‘There’s Sno Buisiness Like Show Buisiness!’ In The Spiegeltent  by  GildedBaloon Productions

Geoff and I don’t tend to do that much at the New Year but vedge in front of the TV. This year thanks to Gill and Toby Smith visiting Edinburgh we met up with them and a few friends for a drink and an evenings Cabaret at La Gaiete Spiegeltent where Gilded Baloon Productions present “White Magic! ‘There’s Sno Business Like Show Business!’”

It may be the first day of 2009 but we are starting the way we mean to go on. Despite it having been on since Friday 28^th November 2008 we just hadn’t got round to seeing this Christmas Cabaret with Philip Dundass as mein Host, Drags Aloud, Clive Nicholas Andrews – Juggler, The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, Hip Hop Dancers and Ali Cook – the masochistic Magician.

The Gilded Balloon’s Karen Koren devised the original concept for White Magic! And from all reports it has been a successful inaugural season Geoff and I now wishing we had got there sooner.

Directed by Jeremy Meadow the entertainment is slick and varied. Despite being well after Christmas the Xmas material was hilarious and extremely enjoyable. Philip Dundas links and introduces all the acts with some suave sophistication despite being as camp as a row of Spiegeltents. His good looks and sharp wit make him an ideal MC, covering set changes and introducing each act several times.

The Drags Aloud Ladies have been a great hit at the past two Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and promise to be back in 2009. Jessica James, Amanda Monroe, Linda Lamont and Kris DelVayze presented us some many and varied musical numbers each with their own unique slant, some slick dance moves and glitzy costumes.

Clive Nicholas Andrews did some clever juggling with hats, shoes, brollys, suitcases and even chairs. Proper traditional slapstick, perfectly timed silent comedy all mixed with juggling give us the old-fashioned belly laughs frequently missing in modern shows.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre are totally unique and difficult to describe without giving away too many of there secrets. Although moments of Budd Abbott and Lou Costello’s genius Baseball sketch have been translated to UK postcodes???

Billed as ‘Etch N Sketch’ Hip Hop Dancers we saw one of the originals with a last minute stand in due to a knee injury. Despite having had a dance in each half due to the injury we were down to one dance-off in the second half.

Last but certainly not least Ali Cook – the masochistic Magician, masochistic in that the climax to his act is the consumption of razorblades. I couldn’t watch this part of his set and was glad it was all over.

At the end of the show everyone was on stage having a huge party. Geoff and I were delighted to have such a great night and decided that should ‘Cabaret at La Gaiete Spiegeltent’ return next festive season we will go nearer the start of the run rather than the last few days.

Friday 28^th November 2008   to   Sunday 4^th January 2009.