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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

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

Lexicon

Roundhouse

Reviewed – 7th January 2020

★★★★

“a mind-blowing collection of traditional circus skills taken beyond normal boundaries, unruly and unorthodox, all delighting in the art of misbehaving”

Circus skills with a mischievous edge delight and excite with the magical Lexicon, the latest offering from NoFit State Circus at the Roundhouse.

From an opening featuring badly behaved pupils in a classroom (complete with flying desks and a fierce tightrope walking teacher) the subject matter of this NoFit State Circus show is clear: this is all about presenting the wonderful basics of circus art then anarchically expanding the vocabulary of the form to create something both contemporary and forward-looking.

From the moment you arrive at the Roundhouse – a perfect venue for this show as the auditorium looks for all the world like a Big Top – you are involved with the action. Musicians play around the foyers, quick tricks are performed as you take your seats and you may find the person seated next to you is suddenly whisked up on wires to join in the acrobatic feats.

Lexicon is a maelstrom of nail biting energy and endurance – at times there is almost too much going on in the ring as by watching one band of performers you miss several more. But this non-stop approach adds to the breathtaking whole as auteur/director Firenza Guidi and the committed company deliberately throw all they can at the audience, challenging them not to have their breath taken away in bursts of rebellion.

This is a mind-blowing collection of traditional circus skills taken beyond normal boundaries, unruly and unorthodox, all delighting in the art of misbehaving. At the outset we are told to crave words and learn truth but the language in this dictionary is agility and unlimited energy where actions speak louder than words and expectations are constantly defied.

There’s geekiness as a bullied “pupil” performs increasingly dexterous unicycling exploits: Sam Goodburn becomes an audience favourite as he changes clothes on the cycle, gives a towering performance on a tall cycle and finally rides along a line of upturned wine glasses.

There’s clownish laughter provided by the likes of Luke Hallgarten who performs some daring fire juggling though keeps setting himself alight, Luca Morrocchi showing off pure physical fitness on the Chinese pole bringing an 800-year-old art form bang up to date and a cheeky kilted Davide Salodini on a walking globe.

And there’s the seductive charm of Lyndall Merry on the swinging trapeze, a flying showman flaunting sex appeal alongside mind-boggling deftness.

The unconventional costumes (Rhiannon Matthews) add to the sense of the traditional being turned on its head, a cavalcade of carnival steam punk and the design (Nic Von Der Borch and Saz Moir) blends the old and the new, giving old-fashioned traditional rigging the appearance of something from a sci-fi movie.

Equally impressive is the live music: many of the performers dart from circus art toe singing or playing instruments and David Murray’s cross-cultural compositions are worthy of a standalone live concert performance.

It’s impossible not to be impressed by the ever-present riggers: there is wizardry in the way they provide the balances and counterweights to the incredible aerial stunts, perpetual motion which is as eye-catching as the acts themselves.

True, some of the acts seem to slow down the relentless energy, but so much is fresh and vibrant that something new is never far behind.

Lexicon is heartfelt, humorous and high-energy from start to finish. It may even have the power to persuade a whole new generation that their ambition is to run away and join the circus. At the very least it is proof that one of the most traditional forms of theatre and art is alive and kicking with a dazzling insurgence.

Roundhouse

Reviewed – 19th July 2022

★★★★★

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

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

Fashion Freak Show

Roundhouse until 28th August

Recently reviewed by Jonathan:

Roundhouse

Reviewed – 7th January 2020

★★★★

“a mind-blowing collection of traditional circus skills taken beyond normal boundaries, unruly and unorthodox, all delighting in the art of misbehaving”

Circus skills with a mischievous edge delight and excite with the magical Lexicon, the latest offering from NoFit State Circus at the Roundhouse.

There’s geekiness as a bullied “pupil” performs increasingly dexterous unicycling exploits: Sam Goodburn becomes an audience favourite as he changes clothes on the cycle, gives a towering performance on a tall cycle and finally rides along a line of upturned wine glasses.

And there’s the seductive charm of Lyndall Merry on the swinging trapeze, a flying showman flaunting sex appeal alongside mind-boggling deftness.

Equally impressive is the live music: many of the performers dart from circus art toe singing or playing instruments and David Murray’s cross-cultural compositions are worthy of a standalone live concert performance.

It’s impossible not to be impressed by the ever-present riggers: there is wizardry in the way they provide the balances and counterweights to the incredible aerial stunts, perpetual motion which is as eye-catching as the acts themselves.

True, some of the acts seem to slow down the relentless energy, but so much is fresh and vibrant that something new is never far behind.

Reviewed by David Guest

Photography by David Levene

Lexicon

Roundhouse until 18th January

Previously reviewed at this venue: