Black Cats and Blue Angels @ RSAMD

There’s no doubt that cabaret is back: it’s practically a cliché to mention it. But while recent focus has mainly been on the revival of the avant garde, Weimar and burlesque scenes, traditional cabaret has long lain stagnant in scampi-in-a-basket land. However, RSAMD’s musical theatre graduates have attempted to address this by producing youthful, quality cabaret for a mainstream audience.

It became clear early on that each performer was required to make a personal confession between songs, which reminded me a bit of the scene in Fame where Montgomery confesses that he’s gay to his entire drama group. Touching, but a bit American. Opening performer Beau Henson had charm that could stretch for miles, while Samantha Blaney perfected the Bette Midler combination of sassy stand-up meets torch song diva. Bart Williams followed with a touching tribute to friendship, while the most polished performance came from Nicole Rowley, who whisked us along a classic cabaret journey that was funny, sad, sexy, angry and celebratory. However, ultimately it was Darren Brownlie who won the hearts of the audience by combining council estate camp with 90’s disco anthems.

If I’m being honest I like my cabaret a little darker, a little smokier, a little risquér. The song choices were at times more Blackpool than Berlin, and the odd clichéd standard was peddled out. However the obvious commitment to honesty, professionalism and entertainment from these promising young graduates can only be admired.