Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Cabaret Cracker“
3.5 / 5
~This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub ~
Phoenix Arts Club promises a month full of festive cabaret evenings in their gorgeous venue, with an assorted rotating lineup of various performers from the worlds of music, drag and burlesque.
The evening we reviewed, hosting the show is the charismatic Michael Twaits, dressed in a glorious green ballgown and they immediately set the tone for the night by advising the audience to shout out song requests, sing along and drink all the gin they possibly can during the 100 minutes of showtime.
Sarah Rose accompanies on the piano, expertly transitioning into each song and occasionally throwing in some melodic backing vocals. The set list isn’t pre-planned – Twaits handpicks audience requests and throws in a few fan favourites from the musical theatre and pop genres. The Girls Aloud x B*Witched x Wicked megamix is one of the standouts of the evening with the audience singing along throughout. Twaits promises there will be no slut drops or choreography during his songs – so it’s a brilliantly relaxed evening of cabaret, full of ballads and 80s hits, and the stint on the aerial hoop is an unexpected joy!
Each of the three variety acts performs a routine in both halves of the evening – Cleopantha (burlesque), Sebastian Angelique (boylesque & fire artist) and Freddie Love (operatic drag divo). Each well-known on the cabaret scene, it’s a great combination of performers that wow the audience. Cleopantha’s second routine with an M&S roast dinner voiceover is both talented and hilarious – who knew Bisto could be so seductive?! The audience definitely won’t be able to look at Christmas dinner the same way ever again.
Sebastian Angelique turns up the heat with his fire artistry, excellently talented, and the intimate space of the Phoenix Arts Club really highlights the impressive nature of his act with a close-up view of the fire-breathing. Freddie Love performs traditional songs with an operatic twist – and their intriguingly grand costumes are just as big as their vocals.
All I Want For Christmas Is Cabaret is a very fun evening of performances, though it would be great if there was a bit more of a festive sprinkling in to really encompass it as a Christmas offering. Although there are a few Santa hats and a couple of Christmas songs thrown into the mix, overall, it doesn’t feel too different to the normal well-executed and enjoyable cabaret evenings at Phoenix Arts Club. The second half dials up the festive mood slightly higher, especially with the brilliant Pogues finale, but it would be great if that same Christmassy energy was spread more throughout to turn this show into a cabaret Christmas cracker.
Runs Until 30 December 2023
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