This Week's London Cabaret Zingers: 11-17 July

Franco Milazzo
By Franco Milazzo Last edited 152 months ago
This Week's London Cabaret Zingers: 11-17 July


There's more great cabaret this week than you can shake a rolled-up copy of the Sun On Sunday News Of The World at so with zip, zero and zilch further ado, here are our Zingers Of The Week.


Zinger Of The Week: LipSinkers at Bistrotheque, Friday and Saturday

This is cabaret for all the family, as long as that family are the Mansons. Famed drag-queen supergroup Lisa Lee, Ryan Styles, Richardette and Blanche du Bois will be "singing" more twisted songs than in a pile of sun-melted vinyl. Go.

Monday's Zinger: If you take it black and strong, you’ll appreciate Aussie trio The Suitcase Royal’s sense of humour. Their latest production The Ballad Of Backbone Joe comes across as Tom Waits multiplied by Nick Cave (which is definitely No Bad Thing). It was shown at Edinburgh Fringe last year and continues tonight at Soho Theatre until 16 July.

Also tonight, bingo at RVT and free dragster action at Cellardoor.

Tuesday's Zingers: A double bill of Edinburgh previews at the Canal Cafe Theatre. Synchronised swimming comedy The Two Wrongies has Spymonkey's Petra Massey on board so expect sordid chuckles.  Singing Mediterranean lothario Wilfredo's new show Erecto! promises lechery and laughs.

Step well back as evil scientist Jonny Woo conducts "a live transsexual vivisection" at Bistrotheque's trannytastic Drag Club. Looking on in horror will be cohorts Scottee and Nando Messias while Georgois Bourgeois (approximately 50% by volume of neo-cabaret gems Bourgeois & Maurice) gets to try out his new song Google Me.

Will it make you horny? This month, The Albany's Lowdown club takes its cabaret evening Cabarera back to the Sixties. Groovy, baby!

Wednesday's Zinger: Chris Cross' Carny Cabaret at Madame Jojo's is more than just awesome alliteration: it's a monthly rock&roll variety night. Tonight's guests include Extraordinary League alumni Kiki Lovechild and Sophia Landi plus Bruce Airhead and Sapphire Devine.

Thursday's Zingers: Top bill of the night is at Madame Jojo's where the wellknown (to those in the know) Bête Noire lets loose the talents of ArtWanker Ophelia Bitz, burlesquers Luna Rose and Ginger Blush plus jugglers Mat Ricardo and Matt Hennem (see below).

If you only see one (more?) show this year at the Udderbelly, make it Sarah-Louise Young's Cabaret Whore tonight, m'kay?

Friday's Zinger: Cafe de Paris' La Reve has another great line-up. Tonight's stars include the duke of uke Des O'Connor, smoking hot burlesquer Kiki Kaboom and the decidedly unpolitically correct Ria Lina.

Saturday's Zingers: Hoop queen Marawa The Amazing wowed the La Soiree audience last year before doing the same to the Britain's Got Talent judges and voters. Tonight,  she can be found with her own show at Jackson's Lane.

The Pale Blue Door has washed off the mud and returns from its Glastonbury expedition more than happy to provide cabaret entertainment alongside a 4-course meal including beetroot, basil, beef and (half a) bottle of wine, all at a secret location in deepest, darkest HipstervilleDalston.

Sunday's Zingers: If you fancy a lucky dip event this week, check out Moonwax at the Islington Chinese Centre. They're inviting all branches of the creative arts to come together so it's anyone's guess just what will happen on the night.

Honourable mentions

They don’t fly, are definitely not Russian and they’re not brothers but old school American juggling troupe The Flying Karamazov Brothers they are at the Vaudeville Theatre until September 10. We liked.

Who needs friends to have a slumber party when you can just go to The Barbican’s Lullaby? Brought to you by the team behind the RVT institution Duckie, you can choose to choose to nod off alone, with someone else or have your own menage a trois. And, why not?

From the US state that gave us Starbucks and Nirvana,  Electric Burlesque comes to the UK for a month-long residency at Brick Lane supperclub The Brickhouse. Combining a brace each of burlesque and boylesque dancers, the high-concept show aims to challenge the audience. Expect werewolves and villains dissecting topics including HIV, hate crimes and oppression. The show runs until the end of the month every night excluding Mondays and Sundays.

Book ahead

If you want an early glimpse at some shows destined for this year's Edinburgh Fringe, we can recommend Piff The Magic Dragon at the King's Head (July 19-21), Eat Your Heart Out at the Apothecary (July 23) and Tricity Vogue at the RVT (July 27).

Here's contact juggler Matt Hennem in action at Cafe De Paris' Wam Bam Club. Enjoy.

Last Updated 11 July 2011