ED2018 Cabaret ED2018 Preview Edition ED2018 Three To See

Three To See 2018: Three cabaret and variety treats

By Caro Moses | Published on Saturday 28 July 2018

ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Caro Moses helps you navigate the Festival with her Three To See tips. This time three treats from the cabaret side of the Festival.

Bubble Show For Adults Only | C | 1-27 Aug (pictured)
So many times I’ve gone along to a ‘bubble show’ at the Edinburgh Fringe and had a really lovely time. But that was in the company of a theatre full of children, and I suspect that this sort of show will prove to be a little bit different from that sort of show. Why is it adults only, you ask? Here you go: “Mix one part physical theatre, one part bubble artistry and one part neo-burlesque, and you get a soapy concoction of kinky, in-your-face theatrics. A raucous and raunchy affair with a surprising story arc full of abstractness and the slightly grotesque, a surreal performative experience that wonderfully showcases the technical prowess of bubble art on a first-class level”. Interesting.

The Swell Mob | Assembly George Square Studios | 1-26 Aug
This is not strictly cabaret – in fact, it’s not even in the cabaret section – but I thought this might appeal to more adventurous cabaret-goers, which is why I stuck it here. It’s an immersive theatrical experience, and the work of award-winning clown, puppetry and cabaret practitioners, who’ve combined to create a murky world of dandies and deception. “Audiences are invited to submerge themselves in the delights of an 1800s tap room, and to dance, sing, gamble, and cheat their way through a decaying world. Swig a London Porter and become the Hero, or swill Bathtub Gin and relish in the carousel”. Some nights it’s followed by an actual cabaret that’s listed as cabaret – ‘Rotating Roster Of Erudite Amusements And Motley Delights’ – and it will all be brilliant, I guarantee it.

Jojo Bellini: Agents Provocateurs | Sweet Grassmarket | 2-26 Aug
This is a one woman cabaret about the world’s greatest female spies. And let me tell you, that really leapt out at me because I recently added some books about women spies to my ‘books I need to read’ list. But even if that hadn’t piqued my interest, Jojo Bellini is a definite favourite here at TW towers, and we eagerly await her latest contribution to the edfringe melting pot: expect “brilliant ballads about the wicked women of the espionage world”, and a very entertaining celebration of the history of these brave and clever people.