Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show returns to London in spectacular style – review

We caught the Trend Freak Show working experience at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Corridor back again in 2019, when it designed its London debut next its premiere in Paris. Three years on, and in a new setting of the Roundhouse in Camden, it returns to delight audiences at the time more. We enjoyed it back again then, and we loved it once again now – most of the material of the generation stays the similar, although it has been tailored to the new place, total with a catwalk which is utilised efficiently through.

It is also a bit much more of an immersive expertise this time all-around – the performers typically exit the catwalk into the auditorium, interacting with all those at the cabaret tables or the front rows of the stalls on their way back to the stage. If you’re not a lover of viewers participation, probably ebook some seats a few rows further back again.

The Manner Freak Exhibit is not like nearly anything else on London’s stages suitable now – it offers a glimpse back again at the last 50 years of pop lifestyle, considered via the eyes of fashion’s enfant awful. It charges itself as ‘an explosive mix of revue and fashion show’ and we wouldn’t argue with that description: it is aspect musical revue, with a quantity of the tracks – from a soundtrack curated by Chic’s Nile Rodgers – carried out stay. It is, of class, aspect vogue exhibit but there is also some energetic choreography and entertaining acrobatics thrown in much too, not to mention some amusing pre-recorded content material.

It performs nicely. There’s not a substantial amount of money to the narrative other than an overview of Jean Paul Gaultier’s vocation, with a handful of guiding-the-scenes snapshots, so those after something a little bit more significant will be far better off looking in other places. Unsurprisingly, for a demonstrate about style, the target in this article is incredibly considerably on the aesthetics and they genuinely are rather pleasing. About the program of a few of hrs we’re taken care of to a wide wide range of genuinely impressive seems, and are afforded a handful of glimpses into some (diligently choreographed) backstage chaos.

We’re aware that a demonstrate with these kinds of a emphasis on trend won’t hold universal appeal – and though both equally the singing and dancing are very sound, they are not the very best on offer you in London at the second. It’s also incredibly a lot an all-surface, no-substance show… but it’s really scarce for the surface to glance quite this astonishing. The Fashion Freak Show is compared with any other knowledge on supply at the second and it is spectacularly elegant energetic, entertaining, captivating, one of a kind – it is all the things a trend demonstrate should be.

Homosexual Situations presents Jean Paul Gaultier’s Trend Freak Present – 4/5

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