Weaving the tale of a decadent Bohemian retreat and her  inhabitants, Hotel Black Cat is a cabaret delight brought to the Wonderground on Southbank this season by London’s finest purveyors of Cabaret Noir, The Black Cat Cabaret Company. 

Black Cat bring a show that wows the crowd with expert storytelling, ballsy cabaret and athletic feats that stretch the human body, without having a need to rely heavily on burlesque and tease to keep the audience captivated. Upon arrival we are thrown straight into the dimly lit scene, mingling with cheeky prima ballerinas, lusty handymen, and elegant guests as they wander the ‘halls’ of the Wonderground Spiegeltent around us, only to learn once we are all seated that the Hotel Black Cat, a haven and reliquary to the arts, is searching for a wealthy benefactor to relieve it of a — ahem — ‘small’ funding gap, perhaps brought on by the very nature of the artistic residents who call the hotel home? Cue a powder-snorting ballet recital to warm us all up!

It’s a well known tale of love and redemption with a good few twists thrown in, embellished by our delightful host, the delicious Dusty Limits, and a chaotic cast of juggling bellboys, lovesick and drunken maids, slapstick comedy (the kind that pushed the dear woman a row in front of us to her audience participation limit — how did that ladder get in her handbag? And how many props can she balance on the one arm?) And let’s not forget the cloak dropping burlesque wows, the love stories told with fascinating use of musical instruments, operatic humour, and the captivating acrobatic dance numbers of Nathan & Isis that were intimately romantic, yet full of gasp-worthy wonder at their prowess.

Directed by Laura Corcoran (“Frisky” of Frisky and Mannish renown), Hotel Black Cat treats us to a full experience of world-class cabaret performers also including the Cabaret Rouge girls, Katharine Arnold, Florian Brooks, Chrysalis, Vicky Butterfly, and the musical talent of Bowjangles.

It was, as they say, a sensational smorgasbord for the senses. After all, what would a Bohemian hotel dinner table be without a bit of pyromania thrown in? The Hotel Black Cat cannot fail to stimulate you in your seat, and thanks to a distinguished selection of wealthy benefactors, the hotel remains in residence at the London Wonderground Spiegeltent every Friday through until the end of August 2016, make a booking, and be a guest while you can!

Bookings at http://www.londonwonderground.co.uk