LE GATEAU CHOCOLAT & JONNY WOO: A NIGHT AT THE MUSICALS – 90 YEARS OF DRAG! at the Soho Theatre
★★★★
“Woo transforms Singing in the Rain and Do-Re-Me into absolute filth”
Walking down Shaftsbury Avenue, you have the pick of pretty much any musical you could ever imagine from Les Misérables to Get Up Stand Up, a celebration of Bob Marley’s life and career. However, only a few minutes away at Soho Theatre, you can experience a hilarious medley of the genre’s greatest hits at Le Gateau Chocolat & Jonny Woo: A Night at the Musicals – 90 Years of Drag! A joint birthday extravaganza for ‘The French and Saunders of Drag’, the duo performs some of their favourite showtunes with varying degrees of faithfulness to the original lyrics and increasingly outrageous shenanigans and costumes.
There can be no expectations of how any song will be performed. All that Jazz – the show’s opener – is performed as intended (albeit with large inflatable hands) whilst Memories from Cats is remixed with My Neck, My Back and Eye of the Tiger (two songs about other types of cats). Woo transforms Singing in the Rain and Do-Re-Me into absolute filth whilst Sweet Transvestite has all the pizazz for which The Rocky Horror Picture Show is known. Most songs are sung live though a few are lip synced such as So Long, Farewell from the Sound of Music which is particularly amusing as deep-voiced Chocolat plays young Gretl’s part. Our stars are both given equal chance to shine in solos, but their chemistry is so strong that they are at their best on stage together.
Songs are occasionally introduced with a rambling story which ends with the song’s title which the duo describe as ‘a tenuous link’. Sweet Transvestite is introduced via an emotional tale of an old cross-dresser that Woo once knew whose dresses he has now come to own. Audience participation can be expected too though this is not just limited to singing along – some will be delighted to be part of a brief performance of the Time Warp.
As to be expected, the costumes are fabulous and playful. The audience is treated to seemingly endless costume changes – including a sequined playsuit from Boohoo Luxe – and at the end of one song Woo ends up completely naked.
The set is bare – a banner saying ‘MUSICALS’ hangs at the back and light strips, a disco ball, smoke and fans do the rest. However, our two stars are simply so captivating that it is barely noticeable and the empty stage in fact allows for ample space for them to dance and move around. They do not limit themselves to the stage either, at times changing costumes at the side of the stalls in full view of the audience. Chocolat also performs a delicate rendition of Hopelessly Devoted to You here and is none the less brilliant because of it.
Woo and Chocolat advertise a performance of every single musical hit from the past 90 years, an impossible task. What they do deliver is fantastic, even if there are notable exclusions to the song sheet. Woo and Gateau’s charisma is unmatched, and you will find yourself beaming and wanting to get up on your feet throughout. If you’re a fan of musicals, drag and debauchery, this is the show for you.
“this annual festival is a joyous celebration of the scene in all its camp, disruptive naughty glory”
This is the third year for Jonny Woo’s queer, sexy, ribald, irreverent take on this most British of formats, and it’s clear that this fabulous evening has now rightly taken its place in London’s alternative social calendar. London now leads the world in queer performance, and this annual festival is a joyous celebration of the scene in all its camp, disruptive naughty glory. Jonny is the perfect host – witty, warm and salacious in equal measure – and Julian Smith’s costumes are delicious throughout. It is a long evening, at four hours, but the acts come fast and furious and are well-balanced enough that time flies by. This reviewer has to confess to being utterly disabled by laughter on more than one occasion – a treat indeed.
The whole show is cheerfully sweary from beginning to end, but there is a clear tonal arc to proceedings, and the second half is significantly filthier than the first. If you blanch at nudity and overt drug references, this is really not the night for you! After an explosive opening number, which sets the scene for the gender play throughout, the show begins with supremely professional high-camp drag from Myra Dubois. She opens the floodgates for the surge of talent to follow, and it is worth remembering that the energetic silliness of acts such as Garry Starr (Damien Warren-Smith’s brilliant comedy alter-ego), as well as the anarchic scratch-punk world of Christeene and Lucy McCormick, demand a high degree of artistic skill. Similarly, for those who might dismiss Lip Sync, Rhys Hollis’ mind-blowing routine – a fierce, sexy mash-up of Nicky Minaj, Missy Elliott and more – was a lesson in performance precision.
And there are voices too. From Sooz Kempner’s belting rendition of the Chorus Line favourite The Music and the Mirror, to the magnificent surprise of comedienne Jayde Adams’ huge operatic soprano, unleashed after her whip-smart comedy set, to Carla Lippis’ in-your-face and dangerous ‘I’m a Liar’, the Hackney Empire resounded with song throughout the evening. Special mention must also go here to the wondrous Theresa May choir – in splendid voice as well as being eye-wateringly funny. Laughter is nigh on continuous for the duration of the show, and every audience member will come away with highlights. Bourgeois & Maurice’s outrageous and lyrically brilliant take on overpopulation – Babies – and Mawaan Rizwan’s unique blend of song, dance and stand-up were personal favourites.
It is to Woo’s credit that important issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community were woven in to the show’s glittering fabric – the importance of pronouns, trans equality, femme visibility and female visibility were all part of the tapestry. Equally, the terrific sketch between Le Gateau Chocolat and Adrienne Truscott was an affectionate poke at well-intentioned woke behaviour. The facility for self-parody is the surest sign of confidence, which Jonny Woo and this exceptional line-up exude from their pores. All Hail Their Majesties. Long May They Reign.
