Hidden away beneath the streets of Picadilly, glitzy Art Deco venue Crazy Coqs provides the perfect venue for an anachronistic cabaret show performed by a vampire: Dagmarr’s Dimanche.
Singer Hersh Dagmarr has absolute command of the stage. His voice is powerful and emotive, and he effortlessly draws the audience into the stories contained within the lyrics. With songs arranged by pianist Karen Newby, the eclectic setlist playfully jumps around from Édith Piaf to Kylie Minogue, via Cole Porter, Madonna, Sondheim, and the Pet Shop Boys. Dagmarr continually plays with the audience’s expectations, teasing one song and then performing another. A Kylie Minogue medley featuring riffs from ‘Willkommen’ and ‘Mack the Knife’ caught the audience especially off-guard, in the best possible way. My personal favourite song was Dagmarr’s rendition of ‘Long John Blues’, the lyrics of which are full of dentistry-related innuendo, and which suited Dagmarr’s playful and flirtatious persona perfectly.
Between songs, the ageless Dagmarr tells stories of his attempts to make it big as a chanteur in early 20th century France and Weimar Berlin, in a variety of seedy venues. Compared to his excellent performance while singing, these spoken interludes feel slightly weaker; Dagmarr performs these sections with slightly less precision and finesse. As a result, some punchlines don’t land as well as they could and some story beats aren’t as evocative and impactful as they could be. Regardless, the story is still compelling and Dagmarr remains effortlessly charming.
Guest performer Enrico Touché provides an overtly comical break in the middle of the show. Blending mime and magic, this Gaulier-trained entertainer delights from before the act begins until after it’s finished. With a deliberately so-bad-it’s-good style, Touché utilises their skill at physical comedy to perform a variety of hilariously unimpressive magic tricks.
Hersch Dagmarr concludes the show with an uplifting monologue about Queer resilience and joy, followed by an inspiring rendition of ‘I Am What I Am’, featuring original French lyrics. Overall, the evening was delightfully entertaining, and there was a huge amount of talent on display.
You next chance to see Hersh Dagmarr is Minogueus Sanctus at The Phoenix Arts Club on 14th October, with tickets available at https://phoenixartsclub.com/
Reviewer: Charles Edward Pipe
Reviewed: 15th September 2025
North West End UK Rating: