Welcome to the new Londonist take on the best of the upcoming cabaret and burlesque action. With zip, zero and zilch further ado, here are our zingers of the weekend.
Thursday's Zingers: Part of a twice-monthly series produced by Boom Boom, Nighthawks at the Nightjar will be helmed by top compere Dusty Limits and feature sets from boylesque unicyclist and comedian Count Adriano Fettucini and San Fran jazz singer Holly Penfield. If you’re looking for something a bit different, Abandoman will be dazzling the Soho Theatre audience with their genuinely jovial improvised rap routines.
Friday's Zingers: Start the weekend in style with La Rêve at the fancy Café de Paris where you can catch cabaret singer extraordinaire Sarah-Louise Young and aerial specialist Empress Stah. Over at the Stratford Circus, the subversive Scottee Scottee and his Eat Your Heart Out crew will be pushing the boundaries of entertainment with their show Enforced #2. Expect regional artists, creative blind dates and 24-hour challenges. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Saturday's Zingers: If burlesque, musicals and fine dining are your idea of a good night out, consider booking a table at the Volupte Lounge where you can find Gracie and Kiki Kaboom belting out numbers from Over The Rainbow, Fame, Grease and many more. Alternatively, you can make like The Jam and go underground for Saturday Afternoon High Tea(se) at the miniscule marvel that is Cellar Door. Cabaret hotspot the RVT hold their legendary Duckie night with Camden mayoress Amy Lamé on MC duties and the Readers Wives DJs on the ones and twos.
Sunday's Zingers: While some may choose to rest on the seventh day, we know Londoners are made of sterner stuff. Pop into Madame Jojo’s if you want to see conjurer Christian Lee hosting a night modestly entitled The Greatest Show In The Universe starring chap-hop rapper Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer and the hilarious harmonies of The Scales of the Unexpected. If you want something a bit more adventurous, there is the Pale Blue Door pop-up dinner club-stroke-speakeasy at a secret Dalston location – for £35 and three knocks on the right door, you can expect a four course meal and some cabaret hijinks to help while away the remnants of your weekend.
Zinger of the week is this Thursday's Bête Noire at Madame Jojo’s where Londonist favourite Ophelia Bitz will be holding court over a top-notch line-up including burlesque clown Audacity Chutzpah and surly sorcerer Piff The Magic Dragon.
If you want to be proactive, tickets are on sale for next month's Orphanage Masked Ball (2 April) at The Last Tuesday Society, the Rumpus Spring Ball (8 April) at the Islington Steel Works, White Mischief's steampunk-themed Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea (16 April) at the Scala and London Burlesque Week 2011 (26-30 April). Finally, April 29 sees the start of the new Udderbelly season which kicks off with cabaret spectacular The Alternative Royal Wedding Reception.
To get you in the mood, here's Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer with his 5-minute whizzbang tour of the last three decades of classic hip hop. Tally ho!
