This year Les Enfants Terribles are gracing us with a show that’s fun but is a hotchpotch of great performers, boring music, missed opportunities and laughs.
For the average punter with hankering for a late show, you could do a lot worse.
Charlie the owner of the Empire has been murdered, and on stage no less, with every performer of the club the potential perpetrators of the crime their backgrounds are examined through the medium of song. And that’s the plot, that is the entire plot with 10 minutes at the end to tie it up. But hey, who needs a plot when you’ve got songs?
Unfortunately, the music in this show is a real letdown. Mainly because it doesn't fit with the theme of the show. With the white makeup and the murder you’d expect to be treated to a heavy dose of Kurt Weill inspired toe tappers. But what we get is far too close to Webber for comfort. It’s just bland, we want to be transported to the Weimar Republic not an 80’s coma.
Each song revolves around one character's past and the revelations of what terrible secret they hide. Unfortunately, the crime is exactly the same for each reveal, so it wears a bit thin by the 3rd one. It’s a real missed opportunity to be inventive.
And that’s all you can really fault it on. It’s slick and there is plenty of nice touches throughout. The cast are good and you’ll find your attention being pulled in multiple directions. The Cerberus sisters especially, from their makeup to physicality of their arms, they really stand out.
It’s also quite funny when it wants to be. There is a fight between two mimes that is lots of fun. The ventriloquist's section had me smiling through the entire skit and would be better suited earlier in the show.
If you are a massive cabaret fan and you hoping to be treated to something new and exciting, you’ll be disappointed but it’s worth the face value of the tickets. For the average punter with hankering for a late show, you could do a lot worse.
