Cabaret is officially in. And spearheading the revivalist movement is the Dresden Dolls, who tonight bring their famous punk-cabaret show to Camden's legendary Roundhouse. Promising a show like no other, which includes theatrical acts from Future Cinema and a compare, U.S. comedienne Margaret Cho, as the in-between entertainment, the Dolls have encouraged attendees to get in on the act and come fully clad in all manner of fancy dress. For the average fan this means black-and-white striped tights, glitter and more black - so far, so typical. Cho herself adds her take on cabaret with a controversial feather-fan striptease where the feathers are dropped at the last minute to reveal her wearing nothing but nipple tassels and a fake cock.

The excitement is flagrant by the time the Dolls come onstage. Living up to their promise, Amanda soon spits her way though the songs with a mad twinkle in her eye while Brian's contorted expressions and drumming frolics provide us with what can only be described as a 21^st century musical-comedy act. And if that wasn't enough, making songs sound as playful as their titles ('Coin-Operated Boy' and 'Lonesome Organist Rapes Page Turner' are two that immediately spring to mind) is no mean feat.

Of course, if you think that staring at these two all night would become tedious, there are always the onstage dancers to cast your wandering eyes on, presenting us with interesting, visual interpretations of the songs. Add to that the now traditional curtain acrobatics and you cannot fail to be impressed.

As I prepared to leave to the strains of 'Mein Herr' from the film 'Cabaret', and a haunting rendition of 'Mad World', I cannot help but feel that something is missing from the performance. The Roundhouse it may have been, but the venue’s vast space lacked the thrilling atmosphere of a traditional, bawdy theatre, crammed full of 19^th century-looking gents and harlots to boot, a la their previous date at the Astoria. So the Dolls may have captured the public’s imagination, but alas, it didn’t fully translate into the captivating evening that it deserved to be.