Spiegeltent,
Edinburgh
Three
stars
The
economy size Christmas tree perched on the tiny stage at the end of the Spiegeltent
catwalk lends a deceptively cosy air to the start of La Clique’s latest cabaret
compendium for this year’s Underbelly-run Edinburgh’s Christmas. The tree doesn’t
last long, however, and is quite rightly jettisoned from view by teutonic diva
and MC extraordinaire Bernie Dieter. It’s still November, after all, and as
Dieter points out, “this isn’t a fucking panto.”
Under
the guidance of director David Bates, Dieter hosts a showcase of some of the
most wilfully individual talents around in a night that would probably work
much the same without the occasional festive reference shoehorned in. This
makes for a greatest hits set of bite-size routines that never outstay their
welcome, be it the return of Heather Holliday’s sparkly and suggestive take on
sword-swallowing and fire eating, or gentleman juggler Florian Brooks. There is
old-school comedy magic from Paul Zenon and drop-dead burlesque by Mosh. All
this is backed by Dannie Bourne and the La Clique Orchestra, who provide a
suitably bump-and-grind soundtrack to the show, enhanced even more by Kelly
Wolfgramm’s sassy vocals.
While
all bar Dieter and Holliday are new to the show, it remains a variation on the familiar
La Clique theme. For all the wondrous physical derring-do on show, this can at
times feel like thin pickings. It is Dieter who keeps up the momentum with a
knowing sense of outrage and cheek, which she uses to bring several male
members of the audience to their knees. Along with Zenon’s unreconstructed
sleight of hand, Dieter’s mix of Weimar-era decadence and nouveau camp is by
far the most engaging aspect of the show. Until, that is, aerialist Stephen
Williams closes the night with a feat of bath-bound gymnastics that makes for
the biggest splash of all.
The Herald, November 26th 2018
ends
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