Fringe Cabaret

Marianne Gunn

Michael Griffiths: Cole

Assembly George Square Gardens

Five stars

Peter and Bambi Heaven: The Magic Inside

Assembly George Square Gardens

Four stars

AN AUSSIE cabaret coterie has appeared in Edinburgh this year, the most high profile of which was Barry Humphries' Weimar Cabaret nights at the Usher Hall, as part of the EIF, accompanied by the wonderful Australian Chamber Orchestra. There is a link here with Michael Griffiths and his third solo show, as it was Barry Humphries who invited him to perform Cole at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival where he won a Best Cabaret award. Cole is an intimate portrayal of American songwriter Cole Porter and (like Griffiths' previous shows featuring Madonna and Annie Lennox) the main conceit is that Griffiths becomes the character, sings the songs, and provides his own piano accompaniment. Quite the feat this year with the more complicated lyrics and challenging scores. This year is the first act that the featured character has been gender appropriate, although Griffiths admits his preference is for 21st century fluidity. (There is a rumour that it's back to Kylie next year... Sign me up now.)

Where this show exceeds his previous celebrity incarnations is in the writing. Written by writer and classical pianist Anna Goldsworthy, Griffiths himself highlights the poetry of her language. There is also a real empathetic fondness for the complicated life of the hedonistic Broadway darling, and the songs flow much more easily providing crackling resonance. Heartbreak is always bubbling under the surface as the beautifully melancholic tunes, such as Night and Day, transport the musical mind to another era full of glamour and tragedy, where biographical details about Mr Porter's life are explored but never scrutinised. With a little bit of audience participation (it is the Fringe) you will leave on a little cloud of cabaret heaven; it's simply De-Lovely.

Runs until August 29.

FAR LESS lovely, but altogether hilarious, is the spoof magical duo of Peter and Bambi Heaven. Also performing in the Piccolo tent, they present The Magic Inside which has a kind of warts-and-all mock-umentary style (and, oh, how the Aussies do that so well). With ridiculous wig and 1980s costumes a la David Copperfield, Peter Heaven is the, ahem, sensible one. Played by Asher Treleavean (promotionally described as a postmodern Barry Humphries), the hapless magician does throw flames, juggle and levitate but purely for comedy value. His magician's assistant Bambi (performance artist and comedian Gypsy Wood) is also the love of his life, although she does have a tendency to pull focus – normally via the medium of "taps aff" nudity.

For its late night slot, it ticks a lot of boxes: upbeat nostalgic soundtrack, banter with the audience and, of course, visual gags mainly associated with getting their kit off. There is a cucumber act (Ninja Wizards) which will reduce you to tears, while Bambi's balletic number simply has to be seen to be believed (I actually gasped). With audience members in tears of laughter, the crassness is coupled with a genuine fondness factor which means the duo can probably get away with just about anything. For high kicks, curdling screams and genuine hilarity you should probably see this pair before they're playing much bigger venues. As a brief aside, Wood has performed strip teases for "several Australian Prime Ministers". Ah, only Down Under.

Runs until August 28.