We hope you're not too busy consuming your body weight in seasonal chocolate to pop out and catch some of London's great cabaret. Time to make hay while the sun shines so with zip, zero and zilch further ado, here are this week's zingers.
Zinger of the week can only be The Slightly Fat Features at the Roundhouse. We saw them on Tuesday night and, for just £10, we reckon you won't find a better use of two hours this week. The show is filled to the brim with charm and chuckles but be quick - they're only around until Saturday and, remember, laughing is a form of exercise (useful tip for those on a Creme Egg diet).
Thursday's Zinger: If Twin Peaks only leads you to thinking of the upcoming London Burlesque Week, you might want to give tonight's Double R Club at the Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (£10) a miss. Everyone else should hotfoot down there for a night hosted by Dusty Limits and with the Janus Sisters (aka ukelele queen Tricity Vogue and singer Sarah-Louise Young), comedian Chris Lynam, torch singer Gloria Pearl and the winners of Baghdad's Got Talent. Yes, you did read that right.
Friday's Zingers: Toss a coin. If it's heads, strut your stuff down at Agent Lynch's Purple Rain extravaganza at the Brickhouse - there's circus, burlesque and just maybe a naughty song or two dedicated to the sexiest man alive. Tails and you should catch the ne ultra plus of neo-cabaret act in the form of Bourgeois and Maurice at the Bistrotheque (£12.50). It really is that simple.
Saturday's Zinger: Tonight you really should go, go, Sideshow at the Leicester Square Theatre (£20) for some extreme cabaret craziness. The co-hosts include Des O'Connor and DJ Margaret The Gimp and they'll be introducing some really very good acts: there's the Twisted Burlesque troupe with Kiki Kaboom (fresh from filming her role as a burlesque assassin in Canada), musical comedy from Mr B the Gentleman Rapper and Sarah-Louise Young (yes, her again) plus circus, magic and performance art.
Sunday's Zingers: You can come down off your sugar high and plan your bank holiday Monday while relaxing to the dulcet tones of daring drag artiste Myra Dubois (free) at the The Edge. Expect some songs, piano playing and audience participation.
Just in case you haven't noticed, Sarah-Louise Young is so hot right now. Check out her character La Poule Plombe letting the English have it between the I's, J's and all the other letters.
Links
If you need more than cabaret to float your boat, have a gander at our weekly arts roundup.
Burlesque dancer Agent Lynch will be doing some royal shedding next week: she has her own Kate Middleton routine and a good idea what William should be seeing on wedding night. Check out our interview with her here.
