Fringe Review: Club Gotham: Villains of Vaudeville

This show was reviewed on February 22 2019 at Nexus Arts.

Club Gotham is a cabaret and burlesque show where the DC Comics favourites take the stage to shock and excite the audience with their cabaret performances.

As a premise, the idea of putting a sexy twist to these beloved characters is fantastic. Villains, heroes and those in between performing for an audience of fans of comics and cabaret lovers alike. That earnest enthusiasm does come across despite a rather messy performance.

It seemed to come down to a lack of rehearsals with awkward pauses as The Joker introduced different performers. From Ms Freeze to Lady Bane, the gender change often worked against the plot. Perhaps an equal number of male and female performers would’ve given the show some animation, as the same routines from different characters began to become stagnant. An awkward sound system didn’t help, with sound from the mic when performers were singing often being overtaken by the music.

Despite a clunky performance, you cannot say that it is daring. The premise is enough to attract a variety of Fringe goers, but if you are a big fan of the source material, I’d give it a miss, you might not like how the characters are portrayed.

The show is at Nexus Arts which is a fantastic venue, with the dark, sultry vibe you want from cabaret. There is an intermission and you’re encouraged to get drinks, my recommendation would be to have a few before the show starts.

Club Gotham: Villains of Vaudeville is playing at Nexus Arts on the 1st and 2nd of March at 8pm.