Bourgeois and Maurice @ Underbelly, Cowgate
If you like your cabaret with the smartest of aliens in the room, look no further than Bourgeois and Maurice.
From the pace to the performance, to the subjects they dissect, Bourgeois and Maurice sparkle like vintage champagne. An extraterrestrial brother and sister, the pair have been sent to earth to study humansexuals. Barring Skype interruptions from their directors, George Bourgeois (possibly the lovechild of Ziggy Stardust and Sally Bowles), and sibling Maurice (a genuine, if latently psychotic, female), express these observations through the medium of song.
On a stage dominated by Maurice’s organ (which looks like it’s been nicked from the Tardis), they discuss Brexit, hate speech and no-platforming; and sing songs about British Values, social media keyboard warriors, and the fact 'The Gays' now have to get married. Delivered in styles ranging from Kurt Weill to electro, to a cossack style one which gets faster and faster, the lyrics are sharp, tight and hilarious. Their best number, 'Everybody’s at a chemsex party except me', is a scream – a fast paced lament listing all the filthy things George is not doing.
Black, kitschy, current and witty, this is a sublime show.
Bourgeois & Maurice: How to Save the World Without Really Trying, Underbelly, Cowgate (Belly Button), 4-28 Aug (not 15), 9.25 pm, £7-12