Shay Mace
The world has ended, oh no! Luckily for the audience, we find ourselves cooped up in the remains of a cabaret bar with two well-trained performers to take us through the events that made it all happen, or quite often, the myriad diversions needed to avoid the big questions and simply enjoy still being alive. CABAPOCALYPSARET (take a breath after saying that one) is a thoughtful and incisive hour that entertains throughout, even if it ends up being a little slim on its take about what’s bringing us closer to the end times.
Performers The Creative Martyrs play both Ukelele and Cello on stage, in songs that intersect dialogue exploring a myriad number of philosophical themes, concepts about politics, lethargy, billionaires, gender and more across the hour. Repeated call-and-response and audience interaction some genuine belly laughs, and the duo manage to keep the attention and intrigue alive across the hour. At points, the format takes more of a song cycle format than cabaret in its fullest sense, and the static nature of the instrumentation occasionally leaves the duo without full-throated dynamism. Despite these issues, there’s plenty to enjoy throughout.
The deployment of the post-apocalyptic theming is engrossing, as we’re welcomed into the venue by the pair in their gaudy makeup, and taken through a quite exhilarating ride of what’s led us to this situation. It’s unclear, of course and seemingly by design, whether the apocalypse the pair refer to is simply the world we are actually living in. There’s a meandering exploration of political philosophy baked into the show through the lyrics of the songs, and in conversation between the two performers, that never seems to fully find its feet or a resonant idea to latch onto. We are told that this apocalypse has come about through the potent mix of late stage capitalism, ecological collapse, patriarchy and deference, but we’re not given a throughline from those big concepts to grapple with as we leave the theatre.
Nonetheless, the characterisation from each performer is a fantastic balance of unnerving and inviting, across a performance that plays with accent, clown and demolishing the fourth wall entirely. We’re whisked between analysis, distraction and reflection within the songs themselves and in the encompassing framing device, to often quite hysterical effect. As the piece turns dramatically and talks of book-burning and the rise of fascism, there’s a lot of genuine heart and concern, it just feels a little as though CABAPOCALYPSARET deserves a fuller purpose to bring that pathos to the fore in a more cohesive manner.
Recommended Drink: There’s nothing better to pair this with than an Apocalypse cocktail.
Performances of CABAPOCALYPSARET have now concluded at Dundee Fringe 2026.
Ellen Leslie
Salvador Kent
