Showing @ The Famous Spiegeltent, Edinburgh until Mon 25 Aug @ 17:30
Despite boasting a handpicked, cream-of-the-fringe programme which changes for each performance, Five-Thirty Cabaret struggles to reconcile the conventions of its genre with the taste of its target audience. Upgraded to the other side of town, where tickets are more expensive and the clientele of a different breed, the show seems at odds with its Vaudevillian roots. What we are left with is a self-conscious cabaret show that is a little too tame.
Bruce Devlin is confident, yet struggles to rally the audience onside. The material of the whole show feels unoriginal and a touch uninspired. Despite their strong delivery, the jokes are well-worn and the burlesque act is gimmicky. Phil Kay’s bizarre, improvised singing/spoken word is the highlight, infused with the kind of charm and wit the other performances lack.
With cabaret more popular than ever, the Fringe has become saturated with it, raising the standards and expectations of audiences. This cabaret channels broad traditions of song, magic and burlesque, but is a little slow-moving, a little disjointed. Despite its warm environment, it lacks a certain mystery and energy to maintain an audience’s attention.