COME TO THE CABARET

Londontown is a veritable smorgasbord of cabaret treats, especially in Homoville. From theatrical performance to pub-dwelling divas, to the avant-garde and everything in between, there are few places with as much choice and talent as our fair capital. Here, our own dramatic duo Lee Dalloway and Jason Reid show you how life really can be a cabaret, with our guide to what’s happening on the scene right now. 

 

DRAG IDOL

Drag Idol is the annual competition where several venues across the UK pull together to find the hottest new performing talent. It may be called ‘Drag’ Idol, but it’s not just cocks in frocks, it can include mimes, comedians, magicians, alternative cabaret, burlesque, jugglers, ventriloquists – it’s more about finding talent that wouldn’t normally have a platform. The contest has unearthed some real talent, and previous winners and finalists include CK (Crystal d’Canter and Kelly Mild), Son ofa TuTu (main picture), Tanya Hyde, Baga Chipz and Morag McDuff – all of whom work regularly on the cabaret scene in London and across the country.

 

DAVE LYNN’S MONDAY MADHOUSE
349 Kennington Lane, Vauxhall, SW8 1RT 

The times they are a changin’ at blokey Vauxhall venue Eagle, and signalling that change every Monday is Dave Lynn (pictured), who dishes out a stellar show of comedy, song and hot new talent as part of their new ‘Early Bird’ slot from 6pm-10pm.

 

CITY OF QUEBEC
12 Old Quebec Street, Marble Arch, W1H 7AF

The City of Quebec features a regular Sunday night cabaret slot at 10pm, and plays host to cabaret and music talent from all over the country every week. Tuesday nights belong to Tiffaney Wells (pictured), who rocks your socks off every week from 9:30pm.

Tiffaney Wells told QX:

“Tuesday is a laid back, friendly atmosphere with lots of camp melodies and a few cheeky gags; a night of sing-along fun, for young and old, in a first class venue. It’s always a pleasure to perform for the very appreciative audiences there, and the staff and management are a joy to work with.”

 

RVT

RVT, or the Royal Vauxhall Tavern to give it its full moniker, is a legend amongst cabaret venues. A number of established stars have performed on its hallowed stage, some started their career here (such as Lily Savage) and RVT continues its tradition of featuring the best cutting edge performances, big names and fresh talent to this very day.

S.L.A.G.S/CHILL-OUT 

This Sunday stalwart has been packing ‘em in for almost fourteen years and is always full-to-bursting come the end of the weekend. The brilliant D.E. Experience (aka Jonathan Hellyer) plays exclusively at RVT and there really is no atmosphere like it. Camp, fun and deliciously inebriated.

ALTERNATIVE CABARET 

RVT is a hub of alternative cabaret and regular resident David Hoyle is certainly one of their breakout stars. The magnificent Mr Hoyle returns with a new show, ‘David Hoyle’s Pandregins’ from Thursday 24th May to 21st June, featuring near-the-knuckle opinions and comedic rants about the world today and a raft of guest artistes such as Ryan Styles, Jonny Woo, Marcus Reeves and Dickie Beau. Pandrogyne means never being tied to textbook definitions of masculine and feminine, breaking the norms and taking the concept of gender beyond all previous definitions. If you haven’t seen him, do so, as you’ll never see anything like it.

Myra Dubois is another riotously funny alt.cab starlet who regular graces the RVT stage, and on Wednesday 6th June, the acid-tongued vixen presents a stellar night up of comedy in Myra-Aid, featuring Scott Cappurro, The Dreambears, Scottee, David Mills, Dusty Limits, Holestar, Russella and many more.

RVT also boasts Bar Wotever each Tuesday, featuring a night of cabaret, live music and performance from both fresh and established artists. This delightfully queer little night is now in its fifth year and definitely worth a look.

 

MOLLY MOGGS
2 Old Compton Street, Soho, W1D 4TB

Molly Moggs is the small venue that packs in a whole lorra cabaret, featuring regular nights from Jeff Kristian, Dame Julie Paid (pictured, left to right), Cookie Monstar and Diamond Pearl.

Jeff Kristian revealed to QX what the secret behind Mogg’s success was:

“Firstly, it’s being known for, and maintaining, the high standard of our cabaret whilst looking after our lovely regulars like they are family and welcoming the high stream of tourists warmly. Secondly; attention to detail, especially in a venue our size. It’s surprising how much of a difference all those small touches make.”

 

 

TWO BREWERS
114 Clapham High Street, SW4 7UJ

One of London’s premier cabaret dens, Two Brewers has been serving up glitter-fuelled entertainment for thirty years, boasting big names, fresh talent and established scenesters on its stage. They have a rotation of cabaret residents from all your favourite divas, including the mamouth Sunday session of performance and campery, Sunday Rites. This week’s stars are three of our favourite gurls, Maisie Trollette, Mrs Moore and Kandi Kane Baxter. There’s also cabaret at least five nights a week, and you can regularly see top names and characters such as Mrs Moore, Lola Lasagne, Rose Garden and Sandra either on stage or propping up the bar. Two Brewers is also home to the wonderful drag theatre company the Drama Queens, whose next show will be ‘Queer’lesque’ this summer.

 

GLAM JAM – CJ & LADY IMELDA 

Where can we get a fix of Glam Jam these days?

You can catch Glam Jam at The Victoria in Walthamstow (every first Saturday of the month), Two 8 Six in Lewisham (every Thursday), and of course, at our flagship venue, Halfway II Heaven in Charing Cross (every Wednesday).

What does ‘Glam Jam’ mean?

It’s quite simple, really! “Glam” because we are glamorous divas; “Jam”, because everything on the night is spontaneous, or “jammed”. Also, we don’t get paid for rehearsals, so we just don’t bother with them and improvise instead.

 

MISS KIMBERLEY

One of our craziest divas, Miss Kimberley always fills her shows with a delightful mix of sass, class, madcap fashions, comedy and song. Her residency at The Cambria (40 Kemerton Road, Camberwell, SE5 9AR) has been doing the business every Sunday for some time now and features Mzz K doin’ her thang with a plethora of eclectic special guests from all over the international cabaret scene. Her other show is also gaining a big following every Wednesday at Profile (84-86 Wardour Street, Soho, W1F 0TQ). Kimberley begins this show dressed in  fashionable evening wear, singing blues, jazz, show tunes and soul. As the evening continues, Mzz K goes into gospel music and features a boatload of crazy characters from Wonder Woman, to Grace Jones in a gorilla suit on skates!

 

HALFWAY II HEAVEN
7 Duncannon St, Charing Cross, WC2N 4JF

No cabaret round up is complete without the tipsy, glitter coated shenanigans of Halfway II Heaven. Attracting a delicious mix of ardent regulars and curious tourists alike who come to enjoy an eclectic array of befrocked action.

CK SUNDAY

The original cabaret darling of H2H, CK Sundays sees Crystal d’Canter and Kelly Mild (pictured) with their wildly successful end-of-the-week session. Featuring an endless supply of laughs, music, sing-a-longs and knocking back shots, Crystal and Kelly have gained a loyal following over the last three years and regularly have them, and us, rolling in the aisles.

THE SUNDAY THREESOME

Directly after CK Sunday, Tanya Hyde and Baga Chipz take centre stage with the divine Mrs Moore crunching some balls in her Rock and Roll Bingo.

ROSE GARDEN’S SATURDAY MARKET

“To market, to market” is the cry we let out every weekend for Rose Garden’s (pictured, right) fabulicious Saturday shakedown. Featuring music, comedy, drinking games and bag full’s of debauchery every Saturday from 4pm.

 

CENTRAL STATION
37 Wharfdale Road, King’s Cross, N1 9SD

The King’s Cross stalwart has been home to top cabaret for two decades, and continues to boast an impressive rosta of talent. Sandra has a residency every Wednesday, featuring a West End star or new starlet each week, and there’s regular cabaret every Friday and Saturday. Coming up this month you can see the likes of Dave Lynn, Fay Presto, Kandi Kane Baxter, Dolly Diamond (pictured), Tiffaney Wells and Lola Lasagne.

 

CXR STAGE BAR
79 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0BN 

CXR Stage Bar have a new name, a gorge new look and more cabaret than you can shake a feather boa at!
We asked Bette Rinse about her ‘Rinse Out Your Haggis’ residency, with Mary Mac:

“What don’t I love, dear? It’s always one big laugh – usually at my expense [laughs]. I adore working with Mary as she’s a true pro and doesn’t take herself too seriously, which is really important in our business. If you come along expect to hear me murder a few songs and Mary shatter glass with her voice. My highlight is always our performance of ‘Drag Queen Of The Opera’; you’ll piss yourself laughing, I always do (luckily I have a bag haha).”

 

VOLUPTE
9 Norwich Street, EC4A 1EJ

www.volupte-lounge.com

The gorge Volupte bar goes distinctly homoxual every Thursday in May with Thursgays, featuring another perfectly polished performance from Miss Polly Rae or the tutu-wearing tease that is Madame Galina (pictured). Randy dandy compere Mr Meredith presents a shimmy of shining stars on Thursday 17th May, the Divine Miss Em presents the cream of professional burlesque and cabaret on May 24th and the brilliantly twisted Ophelia Bitz enters Bettsie’s Budoir on 31st May.

 

WEST 5
56 Popes Lane, South Ealing, W5 4NB

West 5 has a proud tradition of regular cabaret for the Sarf Ealing massive, and Friday and Saturday nights are the place to see your favourite cabaret divas in action. This months names include Wilma Fingadoo, Sam Solace, The Supreme Fabulettes, Saski, Rose Garden and also a Drag Idol heat at the end of the month for good measure.

 

VICTORIA
186 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17

Saturday nights at Victoria bring some sparkle to the cabaret-starved denizens of Walthamstow. On Saturday 12th May, they host Drag Idol, featuring Mandy Gap. Saturday 19th sees the outrageous Titti La Camp, whilst on Saturday 26th, prepare for the return of the mac, as Scottish firecracker Mary Mac returns to the Victoria with a midnight show.

 

BJ’s WHITE SWAN
556 Commercial Road, Limehouse, E14 7JD

Friday nights are all about cabaret at the Limehouse hub of hot boys, strip action, tea dances, music and outrageous cabaret. This Friday is Titti la Camp, with Sandra coming up on Friday 18th May.

 

THE BLACK CAP 
171 Camden High Street, NW1 7JY

From the Shufflewick Bar, the legendary Regina Fong terrace and regular cabaret on stage in the club bar downstairs, Black Cap has had cabaret in its veins for donkey’s years, and you can catch a rotation of top performers every weekend. Coming up this month are Dave Lynn, Laquisha Jonz, SupaSista, Rinse Out Your Haggis with Bette Rinse and Mary Mac, Sandra, Lola Lasagne, Drag Idol on 20th May, a Eurovision special with Mrs Moore and the annual Regina Fong Gala on May 29th

 

WINDSOR CASTLE 
152 Bath Road, Hounslow, TW3 3ET

Featuring a rotation of top cabaret every Saturday night, Saturday 19th May is the Windsor Castle’s 7th Birthday, featuring live music from Band With No Name.

 

STAR & GARTER
227 High Street, Bromley, BR1 1NZ

Catch an array of top comedy every Monday at Bromley’s finest homo watering hole.

 

WAY OUT CLUB
Charlie’s, 9 Crosswall (off Minories), EC3N 2JY

Every Saturday Vicky Lee hosts this glamourous nightclub full of drinking, dancing and unique entertainment, especially for TVs, transvestites, cross dressers, T-girls, she males, lady boys, drag queens and everything in between. Coming up this month is Ruby Venezuela (pictured) on Saturday 12th May and The Supreme Fabulettes on 19th May.

 

THE OLD SHIP
17 Barnes Street, Limehouse, E14 7NW

There’s top cabaret every Sunday at The Old Ship, this month features Lee Tracey, Tammy Twinkle and Miss Ross.

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