Two drag queens have managed to squeeze 90 years of musical theatre into a 60 minute musical revue, and it is oh so fun!
La Gateau Chocolat is one of Time Out London’s ‘Top 10 Cabaret Stars’, and Jonny Woo is a comedian, and one of London’s leading figures in cabaret and alternative variety. Together they are the self-proclaimed ‘French and Saunders of Drag’.
The show opens with them both performing Chicago‘s ‘All That Jazz’, wearing large Mickey Mouse style hands, a hilarious touch, and a great opening number to the show, which lets the audience know from the start that this is going to be silly!
Throughout the show lyrics are altered, rearranged and parodied, albeit not every number, there are some which are simply performed in their original form. There are some moments of pure comedic genius, there is The Little Mermaid’s ‘Part of That World’ performed by Le Gateau Chocolat, adorned in sequins, and a crab bra, whilst Jonny Woo appears onstage as a shark. There is also a rendition of ‘Memory’ from Cats, which is hilariously remixed with Khia’s ‘My Neck, My Back’.
An aspect I thoroughly enjoyed, and was very impressed by, was the costume design. Every single musical number had a different costume, each of these were instantly recognisable – you knew exactly who was being portrayed throughout. And some seriously quick costume changes took place! The Little Mermaid and Cats costumes were particular highlights, and an incredible number of sequins were onstage throughout.
By their own admission, the links between the songs are tenuous – and at times I found that they took rather a long time to introduce the next number, which unfortunately disrupted the pacing of the show somewhat.
La Gateau Chocolat’s baritone voice is truly the highlight of the show. Their tender, heartfelt performance of ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’ was a wonderful tribute to the late Olivia Newton John. They also utilised their low tones in their comedy throughout the show, which worked marvellously. Their facial expressions, and looks at Jonny throughout the show, were also hysterical.
Although a whole lot of fun can be had watching this show, I couldn’t help but feel that more could be done with it. The show does exactly what it says on the tin (or in the title), and nothing more. Some of the parodied lyrics worked wonderfully, whereas others could have been amped up more. I also wished there had been more variety in the songs performed. There were multiple songs performed from the same musicals, and it would have been nice to have seen more musicals showcased throughout. The show is a wonderful, unique concept, and some aspects worked really well here. I’d be very excited to see how the show progresses, and to see future work by these fabulous performers.
Despite my gripes, this show makes for a great, musical-filled night out. You can expect outstanding costumes, some wonderful performances, to dance the ‘Time Warp’, and even some nudity!
{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}
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