SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
Writing for Us
A CurtainUp 
London Review
London ReviewLe Gateau Chocolat
by Sebastian King
|
"Drag is about whatever you want it to be. "— Le Gateau Chocolat
|
Company in Le Gateau Chocolat (Photo: Simon Nicol) |
As Gateau himself makes very clear, labels are limiting. But allow me to paint something of a picture. Imagine a larger-than-life bearded Nigerian drag queen, clad head-to-toe in Lycra, with a rich operatic bass voice, and you’ll begin to get a sense of Le Gateau Chocolat. But you won’t really understand just how appropriate his stage moniker is until you’ve witnessed him in performance. Just like a big slice of chocolate cake, Gateau’s show is delicious, sweet, moreish, and just a little bit naughty.
As we enter the auditorium, we brush past rails full of brightly coloured glittery costumes, and the stage itself — designed by Ryan Laight — takes us backstage, adorned with yet more costumes, a dressing table and a four-piece band, led by Matthew Carey. When Gateau enters, it is from the back of the auditorium, dressed in a black cloak, singing ‘As If We Never Said Goodbye’ from Sunset Boulevard, and he transforms into his stage persona over the course of the number, ditching the cloak for a green Lycra ‘Riddler’ costume covered in question marks. These question marks, we discover, are representative of the many questions Gateau finds himself frequently bombarded with: ‘Why Lycra? Why opera? Why make-up and a beard?’ To all of which his answer is a resounding ‘Why not?’ As he guides us through key moments in his life, performing a repertoire that takes in Streisand, Sondheim, Madonna and Radiohead, it is clear that ‘Why not?’ is the ethos of the evening.
Jamsheed Master’s clever and creative arrangements of an eclectic mix of songs is played exquisitely by the small band. Le Gateau Chocolat himself is an engaging and endearing personality, and it’s impossible not to warm to him. He has the audience in the palm of his hand, commanding raucous laughter one moment (in his lip-synched tribute to Susan Boyle for example) and absolute silence the next, such as when he reflects on his first love with a heartfelt rendition of Nick Cave’s ‘The Ship Song.’ He talks candidly about the difficulties he has faced in his life due to his sexuality, colour and size, and of the precarious relationship with his mother in Nigeria, who has no idea that her son is gay and performs in Lycra for a living.
Of course at the end of the day a cabaret singer rises or falls on their voice. And what a voice. Whether gyrating around the auditorium vocalising Madonna’s ‘Holiday’ or riffing his way through Prince/Sinead O’ Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, Gateau has a fine deep vibrato, as smooth and velvety as any chocolate cake. But what’s more, Gateau is an adept storyteller, and he brings to each lyric an incisive honesty that is completely captivating. His rendition of ‘Ol’ Man River’ made me hear this familiar song anew, and his ‘NessunDorma’ finale is spine-tingling. There is no question that this is a performer destined for greatness – don’t miss this opportunity to catch a taste of Chocolat at the Chocolate Factory.
|
Le Gateau Chocolat
Written and performed by Le Gateau Chocolat Associate Director: Edward Burnside Costume Design: Horatio Jones Set Design: Ryan Laight Musical Director: Matthew Carey Musical Arrangements: Jamsheed Master Lighting: Justin Marshman Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes without an interval Box Office: 020 7907 7060 Booking to 26th August 2012 Reviewed by Sebastian King based on 15th August 2012 performance at Menier Chocolate |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email. . .also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. You can also contact us at Curtainup at Facebook or Curtainup at Twitter |
