Sarah-Louise Young is a consummate cabaret performer whom I must admit I have been a fan of since she first started in the free Fringe several years ago. She has had incredible success in London and New York and richly deserved her Three Weeks Editor’s Award and Spirit of the Fringe accolade last year, so it is a great pity that this her last show for the foreseeable future.
In Cabaret Whore: Her Finest Hour she reprises some of her finest Diva characters from her past shows.
The audience is warmly welcomed by the return of the sassy Sammy Mavis the porn star who has a great rapport with the audience. She sings about trailer boys and the fun she has with them and it is witty, funny and sexy.
The next Diva we meet is the drunken, washed-up lounge singer Bernie St Clair with sparkly dress who is on her farewell tour and encourages an audience member to remove the microphone stand because it makes her feel fat; she is certainly a diva of a certain age and it’s a wonderful cameo performance.
Finally we meet the tortured French chanteuse La Poule Plombee who is both suicidal and depressive, carrying a long kitchen knife, and has a hatred of Edith Piaf. She encourages the audience to join in with a sing-along, which is hilarious.
The show ends with the announcement that the love of her life is in the audience and she sings a song that is dedicated to him but with a delicious sting in the tale.
If you’ve seen Cabaret Whore before, you will delight in revisiting such wonderful characters and newcomers have a real treat in store.