Forbidden pleasures on a day in Gutter Lane

It could be the opening line from any number of Fringe shows entertaining Edinburgh at the moment  . . . but it’s not.

Gutter Lane is a regular cabaret night hosted by the Jekyll & Hyde. This month’s event, on Thursday, finds locals and visitors alike invited to don their top hats, strap on their bustles and take their seats for what organiser Adam Hughes promises will be a show with a difference.

“With Gutter Lane we are not only putting on a show but also creating a dark, gin-filled world where dubious characters drift not so silently from one spectacle to the next, and audiences are actively encouraged to adopt personas of their own.”

Once seated in the Aerie Theatre at the back of the pub, audience members will be entertained by the Dickensian denizens of Gutter Lane, as they play out their sordid life stories from the stage.

To mark the Fringe, Thursday’s event is a day-long extravaganza starting at 3pm, with a full burlesque cabaret from 6pm, featuring top acts including Mister Joe Black, Bettina Spankenhaus and Amelie Soleil. “As the event develops from month to month so too do the characters and their adventures” adds Hughes, promising that the free event will allow customers to experience “the thrill of visiting this grimy time period from the safety of their local watering hole”.