FASCINATING AIDA

Cabaret
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, and touring the UK from February 2020.

The formidable cabaret trio of Fascinating Aïda originally joined forces way back in 1983 and now they’re back featuring Dillie Keane, Adele Anderson and new addition Liza Pulman. And how lucky are we that they are? Because if you like posh women being really witty and irreverent about cancer, divorce and sex, all while harmonising beautifully, this is the show for you.

It’s a cabaret with a difference – the difference being how hilariously well-observed the songs are about the kind of things that truly get to us, or make us laugh out loud. Like the trials and tribulations of midlife women. Pulling no punches, the trio use really clever rhymes and brutal honesty to disarm and shock in ways that are gleefully funny.

Subjects and rhymes range from rebuilding your life to cheap flights – there’s a real mix of topical stories. If you’re of a sensitive disposition and crude language makes you cringe, then you might want to stick your fingers in your ears for some of the big numbers. You may well have already caught the Rudest Christmas Song ever all over social media, so be prepared!

But there are touching moments too. You might get something in your eye during Goodbye Old Friends, a heartfelt song about the comfort of longterm friendship and how our young idealistic selves change into something quite different…. And how we lose friends along the way… all in gorgeous soaring harmony. “A friend can make you weep as much as any lover can…Think of me and drink to me sometimes”.

Reminding us of poshly hilarious Joyce Grenfell with a dash of witty Victoria Wood, the trio have had three Olivier Award nominations and gazillions of YouTube and Facebook views. They’re performing at the Southbank Centre until Sunday 5 January so it’s a great festive treat, but a UK tour will soon follow in February 2020. Catch them while you can.

To book tickets go to https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/137574-fascinating-aida-201920