Reviewed: Jimmy McGhie at Selah D'or, Windsor
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On Thursday night I experienced a comedy night with a difference. The basement room at The Firestation Windsor was hung with scarlet drapes and the air heavy with wisps of smoke and expectation, as the cocktails flowed. A vaudeville venue, where, in the course of the evening, a girl lit herself on fire, a burlesque artiste showed off her stunning moves, and a boy-next-door comedian seemed, well, a little baffled by it all. This is the new-look Selah D'or! Comedy and cabaret night, hosted by the fabulous Mister Joe Black, the king of cabaret noir, replete with turquoise hair and a good line in bawdy songs that tread just the right side of naughty to please a crowd mixed in age and expectations.
First up Joe treated us to a couple of his devilish ditties on the keyboard, winning over the crowd with his filthy but irresistible style, a raucous cover of Britney's Hit Me Baby One More Time and a catchy tune about something we're probably not allowed to mention in a family newspaper. Oh, and there was a competition involving bananas, but that's probably best to gloss over for the same reasons. Then came Ruby Rebelle, who stubbed out cigarettes on her tongue with a fascinating nonchalance, lit her arms alight, swallowed fire… and set the smoke alarms off. As the haze cleared, NYC native and very special guest Rio was up next, showing off her eye-popping belly dance moves, and more than a little flesh. She ended her hypnotising routine in little more than a G-string and nipple tassels, with a flick of her red mane.
Following this, headlining comic Jimmy McGhie had a little trouble getting his head round the whole cabaret-noir-in-Windsor thing, and clearly decided that his pre-written observational lines weren't going to fly. Thus followed a little off-the-cuff, an entertaining tussle with a rather unimaginative heckler, and an assertion from Jim that he'd be telling all his comedian friends to try to get booked for this never predictable, yet always entertaining, evening. I recommend you join them. (But maybe don't bring your grandma…)
Next up at Selah D'or is on Thursday, February 28, with Boothby Graffoe headlining. Tickets cost £10 from www.firestationartscentre.com or call 01753 866 865.
This article appeared in Bracknell News 03 Feb 13
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