On a rainy Friday evening, myself and a friend queued outside the cosy Spiegeltent currently setup on the Southbank. Armed with a glass of red wine from the festoon-lit bar, we were due to check in to Hotel Black Cat - a brand new show by the acclaimed Black Cat Cabaret, something quite different to my usual theatre nights of high-profile plays or Broadway-backed musicals. And I must say, I was more than impressed - I was blown away by the artistry and talent of each of the performers.

The director, Laura Corcoran, has curated the acts perfectly by following more intense scenes with clever comedy, each of which helps progress the narrative of the show. It must also be said here that the performers are also the stage hands helping control an aerial display or prep a prop needed in the next scene. The West End may have the big budgets and big names, but this sort of show is where physical talent lives and breaths. I was able to see dance routines that the stages of the West End probably never will, and burlesque that's so far from the raunchy display I was expecting and was instead quite haunting in its elegance and beauty.

For 90 minutes we sat rapt, laughing or gasping on queue not because an orchestra or clever lighting had toyed with our emotions but because the immersive and intimate nature of cabaret brings the audience together in a way that bigger stage shows cannot. As soon as the it was over, my very first thought was simply: "When can I see it again?" The vintage and fascinating art form that is cabaret is truly alive in London, and Hotel Black Cat is one of the best places to see it this Summer.

Reviewed by Wendy van de Weg

Friday, 17 June 2016
The London Wonderground
Find me on Twitter: @_londontheatre_