Underbelly Festival has announced additional programming for their Summer 2024 pop-up in Cavendish Square. Underbelly’s famous Spiegeltent will host circus, cabaret and comedy as well as children’s and family friendly entertainment offering festival fun in the heart of Central London.
The new additions to the line-up include a wealth of children’s and family entertainment. The family comic theatre and circus show Failfailfailfailwin (24 – 26 & 30 August, 1 September) is a show that puts a new spin on failure. Meet a cast of puppet friends including a crab and a Swedish Astronaut for an uplifting, nurturing and agelessly relevant adventure. Featuring such fails and possibly wins in the mediums of diabolo, juggling, hula-hoop, and an attempt to spin 8 real VERDAGEN Ikea plates.
Drag Queen Story Hour (20 – 26 August) from Aida H Dee The Storytime Drag Queen, is a magical hour of storytelling engaging children’s creativity and love for reading. Aida - a published children’s author and the first drag artist in the UK to read stories in a library – takes kids on a journey of positivity full of colourful characters, antics and inclusive stories.
The cycling Shakespearean collective who carry all of their set, props and costumes on the back of their bikes, The Handlebards (3 – 4 August) will bring their sense of adventure and love of Shakespeare to the Speigeltent with their version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
As seen on Comedy Central, Sky Atlantic, Channel 4 an BBC 1, Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles - A Gameshow for Awful Children (30 August) presents a wild family gameshow, in which kids get to be pests, politicians and pétomanes to be crowned the most awful child. Britain’s favourite French comedian channels his acerbic humour and quickfire wit into a series of tasks for the younger generation, which is every bit as entertaining for adults as it is for children.
Completing the family programming, a series of beatboxing entertainment for kids begins with Shlomo’s Beatbox Adventures for Kids (11 August) an interactive live music show for children and families of all ages. After performing with legends like Bjork, Ed Sheeran and Rudimental, the world record-breaking beatboxer SK Shlomo is back on the mission to empower the next generation of superstar beatboxers to find their true voice, no matter who they are.
Also bringing the beats The Beatbox Collective: What’s Your Sound? (7 - 8 September), the 2015 world beatbox champions who have collectively won nearly every beatbox competition on the planet, combine mind-blowing sounds, beats and vocals with physical theatrics performed by international touring beatboxers and world champions.
Finally, an all-new action-packed beatboxing and comedy hoopla The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show (17 August). Direct from the Edinburgh comedy festival and sell out shows at the Imagine Festival Southbank centre Jarred and Hobbit are back with an inclusive show for wallflowers and show-offs alike.
Offering world-class late-night entertainment, a cult hit at festivals worldwide Marcel Lucont’s Cabaret Fantastique (30 August) is Marcel Lucont’s feast of international cabaret, with no fixed abode. Each night is handpicked by Marcel, including the finest performers from the world of cabaret, comedy, circus, poetry, magic and music, all held together with dry wit and a dry white.
Just These Please (5 September) are back for one night only following sold-out runs at both the Soho Theatre and Edinburgh Festival Fringe as well as over 64 million views online. This fast-paced comedy show mixes revue style sketches with musical comedy.
Gig theatre show inspired by Greek mythology, The Gods, The Gods, The Gods (10 – 21 September) will be performed on three stages surrounding the crowd to create an uplifting communal experience inviting the audience to find their power. Performed as a 12-track album, the performance weaves together big beats, heavy basslines, soaring melodies and spoken word.
The full programme will kick off with Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody from 4th July followed by Tweedy’s Massive Circus (18 – 27 July) YUCK Circus (28 Aug – 8 Sept) and other events announced earlier this month.
Underbelly Festival Programmer Jodie Adams said, “We’re delighted to be releasing more shows today to join our programme of exceptional circus, cabaret and comedy in Cavendish Square. The festival offers an affordable and eclectic range of shows for all ages, from inspiring and fun kids shows to sizzling late-night entertainment. Underbelly Festival is the go-to place this summer for an entertaining evening or hanging out in the sun, or to take the family for a fun day out. We can’t wait for audiences to sample some of the best international work on offer!”
Underbelly is a UK-based live entertainment company founded in 2000 by Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood that specialises in producing and programming ground-breaking theatrical productions and the creation of city-centre cultural events and festivals across the UK, USA, Asia & beyond. Underbelly, alongside ATG Productions, is the lead and originating producer of the Olivier Award winning Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, now in its third year in the West End. Recent productions also include The McOnie Company’s Nutcracker at the Tuff Nutt Jazz Club at Southbank Centre, La Clique in Manchester & London, Cabaret Royale at the Gaillard Center in Charleston and the inaugural headline show at Underbelly Boulevard, Club Kabarett.
Underbelly Boulevard, their first permanent venue, opened in 2023 in the heart of Soho presenting and producing an outstanding variety of cabaret, comedy, circus, music and theatre. Live Events include West End Live presented by Westminster City Council and SOLT, Pride in London, Christmas in Leicester Square, Skate West End, Edinburgh’s Christmas, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and Underbelly Festival on London’s Southbank, at Earl’s Court and in Cavendish Square. In 2024, Underbelly will produce The McOnie Company’s The Artist, Tweedy’s Massive Circus beginning a UK-wide tour at The RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon and the 20th anniversary of La Clique in Edinburgh and London. One of the largest producers at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Underbelly is proud to have previously presented Fleabag in 2013, Six in 2018, Rob Madge’s My Son’s a Queer, (But What Can You Do?) in 2022 and Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder in 2023.
Underbelly Festival Cavendish Square, Oxford Street, London W1C
Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody presented by The Hairy Godmothers
4th – 14th July (not 8th)
Press night: Saturday 6th July 7pm
Prepare to have all your childhood dreams shattered like Cinderella's glass slipper in an elephant graveyard of adult fantasies and fairy tale follies. ‘Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody' is a Whole New World you didn't know you needed! Follow some familiar characters and discover sides of them you never knew existed. Come and be a Toy in our Story. If you have any reservation, just Let It Go. Be Our Guest and book a seat now! You'll pity the Poor Unfortunate Souls that miss out on this one.
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 18+
Tues – Weds 7pm, Thurs – Sat 7pm & 9pm, Sun 6pm
Tickets from £18
Mr Sleepybum presented by Brizzle Productions
6th – 7th July
Do you have stupid and silly dreams at night? Well, Mr. Sleepybum does, and he’s going to re-enact them all for you in this high-energy, interactive, kids’ comedy show for the whole family.Mr Sleepybum awakes in his bed to find a room full of parents and children. A circus of silly sketches and dream scenes ensues, from swimming with Sharks to solving the mystery of a stolen chocolate cake to dodging balls in the guide of the Cowboy Ball-Dodger. Mr Sleepybum’s imagination is limitless.
50 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 3+
Sat – Sun 3pm
Tickets from £14
Baby Loves Disco presented by Baby Loves Disco
14th July, 31st Aug & 15th Sept
The original family dance party Baby Loves Disco returns to Cavendish Sq. With DJ Dub & special guests, mixing feel-good dance floor fillers with pop classics from the years before parenthood struck right up to the present day. The perfect party for parents and babies, toddlers and young children to dance together. Hold tight for all manner of dance floor shenanigans, mummy and daddy dance offs and a whole host of dance-floor fun and games!
120 mins (no interval) | Suitable for all ages
Sun 3pm
Tickets from £13
Tweedy’s Massive Circus presented by Underbelly Productions
18th – 27th July (not 22nd)
Join Tweedy for his very own massive circus. Well kind of…Unfortunately the tent has shrunk and tweedy hasn’t a clue. Join the much-loved star of Giffords Circus for over 15 years, as he and his friends create their very own circus show in the ‘little’ big top. Expect a show filled with magic, mirth and mayhem. What could possibly go wrong?
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 3+
Tues – Fri 7pm, Sat 4pm & 7pm, Sun 4pm & 6pm
Tickets from £30
The Handlebards: A Midsummer Night’s Dream presented by The Handlebards
3rd – 4th August
Cycling Shakespearean actors who carry all of our set, props and costumes on the back of our bikes, performing extremely energetic, charmingly chaotic and environmentally sustainable Shakespeare plays across the UK. Four young lovers find themselves lost in a magical forest, where the Fairy King and Queen are fighting for the possession of a changeling boy. A group of amateur actors head to the same forest to rehearse for a play. Humans and fairies collide, and hilarity ensues.
120 mins (inc interval) | Suitable for ages 8+
Sat – Sun, 1pm
Tickets from £26
Shlomo’s Beatbox Adventures for Kids presented by Nebula Productions
11th August
World record-breaking beatboxer SK Shlomo makes amazing music with just a mouth and a mic and has performed around the world with legends like Bjork, Ed Sheeran and Rudimental. After another sell-out UK tour, and multiple 5 star reviews, Shlomo is back on the mission to empower the next generation of superstar beatboxers to find their true voice, no matter who they are. Anybody can become one of this sonic superhero’s sidekicks in a world of funny sounds, brilliant noises, and cool music, whether they’re aged 1 or 101!
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 3+
Sun 2pm
Tickets from £16
The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show presented by Blue Jeans Management
17th August
World-class beatboxing! Hilarious jokes! Loads of Tomfoolery, Katefoolery and whatever your name is foolery with the best beatbox/comedy combo in town. An inclusive show for wallflowers and show-offs alike; throw some shapes, shake your booty, or keep it firmly in your seat... just get on down and enjoy the party atmosphere. It’s a whole heap of infectious, doozy fun! Direct from the Edinburgh comedy festival and sell out shows at the Imagine Festival (Southbank centre). As recommended in ‘The Week Junior’. Twice nominated for ‘Best Kids Show ‘at the Leicester Comedy Festival. What more can we say? It’s the bee’s knees. The ant’s pants. The snake’s hips. The monkey’s eyebrows. The dog’s... . (again, let’s leave the dogs out of it). All this and so much more!
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 3+
Sat 2pm
Tickets from £16
Drag Queen Story Hour presented by Drag Queen Story Hour
20th – 26th Aug
Drag Queen Story Hour: The Theatrical Experience is here! (Oh no they aren’t?) OH YES THEY ARE! What do you get when you put fabulously inclusive stories and fabulously dressed drag queens together? Let's find out together, because it's time for Drag Queen Story Hour! Join Aida H Dee The Storytime Drag Queen as she takes you on a magical journey through a world of colourful characters that will make smiles wrap around faces, hilarious antics that will leave everyone in stitches, and a drag queen that just cannot remember where she placed her spare wig!
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 3+
Mon – Sun 12pm
Tickets from £14
Failfailfailfailwin presented by Laura James
24th - 26th Aug & 30th Aug - 1st Sept
Mark and Loz are circus performers. But circus is REALLY hard. FailFailFailFailWin! is a show about not hiding all the "try"s you did that didn't work. Uplifting, nurturing and agelessly relevant. Join the adventure and explore what happens inside Loz's brain when she does a big FAIL. Meet a cast of puppet friends: professor Steven Chimpington - scientist, raconteur, critic; and Colin the Crab, anarchist, physical theatre practitioner (LeCoq trained), oh and of course Sven Svenstoferson, Swedish Astronaut and CBT coach. Featuring such fails and possibly wins in the mediums of diabolo, juggling, hulahoop, and an attempt to spin 8 real VERDAGEN ikea plates, retail value £2 each. Total economic jeopardy = £16. Plus shipping.
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 3 – 11
Fri – Mon 2pm & 3pm
Tickets from £16
YUCK Circus presented by YUCK Circus
28th Aug – 8th Sept
YUCK is here to tear up London with their sell-out show. High-flying acrobatics, absurd confessions, and groovy dancing- all smashed together with their trademark ripper comedy. Winners of Fringe World top-tier Martin Sims Award, Best Circus at both Melbourne and Sydney Fringe, and Best Emerging Artist at Adelaide Fringe, get ready to witness a powerhouse of female circus performers kick art in the face.
50 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 14+
Weds - Fri 7pm, Sat 3pm & 7pm, Sun 6pm
Tickets from £18
Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles - A Gameshow for Awful Children presented by Alexis Dubus
30th Aug
Marcel Lucont (Comedy Central, Sky Atlantic, C4, BBC1), presents a wild family gameshow, in which kids get to be pests, politicians and pétomanes to be crowned the most awful child. See what happens when international insouciance meets infantile exuberance. A big hit at Edinburgh Fringe and many other festivals, Britain’s favourite French comedian channels his acerbic humour and quickfire wit into a series of tasks for the younger generation, which is every bit as entertaining for adults as it is for children.
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 6+
Fri 1pm
Tickets from £15
Marcel Lucont’s Cabaret Fantastique presented by Alexis Dubus
30th Aug
Cabaret Fantastique is Marcel Lucont’s feast of international cabaret, with no fixed abode. A cult hit at festivals worldwide, each night is handpicked by Marcel, including the finest performers from the world of cabaret, comedy, circus, poetry, magic and music, all held together with dry wit and a dry white.
90 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 18+
Fri 9pm
Tickets from £26
Just These Please presented by Just These Please
5th Sept
With over 64 million views online, sold-out runs at both the Soho Theatre & Edinburgh Fringe, and a tendency to list things in threes, Just These Please are back for one night only with a fast-paced revue style sketch & musical comedy show. They come recommended by the Guardian and the British Comedy Guide so you can expect ‘countless highlights’ (ThreeWeeks) and ‘solid laughs throughout’ (Scotsman) in this ‘hilarious hour of sketch comedy’ (Beyond The Joke). They were finalists for the Best Newcomer award at the 2019 Kilkenny Cat Laughs and were nominated for Best Variety Act at the 2022 Chortle Awards. That said, they were also once told to ‘walk into the sea till the bubbles stop’ by a man called Simon on twitter, so do with that what you will...
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 14+
Thurs 9pm
Tickets from £26
The Bitten Peach by The Bitten Peach
6th – 7th, 13th – 14th, 20th – 21st September
As of 2023, The Bitten Peach has worked with over 70 performers of Asian descent spanning a variety of cabaret art forms on and offstage, including drag, burlesque, dance, comedy, music, spoken word and circus. They tell Asian stories, create safe spaces, diversify Asian representation, provide platforms, and educate on racial issues. Their mission is to empower the queer Asian community through their shows, events and collaborations.
120 mins (inc interval)| Suitable for ages 18+
Fri – Sat, 9pm
Tickets from £26
The Beatbox Collective: What’s Your Sound? presented by The Beatbox Collective
7th – 8th Sept
Witness mind-blowing sounds, beats, sketches and vocal agility performed by international touring beatboxers and world champions, The Beatbox Collective. Their live performances must be seen to be believed! Expect the unexpected with out of this world soundscapes combined with some physical theatrics, originally composed musical pieces and recognise well known medleys that will rattle your ribcage, shake up your chakras and melt your mind! Performing at the BFI Gala, Jonathan Ross quoted “It’s incredible what they do with just their mouths.” This is the group Britain’s Got Talent want every year with the wide range of dynamics they deliver.
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 8+
Sat - Sun 4pm
Tickets from £18
The Gods, The Gods, The Gods presented by Wright&Grainger
10th - 21st Sept (not 16th)
Two kids meet out dancing, they’re set to fall hard. A woman is on a beach, alone at night, looking at the stars. A bloke is on a bridge, thinking about jumping, just before dark. The Gods are gathering, and you’re invited. Performed as a 12 track album, The Gods, The Gods, The Gods is an exhilarating weave of big beats, heavy basslines, soaring melodies and heart-stopping spoken word. Wright&Granger call us to the crossroads of Greek mytholygy and modern life to mourn, to love and to hope. Performed as a live gig on three stages which surround the crowd, the show is an uplifting communal experience which invites you - the gods - to take up your own power.
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 12+
Tues - Sat 6pm, 7pm & 9pm
Tickets from £25
Shelf: The Kid’s Show presented by Impatient Productions
21st Sept
Join best friends Rachel and Ruby for a kids' comedy show that's fun for all the family! Full of sketches, songs, pranks and silliness. Rachel and Ruby use physical comedy and silly characters to bring sketch comedy to children of all ages – a fun way to explore emotions, friendship and shyness.
60 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 3+
Sat 3pm
Tickets from £15
Concessions tickets are for Seniors (over 60s), students, children under 16, customers with disabilities and registered unemployed.
