Hosted by Fringe’s most vulgar drag and cabaret darling, Tash York’s Chaos Cabaret is a unique variety show where the audience will crown a winner. The variety hour includes a rotating roster of three performers across burlesque, drag, cabaret, circus and more. While the popular reality competition show Drag Race gives performers months to prepare, these contestants will have the length of a foghorn to turn out a performance with charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.
Tash York promised chaos and she sure does deliver. Each round contestants are thrown challenges by Tash where the best to master the chaos will gain the audience’s favour. The surprises range from ukelele covers to doubling the audio pace.
The audience is a part of the action though less in an interactive theatre fashion and more IN the action if you’re lucky enough to be up close and personal with a performer’s tit or, the tamer option, offering suggestions for improvisation.
With Fringe in full swing, this innovative variety show guarantees the opportunity to enjoy world-class performers flail and triumph through frenzied tasks.
The night of review the performers were burlesque powerhouse Trigger Happy, drag queen Iva Rosebud and balloon girl Katie Wright Dynamite. This fun bag mix of artists in various states of undress made for an unruly spectacle. Trigger Happy’s famous ogre striptease and a surprise mashup is a match made in the swamp. Iva Rosbud is undressed before the chorus, but her voice is the real climax. And Katie Wright Dynamite faces some unplanned interruptions (beyond the show’s premise) that leads to Tash York doing deep squats longer than the average la petite mort. Did I mention this show is adults only? Best enjoyed on a group night out, especially with the in-house bar so you can try to keep up with Tash.
Round two ups the ante on the performers when the audience votes for prompts. The chemistry and competition between the performers concocts a chaotic and comical combination. Plus, all the things you’ve come to expect from quality variety shows: costume changes, diversity, and high-energy collaboration.
In the finale two audience-nominated performers go head-to-head in the vein of lip sync battle delivered with host Tash. On review night, the side-splitting Trigger is crowned the winner and retorts, ‘I’m very good at what I do.’
An unscripted and unrehearsed variety hour could only be so successful with an accomplished host and producer harnessing the wild antics of entertainers. Tash York could win a crowd with a burp. She does do both of those things, and sings vocal acrobatics, and skulls a wine, and ensures everyone is having a blast. Her renowned improvisational flair is on display as she adlibs with the audience in song and speech.
Tash York’s Chaos Cabaret has a promising future as a mainstay of Fringe so if you see it this season you can be one of the smug, cool people who have been along for the ride from the start.