Nights will vary, but with a much increased pool from which to draw Cabaret talent, Cabaret Nova will be one of the most fun variety cabarets around
Traditional, bawdy Cabaret involving nudity and naughtiness is mixed with comedy, music, and circus acts, as well as those more difficult to categorise. If the night I attended was representative of overall quality - and I’m sure it is - then the team behind Cabaret Nova are doing an excellent job of sourcing and arranging their material.
Lords of Strut are an interesting mixture of dance, music and comedy. They have some insanely impressive physical abilities as well as charmingly silly, yet well honed, comic exchanges. They were an excellent start to the night.
Self-described ‘enormous’ comedian Luke Benson also impressed with his slot. His routine satirises the obvious size jokes he’s been subjected to over the years. His observational stuff is also very good, as is his rapport with an obliging audience. Not many people attending a variety cabaret at midnight are sober.
Another comedian notable for his size - although, it is his ability as a stand-up comedian is what we should really notice - was Imaan Hadchiti. At 105cm tall, he is the shortest full-time stand up in the world (it’s in Guinness World Records). Like Luke Benson, he satirises people’s reaction to his height, using some of the prejudice he has been subjected to as a way to bring his comic instinct alive. But, like Luke Benson, his observational stuff is good too. He seemed to be as well-rounded a comedian as any without such a unique feature to rely on.
An excellent comic song from Luke Burridge and some occasionally terrifying knife juggling – as well as some near-naked dancing, a must at any late night Cabaret – completed an impressively balanced and interesting hour. Nights will vary, but with a much increased pool from which to draw Cabaret talent, Cabaret Nova will be one of the most fun variety cabarets around, with the mixture of things of things on offer meaning anyone attending is likely to be wildly entertained.
