The stage is a cascade of beautiful gowns – draped from eaves, perched on mannequins, and shimmering in piles on the floor… There were more sequins and glitter on that stage than Elton John’s laundry basket!
And then the music starts, and in he enters, the bearded Diva, head to toe in sparkles, and singing in a rich and warm baritone. From the first few notes, it is clear that Le Gateau Chocolat (Gateau from this point) has a deep resonant voice and a commanding presence… When he first comes on he is shrouded in shadow as he sings the opening number, then emerging from the shadows like a sparkling spectre of song, he comes, and we are dazzled by all his glittery sequinned glory.
The opening song was dripping with vintage Broadway glamour and we knew we were in for an incredible performance. The show is only an hour long, but he manages to fit a lot of songs and costume changes in there!
There were songs from Mamma Mia, Disney classics, like Frozen’s ‘Let It Go’ and The Little Mermaid’s ‘Part of Your World,’ where Gateau hilariously left the audience to fill in the lyric ‘what’s the word?’ Only one person – me, of course – sang ‘BURN!’ with gusto, making for a fun moment of connection with the artiste! The Snowman, Cats, Lion King (and appropriate furry costumes), and all of these with flair, humour and a lot of sass! And of course there was a good old audience sing-a-long to songs from one of my favourite movie musical classics: Grease!
Gateau is fun, fabulously silly, and extraordinarily talented – spending an hour being serenaded by him is pure pleasure and privilege. The Soho theatre is not a huge venue and I guarantee you that tickets for this songster-ess will sell out FAST! So if you want to get yourself a slice of the most delicious cake in town, get yourself down to Soho to enjoy Le Gateau Chocolat, you’re guaranteed to leave feeling full…of musical joy!
Le Gateau Chocolat: Musicals Mayhem is Best Before End: 11th January!
Get your tickets at www.sohotheatre.com
Words by Nick Barr
Photography Harry Ellitson
