Chichester cabaret night with Dawn

Producer, performer and host Dawn Gracie is in action with her Chichester Cabaret Club once again, on September 30 at 7pm.
DawnDawn
Dawn

Chichester has had its own cabaret club since January 2016.

Dawn said: “This is a socially-seated show, which runs every other month in the heart of the city and caters for the adults of Chichester with a healthy taste for fun. Having been brought up on a diet of old-school variety including Morecambe & Wise, The Generation Game and even The Kenny Everett Show, I have always felt an affinity for drawing in an audience and bringing down the fourth wall when it comes to entertainment.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than to have an audience laughing along with you and everyone being truly in on the joke.

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“Interacting with the audience is all part of this format, and I saw a gap in the market in Chichester back in 2012 for something different and ever since then, have been offering the alternative entertainment scene in the city.

“Yes, it pushes the boundaries and it’s not really for the faint-hearted, but there is most definitely an audience.”

Dawn has brought a huge variety of acts including burlesque performer Aurora Galore and top Marilyn Monroe tribute Laura Nixon to town as well as a host of comedians, magicians and drag artists. She regularly sells out the Pallant Suite.

“I am very grateful to the Freemasons for allowing me to host my shows in their hall, and people often express surprise that there’s not a larger venue in the city to cater for my ever-expanding audiences.

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“I have dreamt of a venue to compare with the beautiful Southern Pavilion at the end of Worthing Pier which plays host to my quarterly Starlets’ Burlesque shows but sadly Chichester has such limited options.

“I’ve been approaching the Chichester Festival Theatre for nearly four years and one day hope they will see that there is a local audience for entertainment of this sort and allow me to use the Minerva Theatre where I can really up the game.

“The Chichester Cabaret Club draws in people from further afield, many coming from Portsmouth and Brighton, so it’s helping change the rather fuddy-duddy perception of our city and these people are using our hotels and restaurants.”

For her annual vintage event, the Chichester Cabaret Club is back on September 30 with a full line-up of performers including one of the UK’s leading cabaret clowns Kiki Lovechild and a glamorous cast of burlesque dancers, plus Dawn herself as her alter ego LiberaShe.

“Come and sample this high-octane evening out and you might just like it. But remember, it’s all done in the best possible taste!”