Janie Dee combines the roles of musical theatre star and climate activist. To get both things working together, she has put together a series of cabaret nights at the Charing Cross Theatre collectively entitled Beautiful World Cabarets. Each night is curated by a famous friend, all of them strong advocates for climate awareness, and running until 13th July. Thursday’s edition is hosted by Olivia Williams, and it’s a hoot.
Olivia Williams is a very gracious, very glamorous, very high-toned hostess: slinky gown, Prada shoes, and a turn of phrase both impassioned and earthy, which seems appropriate. She is joined on stage by an excellent pianist and a magnificently versatile violinist, Lizzie Ball. They provide a sonic backdrop to the evening with seamlessly appropriate musical choices, playing Schubert’s Trout Quintet hard on the heels of Williams’ recitation of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem Pied Beauty, with its evocation of rose-moles stippling a trout. One thing leads into another, and the juxtapositions work really well. Julian Ovenden sings a Sondheim song Take Me To the World which seems to demand a follow-up lecture from Dr. Susanna Paisley on the importance, the fragility, and the beauty of the Costa Rican cloud forest.
The opera singer Melanie Marshall sings Bill Withers Ain’t No Sunshine, John Schwab reads a prophetic Ray Bradbury short story, Professor Hugh Montgomery delivers a series of distressing facts about global warming, and genuinely, a good time is had by all. Dire predictions interlaced with beautiful music and well-judged poems, all tied together by Williams’ charm and ease.
All the participants are at pains to tell the audience a few key things they can do as individuals to defray the onrushing catastrophe, such as switching banks if the bank invests in fossil fuel extraction, but the principal message is – tell seven friends. Get them to tell seven different friends. Cascade the message out across the world. It seems doable. The enthusiasm and forcefulness of the speakers makes it seem necessary.
And maybe they are preaching to the choir, but the choir gets to hear a lot of wonderful songs, and doesn’t feel alone, and does feel energised. And that is probably the desired result. An evening of great entertainment that induces the audience to leave the theatre humming Ain’t No Sunshine.. and to go home full of good intentions and a few serious questions to ask banks and pension funds. It’s probably not enough, and Olivia Williams and company would never say it was, but it’s certainly something.
Reviewed on 10 July 2025
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