A great icon of musical theatre once uttered, 'What good is sitting alone In your room? / Come hear the music play / Life is a Cabaret, old chum.' So make like Liza Minnelli, put down the knitting, come taste the wine, and go and see one of these fabulous cabaret shows at this year's Fringe.

Christina Bianco: First Impressions

This powerhouse is a jack of all trades with singer, actor, impressionist and 'YouTube sensation' all listed on her showbiz CV. Bianco's show combines her talents for a whole hour of spot-on impressions, musical numbers and a dash of comedy.
Assembly Checkpoint, Thu 1–Sun 25 Aug (not 12), 6.20pm.

Frolic and Follies

With inspiration taken from the Ziegfeld Follies of the early 20th century, this contemporary take on theatrical revue productions presents a parade of feathered and jewelled women for a cavalcade of variety performances. Expect plenty of high kicks.
Gilded Balloon Teviot, Thu 1–Mon 5 Aug, 10.30pm.

Help! I Think I Might Be Fabulous

Alfie Ordinary makes his Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut after award-winning turns at other international fringe festivals. Alfie takes his audience on a journey to a queer utopia amidst a soundtrack of Sugababes and Whitney Houston in this fabulous drag tale.
Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre, Wed 31 Jul–Sun 25 Aug, 6pm.

The Kaye Hole

Crawl into the k-hole world of the risky, messy, late night weekend lurkers with Australian cabaret star Reuben Kaye, who presents an array of diverse acts backed by a live band. Get ready to get a little bit messy … and a big bit fabulous.
Assembly Checkpoint, Fri–Sun throughout August, 11.15pm

Little Death Club

Get ready to leave your red cheeks at the door because Bernie Dieter is back with her über-naughty, freaky circus of pals. A provocative variety of artistry awaits, with Dieter's 'punk spirit and humour' tying it all together.
Underbelly's Circus Hub, Sat 3–Sat 24 Aug, (not 12), 8pm

Melinda Hughes: Off the Scale

Who doesn't love their cabaret with a side of politics? Melinda Hughs and her jazz trio sing their way through political satire, grooving through issues like internet trolling and transformations into the likes of Melania Trump.
Assembly Rooms, Fri 1–Sun 25 Aug (not 12,19), 4.50pm.

Ginger Johnson's Happy Place

The East London drag star, whose style is based on Lucile Ball, opens up her delusional world in this 'part cabaret confessional, part Sesame Street special'. She aims to help the audience escape from the doom and gloom of reality and asks how far people are willing to run from it.
Pleasance Dome, Wed 31 Jul–Mon 26 Aug, 9.40pm.

Just Desserts

Michelle Pearson, creator of the acclaimed Comfort Food Cabaret, makes her first ever UK appearance with her musical food cabaret. It pairs rock and pop ballads with sugar to explore pressing topics like social pressure, sex, and society's obsession with perfection.
Underbelly Cowgate, Thu 1–Sun 11 Aug (not 5, 6), 10.40pm.

Ada Campe and the Psychic Duck

The variety artiste, AKA Naomi Paxton, presents her delightfully mischievous persona alongside her psychic duck. She explores wonderful women, strange encounters and a fairground mystery.
The Stand's New Town Theatre – Studio, Sat 3–Sun 25 Aug (not 13), 2.50pm.

Andrea Spisto: Butch Princesa

Take what you know about cabaret performances and forget all about it before you see this art explosion. From Andrea Spisto, who brought us last year's Miss Venezuela, comes a surreal depiction of being an immigrant told through character comedy, clowning, dance and Latin music.
Heroes @ the SpiegalYurt, Fri 2–Sun 25 Aug (not 13) 6.20pm.