Returning to the Edinburgh Fringe after their Australian sojourn is EastEnd Cabaret. A delightful duo that has risen through the ranks of the cabaret circuit. Bernadette Byrne and Victor Victoria are immensely talented and know how to work an audience.
The songs are great. Funny, naughty and highly satisfying. Cabaret performances based entirely around original songs can be a rarity in fringe Cabaret. So it is great to see an act that not only puts so much effort into their creations, but also perform them so well.
The banter between Victy and Byrne is infectious, silly but well thought out, though it occasionally veers into the slightly ridiculous. Most of the conversation between the songs is dead on the mark and elicited roars of laughter from the audience. They are such larger than life personalities that they create an atmosphere around them effortlessly. However there were occasionally small sections that felt too forced and any attempts at subtlety was lost. At times it felt that there wasn’t anywhere for them to go with their act because they’d already put in so much enthusiasm and outrageous personality early on.
The audiences are a part of the act in more ways than one. I’m sure it is a testament to their talent, rather than the level of inebriation on a Saturday night, that every member pulled on stage or climbed across participated gleefully. There aren’t many performers who could use and abuse certain audience members in such a manner and still have everyone come away grinning.
A minor complaint is that though Dirty Talk is advertised as an ‘all-new array’ it contains some very familiar material. Fans of the duo, of which there are many at the Fringe, will surely recognise some of their signature numbers and central material. However, this does not stop the material itself from being immensely pleasurable.
A deliciously dirty romp and a thoroughly enjoyable show.
