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Fringe Review: La Gateau Chocolat – Icons

La Gateau is a force to be reckoned with but also a delicate soul. His Icons is a show dedicated to the icons that have inspired him and thousands of others.

Fringe2015-LeGateauChocolatIconsPresented by Strut & Fret Production House
Reviewed 17 February 2015

There’s nobody quite like La Gateau Chocolat, and if you’ve caught one of his shows over the years you’d know exactly why. A force to be reckoned with, but also a delicate soul, La Gateau is everything you’d want out of a performer.

2015’s Icons is a show dedicated to the icons that inspired not just Chocolat but thousands of others. How do these great figures, such as Kate Bush, Whitney, Elvis or Wagner, walk the line between public and personal? What goes on underneath the icon?

La Gateau Chocolat delivers not just powerful, tent shaking baritone roars, but also sweet, almost melancholy songs of romance and love lost. He can be outrageous and hilarious at times but also quickly shift gear into something more serious. What this shows, I feel, is an ability to master heartache, or at least channel it into something positive, using the energy to deliver something spectacular, which is really quite a talent.

The highlight of Icons is definitely the rendition of I’d Do Anything for Love performed in full drag, with La Gateau’s wig blowing in the breeze of a fan. The lighting, sound and general amazingness of La Gateau’s voice created a spectacle rivalling anything I’ve seen at the bigger, flashier venues around. His immense opera stylings also lend themselves strangely well to the songs of Björk, rounding off the show with Hyperballad.

The Deluxe was suitably decked out for such a shimmering performer, turned into a child’s room complete with disco ball, smoke machines and pictures of David Bowie. La Gateau’s small band, Marty and Shannon, are similarly fantastic, but outshined by the drag cabaret star at for which the show is named. Regardless, bravo to all involved. Adelaide is blessed to have you back, Chocolat!

Reviewed by James Rudd

Rating out of 5:  4

Venue: Deluxe – Garden of Unearthly Delights, Rundle Park/Kadlitpina, Cnr East Tce & Rundle Rd, Adelaide
Season: 17 February – 15 March 2015
Duration: 1 hour
Tickets: $35 – $38, $30 on cheap Tuesday
Bookings: Book through FringeTix online or at a FringeTix box office (booking fees apply)

 

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