Underbelly Festival launches programme for new Cavendish Square home

The Underbelly Festival has announced its new programme of live performances for Summer 2021 – running from 1 July to 26 September 2021.

This year Underbelly will be based in Cavendish Square in W1, a stone’s throw from Oxford Street.

The programme includes cabaret, circus, comedy, variety, podcasts, and family shows for its Spiegeltent, plus a range of street food and summer outdoor bars.

Headlining this year’s festival is the hilarious new cabaret Bernie Dieter’s Berlin Underground. In a European premiere, the cabaret promises to transport audiences to Bernie’s underground cabaret club where some of the world’s best cabaret acts can be found.

TuckShop are also returning to the festival this year. They are the home of UK drag and creators of iconic Underbelly Festival favourites such as Spice Gals and Gals Aloud, as well as West End hit Death Drop. They are returning to the festival with a brand new interactive, retro drag show inspired by everyone’s favourite decade, The Sickening 90s Drag Prom. TuckShop will also run a series of late night Saturday shows and afterparties, plus they will also open the festival with a raucous variety night of drag.

Other artists performing during the festival include the king of improvised comedy hip-hop, Abandoman, bringing a high-tech performance. Joining him in the programme are pop parodists’ par-excellence Frisky & Mannish with the final chance to see their hilarious Pop Lab, and cabaret collective The Cocoa Butter Club, who will showcase a brand-new queer burlesque extravaganza.

There is also plenty of kids and family entertainment including Edinburgh Festival Fringe hit Hotel Paradiso; Guinness World Record holders Lost in Translation with their contemporary circus skills; CBBC’s Sam & Mark making their Underbelly debut with On The Road Show; and Basil Brush returning to the Underbelly Festival with his smash hit Family Fun Show, as well as his show for grown-ups only, Unleashed.

Other family favourites include comedy star Jarred Christmas and loop station world champion Hobbit with the Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show; West End improv legends The Showstoppers with a musical adventures for kids; stand-up for all ages at Comedy Club 4 Kids; legendary beatboxer and musician Shlomo’s Beatbox Adventure for Kids; and comedian, musician and YouTuber Jay Foreman and the original dance party for the whole family Baby Loves Disco.

Cabaret and variety at this year’s Festival features magician Magical Bones, comedians The Thinking Drinkers, vintage jazz from Miss Kiddy and the Cads and Funny Gals, a new show from musical comedy star Vikki Stone, and West End performer Natasha Barnes.

One night shows include Denim star and Diary of a Drag Queen author Crystal Rasmussen singing the greats; gender diverse pan-Asian cabaret collective Bitten Peach; zany cabaret BONKERS!; spectacle of non-binary finery The Enby Show; and Bernie Dieter in Konzert, her intimate solo show, a riotous hour of music with her Haus band.

Comedy superstars range from Zoe Lyons, and star of last year’s Royal Variety Show Daliso Chaponda, to musical comedy duo Harry and Chris, Goodbear with their Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated show Dougal, and Fringe favourites Scummy Mummies, Jarlath Regan with Return of the Craic, and queer women and non-binary comedy collective The LOL Word.

Podcast performers playing live include Nobody Panic from Tessa Coates and Stevie Martin; Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) with his cult classic Films to be Buried With; Hannah George, Catie Wilkins and Taylor Glenn seek justice in Drunk Women Solving Crime; James Barr and Dan Hudson appear in A Gay and a NonGay; and Jessica Fostekew welcomes comedy legend Jo Brand and other guests to discuss eating in a live show of Hoovering.

Book tickets to Bernie Dieter’s Berlin Underground

Underbelly Festival 2021: List of performers

A Gay and A NonGay’s Big Gay Show!
Genre: Podcast
Time: 9.15pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 10 September

Abandoman: Hotline
Genre: Musical Comedy
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 9 & 10 July

Baby Loves Disco
Genre: Family
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 10 July, 25 September

Basil Brush’s Family Fun Show
Genre: Family
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 18 September

Basil Brush: Unleashed Volume 2
Genre: Comedy
Time: 7.30pn
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 18 September

Bernie Dieter’s Berlin Underground
Genre: Cabaret
Time: 7.30pm (Tues – Sat), 7pm (Sun) & 9.15pm (Sat)
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 28 July – 29 August

Bernie Dieter in Konzert
Genre: Cabaret
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 10 September

BONKERS!
Genre: Cabaret
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 9 September

Comedy Club 4 Kids
Genre: Family
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 24 August, 26 September

Crystal Sings the Greats
Genre: Cabaret
Time: 9.15pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 3 July

Daliso Chaponda: Live
Genre: Comedy
Time 7.30pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 21 July

Drunk Women Solving Crime
Genre: Podast
Time: 9.15pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 17 September

Films to Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein – Live
Genre: Podcast
Time: 5pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 3 July

Frisky & Mannish: PopLab
Genre: Musical Comedy
Time: 7.30pm (Fri – Sat), 7pm (Sun)
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 24 – 26 September

Funny Gals – Vikki Stone & Natasha Barnes
Genre: Musical Comedy
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 14 July

Goodbear: Dougal
Genre: Comedy
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 15 July

Harry and Chris
Genre: Comedy
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 8 September

Hoovering Podcast Live with Jessica Fostekew and mega guests Jo Brand and MORE
Genre: Podcast
Time: 5pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 17 July

Hotel Paradiso
Genre: Family
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 17 & 18 July, 24 & 25 July, 29 July – 1 August, 3 August – 5 August

Jay Foreman’s Disgusting Songs for Revolting Children
Genre: Family
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 31 August

Magical Bones: Live & Direct
Genre: Magic
Time: 9.15pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 27 August

Miss Kiddy and the Cads – Vintage Takeover!
Genre: Music
Time: 9.15pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 3 September

Nobody Panic – Live
Genre: Podcast
Time: 5pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 28 August

Return of the Craic
Genre: Comedy
Time: 9.15pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 25 September

Sam & Mark’s On The Road Show
Genre: Family
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 7 & 8 August, 10 – 14 August

Shlomo’s Beatbox Adventure for Kids
Genre: Family
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 15 August, 19 September

Tales from the Bitten Peach
Genre: Cabaret
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Spigeltent
Dates: 21 & 22 September

The Cocoa Butter Club
Genre: Cabaret
Time: 7.30pm (Fri) & 9.15pm (Sat)
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 17 & 18 September

The Enby Show
Genre: Cabaret
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 31 August

The LOL Word
Genre: Comedy
Time: 5pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 18 September

The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show
Genre: Family
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 11 July

The Scummy Mummies Show
Genre: Comedy
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 1 September

The Showstoppers’ Kids Show
Genre: Family
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 3 & 4 July, 4 & 5 September

The Sickening 90’s Drag Prom
Genre: Drag
Time: 7.30pm (Thurs – Sat), 7pm (Sun) & 9.15pm (Sat)
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 22 – 25 July and 2 – 5 September

The Thinking Drinkers: Pub Quiz
Genre: Comedy
Time: 9.15pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 16 July

The TuckShop LIVE
Genre: Drag
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 1 July

Zoe Lyons
Genre: Comedy
Time: 9.15pm
Venue: The Spiegeltent
Dates: 10 July