Tag Archives: Mark Senior

Fashion Freak Show

★★★★★

Roundhouse

fashion freak show

Fashion Freak Show

Roundhouse

Reviewed – 19th July 2022

★★★★★

 

“the show is a glorious tableau of an extraordinary life and career”

 

Part revue, part cabaret, part catwalk, part circus; part song and dance, part autobiography, part drama, comedy, and a smattering of personal tragedy: Jean Paul Gaultier’s “Fashion Freak Show” explodes onto the London stage like nothing you’ve seen before. For just a couple of hours we are taken on a magical, whirlwind tour of half a century of culture that is “Gaultier”; the enfant terrible who somehow weaved his way into the mainstream psyche. His love affair with celebrity is teasing and affectionate, but his love for fashion is real and enduring. And by the end we have learned that ‘Freakshow’ is not just an alliterative marketing tagline, but a genuine commentary on the world we live in.

It opens with the rather grand assertion that the show is going to “trawl inside his head, his body, and penetrate his soul”. We pocket the claim with the Eurotrash wink with which it is delivered and then settle back for the spectacular journey through Gaultier’s life and career. There is no narration. No libretto. It is a feast for the senses. Film and music have influenced Gaultier’s career as much as fashion has, and “Fashion Freak Show” reveals how much he has influenced film, music and fashion in response.

It begins with his childhood teddy bear, who wore the conical bra decades before Madonna did. We catch glimpses of pivotal moments of his school life, the Folies Bergère in the sixties, his ‘grand amour’, his first fashion show, his brushes with the fashion police, the move to London. Punk, New Wave, ‘nightclubbing’ and the rise and fall of the eighties. AIDS. All the highs, the lows; the scandals and the triumphs; the public and the private. It is thrillingly brought to life by the eighteen strong cast, an impossibly talented troupe of singers, dancers, actors and acrobats. Superbly choreographed by Marion Motin there isn’t a step out of place.

But let’s not forget the theatricality of the costumes. Sensational, beautiful, grotesque, humorous. Serious and ridiculous, and ground-breaking – it is all on show. Outrage is a theme Gaultier seems very comfortable with. He is fearless, a spirit that extends beyond provocation to his ability to poke fun at himself too. A recurring send-up of US Vogue editor, Anna Wintour, is filled with teasing affection, brilliantly crafted to expose the humour alongside the masked mutual admiration.

Matching the sheer extravagance of the performances is the positivity of the message – “Yes you can!” – which is the thread of the show; and of Gaultier’s life. He is a man whose dreams have become a reality. Yet juxtaposed with this are moments of heart-rending poignancy. A slowed-down, a Capella rendition of Cole Porter’s “I Got You Under My Skin” accompanies a haunting ballet depicting the tragic death of Gaultier’s long-term partner, Francis Menuge. Rumour has it that Gaultier is to retire from staging live events, sparking the prospect that “Fashion Freak Show” could be his swan song. If so, we are still soothed by the knowledge that he will still be weaving his magic behind the scenes. But for now, the show is a glorious tableau of an extraordinary life and career. Four years in the making, it has grown from its cabaret roots at the Folies Bergère in Paris to the multi-media experience at the Roundhouse.

Protégés and icons appear throughout, as lookalikes or projections, highlighting the extent of his influence. Among the many; Madonna, Catherine Deneuve, Prince, Grace Jones (who, incidentally, was also in the audience). References fall thick and fast; from the grit of Sid Vicious to the bubble-gum of Plastic Bertrand; film-noir to Rocky Horror; the Roaring Twenties to today’s somewhat simpering twenties. It is all encompassing. “Beauty is in everything”. Gaultier is famous for his outspokenness against cosmetic surgery. Whilst in no way judgemental of people who choose that path, he prefers to celebrate the human form as it comes – in all shapes, sizes and colours. Towards the climax of the evening the ‘Freak Show’ really kicks in. As the costumes become increasingly grotesque, the underlying beauty is enhanced. Especially when the cloaks are stripped away. “We are all freaks. Freak is chic”

There is nothing like this in town at the moment. “Fashion Freak Show” is irrefutably unmissable. “What you’re seeing tonight is my childhood dream” speaks the man himself. It is safe to say that this show is everybody’s dream. Go and live it!

 

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Mark Senior

 

Camden Roundhouse

Fashion Freak Show

Roundhouse until 28th August

 

Recently reviewed by Jonathan:
Orlando | ★★★★ | Jermyn Street Theatre | May 2022
The Breach | ★★★ | Hampstead Theatre | May 2022
The End of the Night | ★★ | Park Theatre | May 2022
The Man Behind the Mask | ★★★★ | Churchill Theatre | May 2022
Til Death do us Part | ★★★★★ | Theatre503 | May 2022
Tomorrow May Be My Last | ★★★★★ | Old Red Lion Theatre | May 2022
Evelyn | ★★★ | Southwark Playhouse | June 2022
Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch | ★★★★ | Underbelly Festival | June 2022
Pennyroyal | ★★★★ | Finborough Theatre | July 2022
Millennials | ★★★ | The Other Palace | July 2022

 

Click here to see our most recent reviews

 

Millennials

Millennials

★★★

The Other Palace

Millennials

Millennials

The Other Palace

Reviewed – 15th July 2022

★★★

 

“Hannah Benson’s immersive staging bubbles with an energy”

 

There is, and always has been, debate about the purpose or usefulness of demographic tags. But whether we like them or not, or whether they influence an individual or a group of personalities, the labels are here to stay.

If you are a ‘Millennial’ you witnessed the 9/11 terrorist attacks that shook the world, and were likely to be old enough to comprehend its historical significance. You grew up in the shadow of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; you will have watched the erosion of the global political climate. Reaching adulthood, you would have walked headlong into the height of an economic recession. And the internet has pretty much always been there for you.

Is this significant?

If you are a ‘Millennial’ (according to psychologists) you are likely to be confident, but also confused. You are tolerant, but have an overblown sense of entitlement. You are generous, but at the same time narcissistic. In other words, you merely possess the contradictions that make us human.

Elliot Clay has written a song cycle that tells these Millennials’ stories. But he runs up against the same problems. For the most part they come across as merely human stories; under the Millennial banner. And it is a banner that is waved flamboyantly. Colourful yet superficial. There is little that earmarks a Millennial’s ownership of the subject matter. So we are left with a song cycle. And there is nothing wrong with that. Clay has composed some very fine numbers here. But a trick has been missed, and what is slightly frustrating about the show is the awareness that some sort of thread could have been weaved into the overall concept; or something to bind the characters into some sort of collective. To give them a real, solid context or journey.

Fortunately, that reservation in no way extends to the presentation. Hannah Benson’s immersive staging bubbles with an energy that sweeps aside the misgivings and allows us just to have fun. Andrew Exeter’s design matches, and supersedes, the sheer pizzazz. The Other Palace is transformed into a candied, Wonka-like, emporium. Part disco, part adventure playground; shimmering with colours that overflow with e-numbers. You can taste the sweetness of the set.

The performances are the main attraction. Despite most of their energy being channelled into Tinovimbanashe Sibanda’s slick choreography, the cast of six unleash their glorious voices to the crowd with the dynamism and craftmanship befitting the cream of Musical Theatre. Clay’s songs and lyrics are given the starry treatment and they have the appeal to stand their ground, but “Millennials”, as a show, lacks the cohesive ingredients to ensure a similar longevity. But as a gig, it’s a pretty good night out.

 

 

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Mark Senior

 


Millennials

The Other Palace until 7th August

 

All our reviews this month so far – click to read:

I Can’t Hear You | ★★★★ | Theatre503 | July 2022

The Hive | ★★★ | Hoxton Hall | July 2022

Report to an Academy | | Old Red Lion Theatre | July 2022

Barefoot in the Park | ★★★★ | The Mill at Sonning | July 2022

Flat and Curves | ★★★★★ | Toulouse Lautrec | July 2022

Hungry | ★★★★★ | Soho Theatre | July 2022

Pennyroyal | ★★★★ | Finborough Theatre | July 2022

Shit-Faced Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet | ★★★★ | Leicester Square Theatre | July 2022

 

Click here to see our most recent reviews