It’s hard to resist chocolate in any shape or form, but it’s downright impossible when you're talking about Le Gateau Chocolat. And what would complement rich, velvety chocolate better than vanilla, perhaps with a hint of zesty lemon, in the form of someone like Johnny Woo? Now, there’s a recipe for a perfect drag delicacy.
This is where musical theatre goes to die.
Le Gateau Chocolat and Jonny Woo, his partner in crime, have returned to Brighton after selling out a globetrotting spring tour, this time going after the drag culture crown jewels - the musicals - and what mighty havoc they wreck! Leaving behind a trail of glitter, sequins, wigs, outfits and slaughtered show tunes, it seems to me that A Night At The Musicals is where musical theatre goes to die.
Imagine this: Woo as the Phantom opposite Chocolat's Christine from, you guessed it, The Phantom Of The Opera, wearing a Darth Vader mask and waving a lightsaber (the force was certainly strong with this one); Woo lip-syncing to a three-minute rendition of Les Miserables with countless character changes; Chocolat belting out Let It Go from Frozen through a storm of glitter; Woo giving a member of the audience a rather acrobatic lap dance to Mein Herr from Cabaret. Got the picture yet?
You couldn’t find a better match than Le Gateau Chocolat, the Olivier Award winning star of La Clique and La Soirée, and Jonny Woo, Queen of the Alternative Drag scene – both true drag royalty. The long tour has brought them close together, making them bicker like an old married couple. All is fair in love and war as these divine divas try to outstage one another: where Chocolat is haute couture, Woo is H&M; where Le Gateau has the voice, Woo has the legs. Both are to die for.
It's pretty obvious that this dynamic duo is incredibly talented; both are masters of comic timing and effortless interaction with the audience, but even with the quick wit and good looks, it’s still the vocal talents that shine the brightest, especially Chocolat's rich and booming baritone which is truly out of this world. She has also found an extra gear when it comes to stage presence, bursting into a lavishly manic choreography throughout the show. Looking good, girl!
So, if you like your musical hits in their original splendor, this may not be the show for you - I suggest you go and see the West End productions instead. The rest of us can join Le Gateau Chocolat and Jonny Woo in the last sing-along showstopper from Grease: 'Tell me more, tell me more…'
