Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: The Lost Estate, London
Time travel to the 1890s and step inside legendary night-club Le Chat Noir. Become the bohemians and aristocrats of Paris and enter a candlelit world of glittering cabaret, bohemian pleasures, vintage cuisine and live music. Step through the doors of CHAT NOIR! and London disappears. You find yourself inside the legend itself—Le Chat Noir, the infamous club lost for over a century. This temple of art and anarchy, this sanctuary for the beautifully unhinged, has been re-imagined in lavish and fantastical detail by “immersive heavyweights” The Lost Estate—velvet drapes, candlelit tables, glittering aristocrats, the restless spirits of Bohemian Montmartre in every corner...
Paris. Bohemians. Aristocrats. You may think I'm about to start talking of freedom, beauty, truth and love...however, despite being set in the same time period, Chat Noir! has a far less traditional motto: "Get drunk. Stay drunk. On wine. On Poetry. On virtue. On whatever". A line that's said to us many times throughout the evening and a saying I found somewhat poetic of the evening's entertainment.
Upon entering The Lost Estate, you're instantly transported into 1890's Montmartre. Indulgent, luxurious and dripping with decadence, the immersion is almost instant upon entering the building. From the waiting staff, the music, the décor, the actors; not a single aspect of the experience hasn't been thought about in great depth, and it shows. The design and ambience created by Thomas Kirk Shannon and Susan Kulkarni is simply exquisite and sets the tone for the evening immediately.
Chat Noir! is described as immersive theatre, but it truly feels so much more than that. The evening is split into three separate acts: art, absinthe and anarchy. The first act is more traditional cabaret: think mime, opera, magic, dancing, and of course, all held together by the Master of Ceremonies himself, Rodolphe Salis (Joe Morrow). When we reach the second act of the evening, it all begins to feel like somewhat of a fever dream, and by act three when we're met with an abridged version of Carmen, it almost feels as though the entire show is a hallucination...and I mean that in the very best way. It only becomes more deliciously unhinged as the audience becomes more engaged and it's truly a sight to behold. At one point you'll find yourself standing, holding your breast and meowing along to Frère Jacques...yet somehow, you won't question it at all!
Without a doubt, Joe Morrow as the Master of Ceremonies is the heart of the production and he's completely captivating in the role, having the audience in the palm of his hand from the outset. Yvette Guilbert (Issy Wroe Wright) has a voice that's genuinely unbelievable to witness and Cléo de Mérode (Coco Belle) has a magnetism that leaves you unable to tear your eyes away from her whenever she's on stage. Mime artist, Paul Legrand (Alexander Luttley) somehow manages to tug at the audience's heartstrings while also garnering the most laughs of the evening, and magician, Joseph Buatier (Neil Kelso) has the audience second-guessing whenever he's onstage. A mention must also go to band leader and violinist, Guy Button, who was simply mesmerising to watch in action.
The three-course menu included with each ticket is simply exquisite, and only reflects the same calibre as the show itself, as well as the waiting staff, who were incredibly attentive and approachable. As a gluten free guest, I'm always apprehensive, but from the moment I sat at our booth, I was instantly reassured. From cured meat, pâté, cornichons and bread to start, coq au vin as the main and a lemon and raspberry sorbet for dessert (these were the gluten free options), not a single bite of the food was left by me. As we were in the VIP seating, we even had some canapes after our starters which were unbelievably delicious. For the full French experience, we also tried the escargot...and while not something I'll be trying again, it definitely added to the experience! Whether an alcohol-consumer or not, there are plenty of champagne, cocktails and wines to keep you hydrated for the evening...and of course, a chance to try one of the seven varieties of absinthe on offer.
The whole evening is nothing short of perfection and I'd even go as far as saying, completely faultless...which isn't something to be said lightly. Deliciously unhinged, wickedly funny, bursting with talent, oozing with decadence, and truly one of the best nights of theatre I've ever had the joy of experiencing.
You can book tickets to Chat Noir!, here.
**photo credit: Joe and Charlotte (image 1) and Nick Ray (image 2)**
No comments