Anya Anastasia and Laurie Black: Queens of Cabaret

There was a time when the cabaret section of the Fringe programme was full of women in lovely frocks, draped erotically over pianos. Not so in 2018 where cabaret and burlesque have largely shaken off their musty, gentleman’s club reputation in favour of something more subversive, feminist, intersectional and, above all, exciting.

This year, two queens of the circuit bring their shows to Edinburgh – Anya Anastasia: The Executioners, and Laurie Black: Bad Luck. The pair, who performed together in 2017’s hit Rogue Romantic, come fresh from piling up awards at the Adelaide Fringe with their unique showcases of song, comedy and fierce politics. 

Anastasia is performing her call-to-arms work with collaborator Gareth Chin at the Gilded Balloon. The Executioners is personal, born out of her frustration at the powerlessness of the individual in the face of global injustice, and an infuriation with ineffective, online "slacktivism". Anastasia brings her weapons—"my newly lowered IQ, my fury, my addictions, my deadly yoga moves, my activated almonds and my full tank of moral outrage"—to the fight against against fake news and consumerism. 

"I was sick of screaming into the void on my Facebook page," she says, "so I’ve set out to find some people who might not agree with me, and change their minds."

The especial intimacy of cabaret has an ability to be anarchic without sacrificing the glitter. It’s a balance that Laurie Black knows just how to strike in Bad Luck, which she performs in and hosts. Black describes this "edgier", "weirdo" cabaret as a "showcase of interesting humans", somewhere you can come to find that bit of "Fringe grittiness... amongst the sparkles". The classically trained pianist reckons the show is just like her: "a little rock ’n’ roll weirdo". It’s a return to roots, this time at Underbelly, an unusually mainstream venue for Black, who "lives and breathes" the Edinburgh Fringe.

Both shows look set to be intensely political: "You get away with a lot more where you invite people to laugh at an exaggerated version of yourself," says Anastasia. "Wearing your politics on your sleeve is scarier than taking your clothes off in front of people, and it's more controversial." 

Sure, Black and Anastasia are extreme characters, but that’s not to say they’re not relatable. The rule of these two full-on and powerful queens of festival cabaret seems to be 'tough, but fair'. Both have traitors in mind for the chop, so if you’re a dodgy politician, or don’t recycle, you might want to take extra care. "We’re coming for you," warns Anastasia, with "our broad swords and our sharp wits." They’re here to challenge the status quo (Anastasia) and "smash some goals, hopes and dreams" (Black). Bow down, their majesties have arrived.