It’s Thursday night and I’m stumbling down The Strand, on my way to CellarDoor to catch its highly-rated weekly Abominable Mashups show. Post-work drinks on an empty stomach have made my balance nonexistent and my vision blurry. Good thing I see my friend waiting for me in the distance, his figure illuminated by the bright lights of the Lyceum. He waves. I wave back. He disappears - into a hole in the ground. Crap, maybe I shouldn’t have had that fifth pint.
Turns out I’m not inebriated, just ill-informed. CellarDoor is pretty much an underground venue. Its entrance is marked by a glass dome, popping up anomalously in the middle of a pedestrian walkway. From there, it’s a steep drop into the bowels of Covent Garden, into a bar so tiny and nondescript it’s like being in a 1920s speakeasy - known only to those er, in-the-know. You half expect it to be chock-full of giggly flappers and cool cats, and for the barman to yell ‘Police raid!’ any second.
Quite aptly, the show I’m seeing tonight is cabaret - but with a subversive twist. Sexy performing duo Kitty La Roar and Nick Of Time are a bit like the Bonnie and Clyde of the London cabaret scene, massacring Big Band classics by melding them with the most inconceivable modern pop tunes. And I mean that in a good way.
They emerge from behind the curtains - Kitty in platinum blonde glory and Nick armed with a baby grand – taunting: ‘What happens when Peggy Lee meets Nirvana?’ The crowd chortles in disbelief before the pair dive into a mashup version of ‘Why Don't You Do Right’ and ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. It’s unbelievable, but weirdly brilliant. Audience interaction is mandatory. Sinatra’s ‘New York New York’/Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ gets everyone yowling about being weirdos. Still drunken, I make like a banshee and attempt to hit the high notes on that climactic refrain that goes ‘sheeee’s running out the door’. People around me join in. I feel loved.
The Abominable Mashups Show is essentially three 15-minute sets of mashups which frankly, are just enough to keep the novelty fresh. Each performance is water-tight, with Kitty’s powerful purr never faltering and Nick providing accompaniment (you’ll find that piano playing is not his only skill) with much gusto. Never mind the small venue and weekday slot, these people can really, really perform. Hugh Hefner had them play at his 80th birthday at the famous Playboy Mansion – if they’re good enough for Hef, they’re good enough for us. Entertainment between sets also comes in the form a virtual jukebox, where every table is given a list of songs they want the DJ to play which can then be requested via text.
Ah, great cabaret act, well-stocked bar with free popcorn and no police raid in sight. I’m having so much fun I’ve forgotten to go to the loo. I’m glad I eventually make it, but not for the obvious reasons of hygiene and personal reputation. The CellarDoor toilets have been touted as the ‘sexiest’ in London. Without giving too much away, I’ll leave you with a piece of cryptic advice: remember to lock. Ooo.
Check out all Cabaret in London
Check out all Theatre in London
Check out all Things To Do in London
Add an event
Frieze Art Fair to launch new section for young galleries in 2012
Frieze have today announced details for the 2012 edition, their tenth art fair in London. Taking place...