SINEMATIC
Emerald Theatre
★★★
“Unashamedly irreverent, camp and over-the-top”
“I see you shiver with anticipation…” croons the black-corseted, suspender-belted, fishnet-stockinged Charity Kase during the opening number of the glamorous cabaret show, “Sinematic”. With a late – and a false – start, anticipation is what it is all about. Although the shivers mainly stem from the bar prices. Yet Kase has the charisma and debauched magnetism to open the proceedings and draw us into a night of Hollywood inspired burlesque. Following on from ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, iconic moments from other Hollywood films are ‘embodied by London’s baddest babes’ (so the publicity says); featuring parodies from the movies including ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘Dreamgirls’, Austin Powers’, ‘Magic Mike’, ‘Catwoman’, ‘Dirty Dancing’, ‘Jaws’, ‘Chicago’, Moulin Rouge’ and many more that seem to wander in unannounced. We soon learn that the link to the silver screen is as hazy as the smoke machine and any narrative thrust as flimsy as the costumes. What the show lacks in cohesion, however, it makes up for in sheer energy, turning our initial expectant shivers into full-bodied shakes of excitement. And, at times, bewilderment.
Award-winning Queen of Neo-Burlesque, Lolo Brow, is our host. A green-haired Goddess who knows no boundaries, she puts the ‘sin’ firmly in the ‘Sinematic’. Audience participation is not just encouraged but almost compulsory, though several (not very) discreet plants in the crowd help assuage our fears of being dragged up on stage to join in the chaotic depravity. There is a routine to the chaos, and the evening drifts into fairly formulaic Burlesque, albeit with a couple of exceptional highlights. The show has attracted the top names of the cabaret scene; including Didi Derriere, Lady Lydia (who astounds with her hair hanging and fire act), and standout performer Katie Dunsden. There are tributes to Marilyn Monroe, Jessica Rabbit, Catwoman; there is aerial work and hoop routines, some singing, plenty of lip-synching and, above all, abundant baring of flesh.
There is nothing understated about the show, but to say it is rough around the edges is a major understatement. Many moments betray the lack of direction and under rehearsed curation. The lighting is haphazard, leading us to believe the technicians are simply busking their way through the show as much as the performers. After interval, the thread is in danger of being lost altogether. A high-camp nod to Austin Powers gives way to a baffling routine that recalls Benny Hill more than the velvet-suited Man of Mystery. And when we are promised an act that takes ‘Wuthering’ to new ‘Heights’, the evening is withering to new depths of pseudo-sapphic, lipstick erotica. Jurassic Park is given the comedy treatment, but it fails to convince that the real reason behind the dinosaurs’ extinction was the tassel-revealing shedding of a D cup.
There is redemption in the finale with a jaw-dropping medley from ‘Chicago’ and ‘Moulin Rouge’. Thrilling and polished, it lands where much of the show has been aiming all along – just, unfortunately, a little late in the game. A fleeting moment, although at least it eclipses some of the anticlimaxes suffered along the way. More of this would soften the sting of the high-end ticket prices. For seasoned cabaret aficionados, there is little that is groundbreaking or innovative. For the uninitiated, however, “Sinematic” offers a fun-packed, colourful and powerful taste of this world. Unashamedly irreverent, camp and over-the-top, it is a collective release – messy and vibrant. Approach it without the “shivers of anticipation” and you won’t be disappointed.
SINEMATIC
Emerald Theatre
Reviewed on 26th February 2026
by Jonathan Evans
