The chanteuse Anne Millar has a great voice, stage presence and aplomb, and her French cabaret, Illusions, combines humour, skill and creativity to entertain, amaze and charm.

French music, songs and language are only some of the ingredients chosen by Millar, whose script is a witty pot-pourri of cliche's associated with cross-cultural encounters, from phrase-book offerings to cuisine and drinks, with more than one double-entendre, and the kind of word play that fits a Fringe show with a medium Kleenheat sizzle factor.

Love for and in Paris is a suitable context and subtext, with variations that include even its absence, or violence: clearly knowledge of a 'lost' cache of songs underpins the work.

Baguette rhymes with regret, leading to one of the classic Piaf numbers that raise the roof. One also thinks of the moving Brel song Ne me quitte pas, after 'do not leave me' is called out to a fictional partner who has gone, leaving behind (of course) a French letter, to be translated by the excellent piano player, Vincent Colagiuri. There is occasional audience participation, but French language knowledge is definitely not required. When asked, one who naively raised their hand was shown the door – a scarily effective theatrical move.

There are some translations of lyrics projected on the back of the stage, possibly easier to read if one sits in front. Even from the side, and without catching every word in either language, the performance is engaging throughout. Millar displays her operatic voice skills more than once: the choice of songs ranges in terms of familiarity, and includes a creative rendition of a surprisingly incongruous text over a very classical score. During a brief interval for costume change, the pianist solo choice is the one piece I love and recognise after decades, from a record of 'Cloud' Debussy, deserving appreciative applause.

At the start, the chanteuse wears a feathered peignoir and greets the audience with a 'bonsoir', inviting response. At the end, the experience is definitely a very good evening.