BWW Reviews: MISS BEHAVE'S GAME SHOW, London Wonderground, September 6 2014

The London Wonderground transports a piece of the Edinburgh Festival fringe to London's South Bank. After buying your drink from the revolving bar you enter the Spiegeltent for the weird and wonderful cabaret for which the fringe is famous.

Miss Behave's Game Show is a raucous take on the late night cabaret genre. Resplendent in a golden sequined pantsuit we meet our host, Miss Behave, and the talented Harriet, complete with beard, hotpants and bunny rabbit backpack. They split the crowd in to two teams - the iPhones and the Others - and pits the audience against each other in a series of silly tasks in a bit to win points.

In a change from the usual angry outbursts from performers about mobiles, audience members are actively encouraged to bring their phones - from providing the lighting for the grand entrance through to sharing somewhat intimate self portraits with the hosts, all in the aim of winning points.

The games go from the ridiculous to the sublime - from Candy Crush, where drunk audience members go to town on a packet of skittles with a hammer, through to a name-that-song round, leading to an impromptu Uptown Girl sing-along.

This is very much a Saturday night crowd, Hen dos, stag nights and partiers - and with spontaneous audience participation actively encouraged, Miss Behave has to work very hard to keep the crowd under control, but just about keeps everything in some kind of order.

In between the rounds comes the treats, cabaret performers of every kind, which this week included mime and hula hooping, songs about mangos and a special take on the Spanish guitar. Earl Okin's faintly creepy but funny singing set the tone early on - but the physical performances of Matt Henman who seems to defy gravity with his manipulation of a crystal ball, and Kaika Hula Girl were really something special. Kaika Hula Girl's drunken persona makes her incredible tricks seem even more effortless - a must-see.

Perhaps this is where a flaw in the format causes problems - the crowd are encouraged to show their appreciation for the acts in a bid to win points, which makes the audience reaction feel over the top and fake - when instead they should be mesmerised by what's on display.

At two hours the show is rather long, and despite some fantastic routines from sidekick Harriet the show does lag a little towards the end. But the sense of glee from audience and performer alike is infectious, and it's hard not enjoy yourself or indeed find yourself begging for more points. If you're looking for a good night out with friends, you could do a lot worse than spending a night in a tent with Miss Behave and Harriet.

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