts. Throw in comedy puppets, original songs, and fabulous drag performances and this promises to be fabulously entertaining.
Making its European premier, after picking up heaps of good attention at last year’s Melbourne Fringe, is ‘Sugar’ – starring Tomáš Kantor as a beaming gender-fluid twink discovering ‘transactional relationships’. Banging pop songs, sparkling storytelling, and camp charismatic playfulness give this show some serious sparkle.
Hot news is that Miss Frisky is making her solo debut with ‘Frisky’s Reshuffle’, after many years treading the boards, garnering awards, and hitting high Cs and cavalier side-eyes with the fantastic duo Frisky & Mannish. It should be a real musical treat, with genre-spanning cabaret and fun with a capital ‘FUN’.
Want to know a secret? Then take note of ‘The Unfair Advantage’, the Fringe debut from sleight-of-hand maestro Harry Milas. Part performance, part tutorial, this intimate magic experience limits itself to 30 audience members per show and asks them all to sign a legal contract before entering. Very hush hush. In exchange tricks and techniques are revealed, along with the personal journey of the magician once banned from casinos.
Clock in and join ‘Mr P From HR’, it’s time for your induction. With an audience freshly recruited to start work at luxury department store Gay-rods (pronounced Gah-rods, naturally), watch drag king Mr P use songs, quizzes, lip synchs, and even specially created NDAs to address the rumours leaked about the proprietor.
Alternatively, step away from any real-world concerns and join ‘An Evening With Dame Granny Smith’, winner of the Adelaide Fringe Best Variety gong earlier this year. Promising puppetry and ventriloquism, the tickling of your heart-strings and your belly laugh muscles, this ridiculous fruity premise is fresher than Wimbledon’s strawberries.
The Oliver Award-winning ‘La Clique’ show is an established highlight of the cabaret, circus and burlesque scene, a global phenomenon, and this year marks its 21st anniversary. With such a sexy birthday, expect elevated variety and fun from the Famous Speigeltent’s flagship mixed bill.
Something very much tapping into the dating zeitgeist of clickbait and app-swiping is ‘OG Crush’, a musical memoir from cabaret performer Willing. Wading through the deluge of e-girls and soyboys, our hero looks for meaning in the algorithm age with pitch perfect original songs in this UK debut from Down Under.
Step away from the hubbub of the Fringe to tranquility of Lauriston Castle, and a world of clandestine laboratories, secret passages, and hidden rooms – plus magic! ‘The Secret Room At Lauriston Castle’ plays host to three magicians, combining historic stories with illusions, intrigue, and magic.
