Rating: ★★★★
Venue: Emerald Theatre, London
Hollywood glamour collides with London sophistication in a panoramic cabaret inspired by film’s most notorious muses. Enjoy razor-sharp wit, slow burns, bold silhouettes and moments that linger just long enough to make you wonder whether you should be watching… or joining in. This is not nostalgia. This is reinvention.
Cult classics and cinematic icons are reimagined through tease, precision and unapologetic confidence - where burlesque meets stunt, elegance flirts with danger and every look carries intent. Made for those who like their glamour with an edge — where temptation takes the lead, best enjoyed after dark. By us, for you.
Having been lucky enough to see Sinematic Cabaret back in October, I knew what I was letting myself in for. An evening of filthy, ridiculous, light-hearted fun. And Sinematic Cabaret delivered once again.
The show opens with a deliciously camp rendition of 'Sweet Transvestite' from Rocky Horror Picture Show, albeit 20 minutes late, leaving the audience "shivering with antici-- pation", which felt somehow fitting and as ridiculously chaotic as the rest of the show, and I mean that in the very best way. Charity Kase encapsulates Frank-N-Furter with ease in a black-corseted get-up and sets the tone of the evening immediately. However, I only wish we'd seen more of her as she was criminally under-utilised for the remainder of the show.
From there, we're met with a myriad of nods to iconic film moments that although lack any seriousness, they're oozing with sex appeal and drama. And that's why we all go to a cabaret really, isn't it? If you're looking for cohesion and any kind of narrative, Sinematic Cabaret probably isn't the show for you. But if you're looking for a wickedly good time and a place to let your inhibitions run wild? Book your tickets.
There are glimpses of a host of cult classics such as 'Jurassic Park', 'Jaws', 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes', 'Magic Mike', 'Wuthering Heights' (Emerald Fennell's most recent adaptation) and 'Austin Powers' to name a few. Were some moments cliché? Yes. Were some moments cringe-inducing? Also yes. But genuinely, I felt as though it only added to the charm and the talent is undoubtable. With the highlight of the evening being a hair hang with fire, from Lady Lydia who wowed with her performance during 'El Tango de Roxanne' from Moulin Rouge. With hoop routines and aerial work, there isn't too much variety from burlesque, but that isn't something you'll find me complaining about. Katie Ella Dunsden has fast become one of my favourite performers with a gravitating pull that's almost dizzying whenever she's on stage, and for me, remains the star from the last iteration of the show, to this one. Another highlight was the skit of Jurassic Park, which was undoubtedly one of the funniest few minutes I've seen on stage. As long as you don't take yourself too seriously, you'll struggle not to have the best time at Sinematic.
If you're afraid of audience participation, I'd advise keeping out of the table seats because with almost certainty, you'll find yourself involved in the evening somehow. Lolo Brow is our host for the evening and has the audience in the palm of their hands from the outset. They're quick-witted and wickedly funny...and I will never tire of hearing the audience be referred to as their "gorgeous creatures".
One aspect I can't overlook is that the show, at times, did feel unpolished, under-rehearsed and sometimes even too chaotic with little direction; with the lighting of the evening being almost as shocking as the bar prices in the Emerald Theatre.
However, once again, the cast and creatives have managed to put the "sin" into Sinematic and you'll "fall in love again and again" with the likeability of the cast, the talent on the stage and the sex appeal that is oozing from every corner of the Emerald Theatre stage.
You can book tickets to Sinematic Cabaret at the Emerald Theatre, here.
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