These days, it’s not often you get the chance to go somewhere with strict instructions to dress up all fun and fancy. So when we received our booking confirmation email from Brighton cabaret institution Proud with ‘dress to impress!’ and ‘no trainers allowed’, we were positively quivering with excitement and planning our outfits days in advance. If this sounds like fun to you, then you should probably book a night out there too.
We ditched our jeans and trainers in favour of more fun, glam attire (sequins seem very appropriate) for the Friday night Cabaret All Stars show, which runs every Saturday night at Proud, in the heart of Kemptown.
From the entrance covered in white flowers to the glittering stage and round cabaret style tables, the venue is a truly stunning setting to watch fabulous performers from Brighton and across the globe. A former ballroom set over two floors, Proud feels steeped in showbiz and glamour from a bygone era.
We were shown to our booth seats by a lovely waitress dressed in a fabulous corset and fishnets. All the staff are dressed up which really adds to the immersive experience of the evening.
We opted for the pre-ordered dinner and show package, which includes a set three course dinner and complimentary glass of fizz when you arrive. Table service adds to the ‘special occasion’ feeling of the experience, and it’s relaxing not to have to queue at a bar for food or drinks.
Dinner offered classic, indulgent flavours and everything was cooked to perfection. We started with tomato soup served with warm bread rolls and butter. Mains were a lovely moist chicken breast wrapped in parma ham, served with new potatoes and a cream sauce, and chocolate and cherry cake for dessert. The cocktail menu offers all the much-loved classics and the Pornstar martinis we had were well-made.
After dinner and drinks, we felt very well looked after, fed and watered and ready to enjoy the show. As you’d expect, the performers were the absolute highlights of the evening, with an eclectic variety of styles ranging from stunning avant garde drag performers to dramatic latex covered fire breathers, to classic camp burlesque routines.
We loved the wide range of spectacular costumes and talents on display, with a highlight being an aerial hoop routine performed alongside a live singer.
Camp compere Dolly Rocket kept the audience laughing and created a warm atmosphere with light roasting of audience members and naughty references to performer Dave the Bear, who kept things cheeky, stripping to nothing but a sparkling strategically placed sock at one point.
The audience members were as diverse as the performances, ranging from young couples on date nights to joyful groups of women in their 70s celebrating birthday parties, to 20-30-somethings’ nights out (like we were having). It’s an experience that’s pretty impossible not to enjoy, whatever your age.
By Lucy Sambrook
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