Lashings Of Ginger Beer

Lashings of Ginger Beer are a radical feminist burlesque collective who mix sketches, songs, dance and comedy into a good natured and highly enjoyable evening of cabaret. The show I saw was both a preview and fundraiser for the group's Edinburgh show and as such was a full evening of entertainment to a packed room.

The evening largely comprised comedy songs, interspersed with sketches, stand up comedy and dance numbers, all with themes of feminism, equality, and speculative fiction (that's sci-fi and fantasy to the uninitiated). The whole thing was as enjoyable as it was silly, and at times it was very silly. There were moments of genius, and it is clear that the performers are thoroughly enjoying themselves, which was reflected in the reactions of the audience.

The main problem with the evening's entertainment was it's length - the group had some excellent material, well rehearsed, well written and performed with confidence and skill. There were some pieces, however, that fell flat, either due to poor performance or subject material that was too specific or had been covered earlier in the evening.

The group clearly has an hour of good material here. A lot of the songs, sketches and stand-up were of a very high standard - funny, clever, and joyful - and if they edit out some of the less polished skits and weaker performances, I'm sure this will be an excellent way to spend an hour at the Edinburgh Fringe.

RH (Unverified), 01/06/10

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