Queer Goes Nothing is back with a one-off special Edinburgh Fringe preview from New York's inimitable cabaret superstar Sabrina Chap!
SABRINA CHAP has classical piano skills, the ballad lyrics of Tom Waits, the onstage antics of Phyllis Diller and the voice of a whiskey angel. Her sets are a ragtime stompin' good time, full of laughs, heart-breaks, and just plain good songwriting. A constant on the burlesque and cabaret circuit, she has toured throughout the States, the UK and Europe, hitting places such as Café de Paris (London), the Lowry (Manchester), Theatre Bizarre (Detroit), Uncabaret (LA) and beyond. Countless burlesque and circus artists use her music in their acts, while cabaret stars perform her original work in clubs at home and abroad. She's been called 'Riotous' by the New Yorker, and 'guaranteeably vaudevillian and undeniably chic' by GO Magazine. Her albums 'Oompa!' and 'We are the Parade' are bestsellers and available worldwide.
'How to Be a Bad Girl' chronicles this former classical pianist's delightful descent into the world of smut, booze and burlesque. Based on Chap's signature tune, which has become a stalwart in the burgeoning neo-burlesque scene, it describes her descent from being a 'good girl' into the delightful depths of freakdom and sexual liberation. Combining ragtime, filth and whiskey - this is an evening of revelry and abandon that you can't miss!
A talented pianist who discovered her razor-sharp wit on the burlesque stage, Chap never set out to sing dirty songs. But when her first record, 'Oompa!' was released, the title track became a sort of anthem for the neo-burlesque scene, with performers stripping to her music across the States, Europe and the UK. Soon, Chap was being booked nationally, singing dirty songs alongside world famous burlesque acts. Here, she learned that she had to be just as entertaining as a bouncing nipple tassel, while using just her wit and her words.
Luckily, her sardonic, satirical lyrics were able to command the stages. Critics started taking note of this neo-vaudevillian chanteuse: “Imagine, if you can, Judy Garland singing the songs of Tom Lehrer as arranged by Dr. John, and you will have an approximation – not perfect but close – of the Sabrina Chap experience.” (American Songwriter Magazine) Somehow, she had tapped into this pulsing neo-vaudevillian scene, with the Advocate stating that her music “…channels the raw energy of ragtime and an old-school musical, with lyrics that evoke a contemporary Cole Porter.’
Comfortably nestled into her new home as a burlesque singer, Chap soon began working with circus artists, most notably with one of the oldest modern day independent circuses in the States, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. Soon, she found herself performing alongside (and often at times accompanying) sword swallowers, aerialists, jugglers and other performers of pain. Soon, she was hitting major stages with them, including the Virgin Music Festival, Speigeltent, and the National Mall in Washington DC for the Smithsonian.
Bolstered by the freakishness of her new-found cirkus family, Chap began touring internationally - hitting Paris, Berlin, Reykjavík and doing 6 UK tours. She's hit such noted venues as The Lowry (Manchester), Café de Paris (London) and the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (London). As one UK audience member called her, she's 'A dash of Tim Minchin, a dash of Adele, and something I've never tasted before.'
'How to Be a Bad Girl' is this talented performers first official one woman show. Here, Chap reveals the hilarity, desires and personal pains that accompanied her on this surprising voyage from classical pianist good girl to just a slut on a piano.
Come join this wildly talented and absurd performer for an evening of revelry, hilarity, and testimony to the power of live entertainment.
Support from Daniel Versus The World.