Eve Miller
Ridiculous Gen-Z humour, loud lesbianism, and a love for cinema combine to create… a terrible part time job at your local cinema. Join Cabbage the Clown as she cavorts, clowns, and cries? her way through this action packed hour.
Cabbage scans us in themself, directing us to seats in the packed-out studio. Once we are all settled, the fun begins. They litter-pick, mad-lib, waltz, and serve their way through their shift at Cinemadrome, tapping into the soul-crushing boredom that comes with the territory of a part-time job in the capitalistic hellscape in which we live. The overarching plot is of Cabbage’s search for love and acceptance, as she waits for a text back from her lover, or for her shift to end – whatever comes first.
A skilful clown throughout, most notable is Cabbage’s mastery of prop-work. There is a heartwrenchingly romantic sequence where Cabbage puppeteers a shirt on a hanger as their lover in a nightclub, that genuinely moved me even as Cabbage surreptitiously gropes herself and slaps her own hand away. The highlight of the piece is her sales pitch for the new Cinemadrome concession – the Big Suckee – in full costume as a large slush drink. Cabbage takes off jazz age starlets, affecting a New York twang and batting her doe eyes as she begs the audience to take a drink, brilliantly commenting on crushing capitalism and the objectification of minimum wage employees.
I feel obliged to mention that Cabbage did call me up on stage for a prolonged section of audience interaction (that’ll teach me to forget my press lanyard!), and, dressed in a clown ruff and cone hat, I danced the closing number with them, agreeing to marry them and ending their search for love. As their on-stage wife, I fear this review might be classed as a conflict of interest, however I promise that Cabbage’s stagecraft, mastery of clowning, and skilful social commentary earned them their five stars, fair and square. It is a separate skill to interact with an audience to the extent that cabbage did, and to do so without causing discomfort – Cabbage asked for consent, did not pressurise, and was a kind and gracious performer.
Zany, Gen-Z, loudly queer and thoroughly hilarious, Cabbage the Clown: Cinemadrome will charm your socks off and make you shudder as you remember your worst part time job.
Recommended Drink: A Big Suckee.
Performances of Cabbage the Clown: Cinemadrome have now concluded at EdFringe 2025.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
