Former TimeOut Cabaret editor Ben Walters has produced and put together this new quarterly cabaret show featuring some of the best acts, both established and establishing a reputation, operating in the capital right now. For the inaugural event we saw Dickie Beau, Eve Ferret, Figs in Wigs and David Hoyle all take to the chosen theatre stage at the aptly named World’s End to wow us with their charms.
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And wow us they (mostly) did. As a sometime roving arts reporter skewed across the London performance scene, I’d encountered three of these sterling acts before in their glory, but Dickie Beau was an entirely new and eminently pleasurable experience. A lip-syncher of rare skill, one can see his influence in the likes of the wonderful Foxy & Husk.
Beau enters on to the stage dressed in a sailor’s outfit and proceeds to mime out, perfectly, an entire Kenneth Williams recording, with each gesticulation, laugh and affectation minutely observed and portrayed. A master-class in how to kick-off a cabaret show in superb style.
Sadly, not entirely the same could be said for the lovely but a little tortuous Miss Ferret who took to the stage second. After delivering a rather long and rambling introduction, she proceeded to put on and take off her glasses several times, and each time she put on her glasses commented about how the audience all thought she was mad. This only served to alienate the audience more towards her act. Although when she did – eventually – sing, it can’t be denied she had a remarkably good voice, albeit tied to quite bizarre lyrics.
Figs in Wigs provided their seminal pea-eating competition again, where members of the audience had to eat as many frozen peas as possible whilst the FiW troupe danced around them. A great act, who are deservedly getting some attention from the London cabaret landscape right now. And, of course, last but never least was the inimitable in every sense of the word – Mr David Hoyle, who has recently started his ‘Still Life’ Thursday residencies at the RVT. Get yourself down there, because this man needs to be seen by all.
• The Chelsea Theatre, World’s End Place, SW10 0DR
• www.chelseatheatre.org.uk
