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Cabaret XXL
Birmingham Rep Door
***** CLEAR a Thursday night in your diaries
for the next few months if you can and head over to The Door at the
Birmingham Rep for what promises to be one of the most entertaining
cabaret nights in the city. Cabaret XXL is a new once a month event with a
future programme, that’s packed with a fusion of some of the UKs most
glamorous, outrageous and fun packed acts. The continuing popularity and revival of
Burlesque and new cabaret style acts has signified a culture shift in
entertainment over recent years and London venues have been successful
in catering for this. Now Birmingham gets a taste and unlike the usual
club venue, where many acts like this perform, at the Birmingham Rep
they are supported by all that a professional theatre can offer along
with the technical staff to elevate the quality of the
performances. Billed as a range of bawdy burlesques to delight
and excite, the first night featured British entertainer Scottee acting
as a larger than life game show host and his pretty assistant Lucy and
it certainly lived up to the hype. Think of an audience fuelled Generation Game with
the host adorned in fur, feathers and sequins and you won’t be far off
imagining what the evening was like. While most of us were called upon
to act out a small party piece, there was no pressure or belittlement of
those not too keen to be involved. Indeed, if from the outset you dread any form of
audience participation then again don’t worry. The hosts easily made you
feel like you were among friends encouraging co audience support for
whatever `talent ‘ great or small appeared, and all vying for the token
prize of a bar of Toblerone With such an element of risk and originality it
fell to the skills of Scottie and Lucy to keep the laughter from fading,
injecting a few entertaining segments such as a live version of Jaws by
Origami before calling upon another audience member to perform. As the shows are timed to begin at 9.30 on the
night and your ticket includes a pre-show drink, the evenings promise to
be an ideal icebreaker if you are then off out on the town, with the
Broad Street nightlife just a short walk away. Alternatively, if you
just fancy an entirely different theatre experience, one where they is
no rush to get to after work nor to stay out that late for, then Cabaret
XXL could be just what you need. If the high standard set on this inaugural evening with Scottee and his scantily clad assistant Lucy is anything to go by, then over the coming months, they may well be saying that at The Door on a Thursday night, life is a Cabaret XXL old chum. Jeff Grant
28-01-16
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