Perhaps cabaret mystifies housewife (5,4)
I believe the answer is:
floor show
'perhaps cabaret' is the definition.
'mystifies housewife' is the wordplay.
'mystifies' becomes 'floors'.
'housewife' becomes 'how' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'floors'+'how'='FLOOR SHOW'
(Other definitions for floor show that I've seen before include "Cabaret" , "not raised performance?" , "Night club performance" , "Nightclub entertainment" , "Performance not staged" .)