Whaddya want from a night out at the Festival? Two girls with big personalities singing witty ditties, a pair of improvising MCs sounding like the Swedish chef’s halfwit brothers, a smooth baritone ‘fessing up about ‘reading Freud with his mother’, a Russian Princess, with a suspect accent, handing out ‘fairbewlous’ prizes, a six foot bellhop mangling the props and a bit of nudity?

Well then, it’s off to The Soubrettes and Friends Variety-a-go-go with you. You’ll find it all there and a bit more!

The Soubrettes, Tania and Alice, dispense songs of love and angst and the whole damn thing. ‘I’m stuck at the party with you,’ they moan. Their rap routine is great – ‘We’re a vegemite sandwich: white, but black on the inside.’

They sing separately too: Tania plaintively, ‘It’s not easy being Greek,’ and Alice, pragmatically, ‘You’re not Mr Right,’ she says, ‘but you’ll do.’

Their talented friends include MCs Steg and Dirk, who plug the gaps between the routines like voluble Spakfilla. They’re sharp and they’re funny.

Princess Sputnik is, ‘How you say eet’?, very beautiful, a graduate of the Vladivostock Institute of Fashion and Astrophysics. She gives some lucky punter a makeover in the interval. Be in it to win it!

And then there’s ‘Princess Blossom’s’ startling reverse strip-tease!

Manchester Lane’s hospitable environment offers food and drink as the cheeky Soubrettes bring the night to an energetic climax! I’ll have what they’re having, thanks!

Soubrettes, friends and variety? Give it a go-go!