Sabrage
Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: Lafayette, London
Cast: Neven Connolly, Skye Ladell, Alex Makardish, Christian Nimri, Emma Phillips, Phoenix Jackson Mendoza, Kylie Rose Webb, Julia Stewart

SABRAGE is London's most dazzling cabaret show — an extravagant evening of intoxicating allure and riotous edge-of-your-seat entertainment at Lafayette in King's Cross. This immersive cabaret experience brings together the finest circus and acrobatic talent from across the globe with titillating humour, vintage glamour, hand-crafted cocktails – and more than a few surprises. An adults-only cabaret show in London like no other.

The definition of the word sabrage is described as "the ceremonial practice of opening a champagne bottle with a saber", so it makes sense that the immersive cabaret experience in London of the same name starts and ends with this act, setting the tone perfectly for the evening and closing it with the style it maintains throughout.

As an avid cabaret-goer, Sabrage has somehow managed to stay under my radar for its first year in London King's Cross, but last night was to welcome the show's cast change, as well as celebrating the long-running cast members. Sabrage is an immersive cabaret which brings together a fusion of skills and talent such as aerial hoops, singing, comedy, burlesque, but above all...pure unadulterated chaos.

Upon entering the venue, it's incredibly intimate and traditional of a cabaret, with close seating arrangements and tiny tables for drinks in between seats. I had the pleasure of being in the ringside seats, which meant being in touching proximity of the stage...and sometimes seeing so much that nothing at all needs to left to the imagination. The building itself is stunning and with its multiple bars and eateries, it's difficult not to be impressed with the sheer amount of thought that has gone into the design of the place to ensure it's as immersive as possible.

Our compères for the evening, Alex (Alexander Makardish) and George (Neven Connolly) have the audience under the thumb from their very first interaction with the audience...and no one is safe from audience participation in the stalls! They bounce off each other with ease and share a dynamic with one another that only comes with mutual respect. While Makardish leans into stereotypical French behaviour, Connolly does the same with British humour, and while the duo shouldn't work on paper, it somehow does.

Having seen many cabarets myself over the years, it's safe to say that this is by far the most outrageous, and risqué. As someone who enjoys their boundaries being pushed, this only heightened the experience for me. Audible gasps, nervous laughter, being out of your comfort zone; these were typical amongst the audience members. Oh...and if male full frontal nudity offends you, this may not be the show for you: you have been warned.

The cast of eight are exceptional and there is no weak link. In fact, they almost work best during the group numbers because you can almost taste the chemistry and familiarity between them all. In terms of variety, there's something for all tastes; aerial hoop work, foot-juggling, acrobatics, burlesque, dance and jaw-dropping vocals. In fact, despite all of the skills presented, it was Phoenix Jackson Mendoza that I found utterly mesmerising. Her vocal prowess and stage presence was second to none and I found myself drawn to her whenever she was onstage. Another standout was Alex Makardish who could quite frankly charm a brick wall if you gave him ample time; his audience interaction was simply astonishing. And his leading act of the evening? That should be kept under wraps...not that much else is!

The use of the entire staging and seating areas is exceptional and no matter where you're seated, you'll be close to the action at some point during the two hour performance. The lighting from Philip Gladwell is mostly dark and sultry but for the comedic acts is stark and bright; the distinction between the two is clear and works well. For a cabaret, costumes are so important that they often feel like a character within the show and James Browne's costume design is as outrageously overdramatic and bedazzled as you'd expect.

Sabrage is provocative, pure unadulterated chaos and deliciously filthy. It's the kind of show you almost don't want to give away too much because nothing will come close to experiencing it yourself for the first time. From pillow fights with the audience, audience members onstage participating in acts and being rained on with confetti (and sometimes prosecco!), you'll never feel quite as immersed in a show as you do at Sabrage.

You can book tickets to see Sabrage at London's Lafayette, here. 

**photo credit: Johan Persson (1) and Matt Crockett (2)**