York Theatre Royal – Thursday 2nd June 2022
Reviewed by Michelle Richardson
4****
Why are we even in York, asks Le Gateau Chocolat, an Olivier award winning star, along with the “Queen” of the Alternate Drag Scene, Jonny Woo. To entertain us with their unique take on all the musicals ever written. A huge feat in a 70 minute show.
After, what I can only presume was a slight hiccup, as for the first five minutes all we got to see was an empty stage with a smoke machine blowing out and a cd playing in the background, the “ebony and ivory of drag” hit the stage with Now That’s What We Call Musicals.
Resplendent in colourful, ever-changing wigs and even more vibrant over the top outfits, full of fringe and sparkle, they dazzled their way through musical numbers from Cabaret, Cats, Frozen, Grease and many many more, maybe not quite from every musical every written, but at least a few were ticked off the list.
Le Gateau has truly an amazing baritone voice and isn’t afraid to use it, but he also isn’t afraid to make fun of his voice, mumbling past some irrelevant lyrics in his numbers, much to the delight of the audience. Woo delivers a few lip-synch numbers. His hilarious portrayal of the many characters from At the End of the Day, from Les Mis, is superb.
Within the packed show, there are numerous wig and costume changes, with even a suggestive confetti cannon being thrown in during one song. Layers of clothing are removed on stage, and we get to see more and more flesh, none more so than Woo in all his naked glory, well as good as dammit anyway.
This sure was a melting pot of musical theatre, full of vaudeville, comedy and drag. As well as asking the audience for musical suggestions, we had a sing along and by the end we were all up on our feet boogying away.
A fabulous glitzy, camp variety performance, a glorious evening of entertainment that deserves to be seen.