Cabaret and late night with a title like this could suggest only one thing.

Smut and plenty of it.

Except to say that Titty Bar Ha Ha is not quite the balls and all rude ribaldry that you might perhaps be expecting. Set in a 1943 England, it's the time of Hope and Gloria, two burlesquely clad girls, working to make an honest living as the planes fly over above them.

There's a dead ex under the floorboards and the authorities are closing in but it doesn't stop Hope and Gloria from having a good time - and what pairs of lungs these girls have got. (Easy at the back there)

There's plenty of singing, dancing and a lot of audience interaction in this piece which is a real late night treat. With more innuendo and double entendre than outright smut (although buppetry provides the obligatory XXX treat at the end of the show), Titty Bar Ha Ha is actually a damn good night out - and not in a completely dirty mac at the back kind of way.

With some deftly clever lyrics and some brilliant rhyming couplets, the duo weave a bloody good night out. Sure there's innuendo - "He was prone to come but not stay" being one of the cleaner moments, but there's also a great gathering of songs, fizzing audience participation and ribaldry as it plays out over its 60 minutes running time. A mash up of Tainted Love, some games involving coke and a fizzy sweet, training in burlesque dancing and a chance to get up on stage proves the entire thing is nothing short of pure wartime entertainment.

Both Hope and Gloria have amazing voices and the way they seamlessly riff on some stories of abuse and cheated upon girls in the wartime world certainly resonates here and there - but overall, this cabaret is well worth staying up late for and making sure you catch it in its last week at the festival.

4 STARS

THIS show from the UK is basically all about smut and sex, presented in a wonderfully high-camp cabaret style.

Set in a seedy 1940s nightclub, a saucy yet talented female duo entertain with ditties, songs, audience participation and some very impressive kazoo playing.

There are even some dancing French breasts - you'll have to see the show to understand this one!

In between songs and skits, the hard living, hard drinking ladies tell the stories of their dark (and very funny) pasts, with the cops never far away.

It's witty, it's entertaining, it's crass and it's definitely worth seeing.

Titty Bar Ha Ha

Cabaret ****

Titty Bar Ha Ha - the name alone should grab your attention and get you curious enough to buy a ticket to find out more. Sexy, bawdy and just a little wrong, this is the perfect late night rendezvous for those who like their cabaret a little blue.

Set in 1943 England during World War II, we meet Hope and Gloria, the “providers of pleasure” of Titty Bar Ha Ha, a burlesque bar they run. We learn that they are hiding a very human, very dead secret in their basement which is causing some anxiety but this does not stop them from doing what they do best – entertain and deliver a rollicking good time!

Throughout the hour you can expect many a raunchy song and suggestive dance that will make you both giggle and blush. The lyrics are incredibly audacious and unabashedly risqué with witty double entendres and are performed superbly with great conviction by this talented duo. They have some serious vocal chops and they also do an impressive kazoo duet which was a clear crowd favorite.

Although Hope and Gloria love the attention and the spotlight, they also enjoy interacting with the crowd. They mingle and flirt with the audience and be prepared to be picked to get involved in the shenanigans too, be it in a game of “spit or swallow” or an impromptu dance audition. This is definitely not a show for the shy and reserved!

If songs about sex and masturbation make you uncomfortable then Titty Bar Ha Ha is probably not for you. But if you don’t offend easy and are up for some high-end smut, this show has it in spades. Be warned though: the songs are extremely catchy and you will find yourself humming the melodies the morning after.

Down on luck and low on morals, Hope and Gloria find themselves working in a strip club in wartime England. As planes fly overhead and police bang on the door the duo perform to their audience of desperados and bond over their shared love of gin, sexual innuendo and the dead guy Johnny under the floorboards.

The premise is sketchy and the setting rather amorphous (at times the action seems to be set in 1993 Australia rather than 1943 London) but that doesn't stop our two firecracker heroines from having bags of fun and taking everyone along for the ride.

Both women look good in a bustier but their comic timing, filthy humour and fantastic singing voices are even more impressive. Highlights include a coke and asprin challenge, some surreal high-brow breast puppetry and a kazoo duel that has the audience in stitches.

Grab some friends and a bottle of plonk and head down to The Basement for 60 minutes of dirty, smutty fun. If you're lucky you might even win a prize, or get a lap-dance with a twist.

Set in the dark of a World War II burlesque bar. Titty Bar Ha Ha follows a night in the life of Hope and Gloria, two drunken, promiscuous and slightly psychotic dancers. The premise allows for an entertaining variety, as the pair share stories, perform songs and dance numbers, and join the audience in several games.

The songs are a mix of pop favourites and new jokes, and the lyrics are jam packed with puns and wordplay. One show-stopping medley is actually performed as a kazoo duet, as Hope and Gloria burn through a collection of well-loved classics without taking a breath.

Both Hope and Gloria display a quick wit and a total commitment to their roles, never falling out whilst playing off the audience members. Their voices are sexy and fun, as are the dance routines that audience members may be required to recreate. Their comic timing is precise, which is important when their script leaves no room for lulls.

As you can probably guess from the title, the humour is bawdy. In keeping with the theme, jokes often involve sex, masturbation and other general naughtiness. This cheekiness reaches its apex with a piece of puppet theatre involving a pair of breasts dancing along to Serge Gainsbourg’s “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus” (because of course you’re going to score something like that to Serge Gainsbourg). But those not easily offended by raunch, or just looking for a drunken sing-a-long, should book tickets as soon as possible. You will not be disappointed.

I’m a bit of a cabaret fan so am always pretty keen to check out anything that opens. Sadly there is a lot of trite cabaret out there that doesn’t have any of the vocal skills necessary to make the event memorable, Titty bar ha-ha is worth going just for the singing.

The narrative was easy to set aside (it’s London during the blitz and both well to do society girls have killed and hidden an ex and are running the ‘Titty Bar Ha-Ha’), but the comedy was adult and the moments hilarious.

Highlights were the dueling kazoos, a wonderful mash up of tainted love and bang bang, and a breast puppet show where breasts complete with wigs, eyes and mouths (the nipples were noses) sang french love songs.

There is always a risk at cabaret that you will get dragged up on stage. The first unlucky victims had to keep there mouths closed while bubbles fizzed and was won by a model wearing an hilarious ‘little death’ t-shirt, the second draft unluckily included me. Two other participants and I had to do a sexy burlesque dance with gloves on stage. Unfortunately based on crowd cheers, I won which required me staying on stage, being blindfolded while having a song sung to me by what I could only ascertain was one of the society girls doing something fairly rude on my lap.

On second thoughts I’ll give it 4 stars.

It’s a very funny show, and you see why they are loved and celebrated in Adelaide.

It is certainly not one for the shy or retiring, but if you are looking for a rowdy, raunchy, and positively ridiculous night of cabaret, don’t miss “Titty Bar Ha Ha” at the Rhino Room.

“Titty Bar Ha Ha” follows the story of Hope and Gloria, two promiscuous, playful and sometimes-violent women who own and perform in a burlesque-style bar during World War II. The script is consistently engaging, and is peppered with dirty jokes and double entendres which never failed to illicit laughs and jeers from the audience. The cabaret relies heavily on audience participation – audience members may find themselves donating their drinks, receiving sloppy kisses on the cheek, or modelling phallic balloon hats at the request of their charismatic hosts.

With original music, mash-ups of classic hits, and clever covers, the music for the show is enjoyable, cheeky, and well-accompanied with simple choreography. A musical highlight was the kazoo medley, which included tunes such as “Anything You Can Do” and Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You”, all performed (in two-part harmony!) on pink kazoos. In addition to sassy music and sly commentary, the audience is also treated to a faux striptease, buppetry (puppetry of the breasts), and a slightly-concerning-but-still-impressive display of drinking ability.

Hope (Nai Bowen) and Gloria (Boo Dwyer) play their parts naturally and fearlessly. Although their voices are occasionally breathy and thin, their pitch and harmonies are consistently tight and precise. Both performers have an excellent sense of comic timing, and maintain their characters well.

The show’s outstanding content and performers are complimented by fun and flirtatious costuming, well-rehearsed lighting and sound and an appropriate choice of venue.

As long as you’re not afraid of being chatted to – or chatted up – by your entertainment for the evening, the show will have you tittering long after you leave.

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

It's Britain 1943. You're a soldier looking for a good time and you find yourself in a small, seedy bar down a dark, dank, alley called Club Titty Bar Ha! Ha!

As the bombs fall and the raid sirens blare, your hosts Hope and Gloria entertain you with a sexy cabaret show, a bit of drunken debauchery and hilarious original songs which are just a little bit wrong.

The hour-long show involves a few games with patron participation, witty and well-timed banter between the two hosts, a smattering of dirty jokes and a bit of buppetry (Google it).

It is filled with vulgarity, depravity and debauchery in the best possible way.
Click here to find out more!

With only a Union Jack draped over a table and bunting above the stage, Hope and Gloria immediately bring you into their world and seemingly back in time.

They promise a rollicking, raucous show of high-end filth and they certainly deliver.

The pair will have you laughing so much that if you were actually a soldier in wartime Britain you'd forget all about life in the trenches, if only for a while.

Titty Bar Ha! Ha! is part of the 2013 NZ International Comedy Festival and has eight shows at the Basement from May 8 - 11 and May 15 - 18.

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