Photo by Angela Morris with Angela Photography

Well look what the cat dragged in. Straight out of Atlanta, meet Mandy Lauderdale, the fiery redhead who puts the cream in cabaret. From foot & hair model to Fox reality darling to MTV VJ to international cabaret star, this accomplished vaudevillian was recently awarded “Diva of the Year” by FAMSPA. When this Georgia peach (turned Austin firecracker) extends an invitation to a show, you can trust you’ll get a little more than with most performers. In the grand cabaret tradition, Lauderdale’s shows completely obliterate the fourth wall, incorporating audience members as cameos, costars and accomplices. When the lights go down and the show heats up, the entertainer is as likely to be found in the audience having one of her spectators paint her toes as she is feeding the orchestra conductor homemade cupcakes… with her feet. Wherever she is, Mandy Lauderdale is certain to be reinvigorating the va va voom persona with wit and class by evoking Betty Boop’s mock innocence teamed with Jessica Rabbit’s effortless seduction. Charming and incredibly unpredictable, this siren has perfected the formula with a voice that sizzles and a show that reminds us what a night out on the town is all about.

“Lauderdale’s is the most theatrical cabaret act I’ve witnessed in Austin, replete with audience participation that would make Zach director Dave Steakley blush with envy. She’s like an early, less raunchy, Bette Midler, caressed by class. Lauderdale, you’ve got it.” -Michael Barnes, Austin360