The worlds of Cabaret, Burlesque and Rock come together in one glorious celebration, at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, with the latest in a series of shows by the London Cabaret Society – Le Cabaret Rock.
Now that the restrictions on audience numbers have lifted there are many more people in the audience – which simply means that our “hostess”, the simply divine Miss D, has a lot more targets to aim for and, in no time at all, certain members of the audience become part of the show – whether they like it or not!
The London Cabaret Society has a great number of the very best performers within their ranks which means that, at every show, different performers appear, which helps to give each new event a really fresh feel – a very wise move as many of the audience members have attended previous shows.
First on the bill this evening is the stunningly gorgeous burlesque dancer, Demi Noire. Performing on a central podium, and dazzling in a shimmering blue cape, she soon has the undivided attention of the audience as what little clothing she started with, soon gets removed!
The best thing about the cabaret style layout within the Assembly Hall Theatre auditorium is that there are two performance areas, the central podium for the more intimate acts and the main stage for the more spectacular and/or dangerous – and this is where we direct our attention next for Duo Odyssey.
The strength of Maksym Korbun and the flexibility of his partner, Sophia Carmen, make a perfect combination, and the auditorium falls silent as we watch in amazement as the pair show that they are the epitome of both power and grace.
Having had some burlesque and cabaret, now it’s the turn of rock and, backed by London Cabaret Society’s live band, Josh Henderson takes the roof off the building with superb versions of Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi and Guns N Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine.
The acts just keep on coming with contortionist Bella Diosa closely followed by the fabulous Lisa-Marie Holmes who, while singing Holding Out For a Hero on the podium stage, is supported, from the main stage, by the LCS Band playing live and Maksym Korbun performing an amazing acrobatic routine inside a giant metal hoop.
The first half finishes with a dazzling display of fire-eating by Stefan Grundy who, like the rest of the company, returns in act two to show off yet more of his incredible skills. Other second act highlights include Josh Henderson returning to the stage as Freddie Mercury, an air guitar competition hosted by the irrepressible Miss D and the return of Lisa-Marie Holmes to deliver a simply breath-taking performance of It’s All Coming Back To Me Now from Bat Out of Hell.
The London Cabaret Society have a great reputation for sourcing the very best performers for their shows and, as they have announced a return visit to The Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells in November, I can’t wait to see what is in store next time!
***** Five Stars