C’est Magnifique
Cabaret is an art, a fabulous theatrical experience that blends so many talents, singing, dancing, comedy and spectacle – or at least it should be. But so often the form is debased, a parade of unconnected and dismal performances that are not worthy of the title.
Then there is C’est Magnifique, Chocolate Box Theatre’s simply magnificent confection that is wrapped in the moody warmth of the subterranean Tusk Club beneath The Walrus in the heart of Brighton.
It’s a jam packed vibrant pub in which we grabbed a decent dinner before descending to see the show, and the staff were warm and welcoming which always gets an evening off to a good start. But nothing could have prepared us for what was yet to come.
The room has all the dark plush luxury one would hope to find, it’s not a dark and dingy cellar tunred over with little effort to performance, far from it, velvet booths, a twinkling bar and sparkling table lamps complete the look, one could easily be in Paris or Berlin, even Mayfair back in the day. And strolling amongst us as we find our tables are the fabulous creatures that are our cast. The look is very definitely Weimar Republic, with splashes of Moulin Rouge, the venue rather than the film. There’s a slightly seedy edge to it all, mannered as opposed to cheap and it certainly sets the scene for what is about to start, a full on evening of frills, skills and thrills.
As we settle the evening starts, a welcome from the towering presence of Cyril, a gender defying and stunning creature who introduces his cohorts and the band before breaking into song. And what a voice, the man has a set of lungs and chords that blow the roof off the place, vocal dexterity used to great effect without ever losing sight of the song (how I hate the warbling riffing of so many contemporary singers who have little respect for the original tune).
What follows is a breathless display of talents. I could list the songs one by one, but that would remove the excitement of the show as it unfurls.
What you get is a balanced menu of ballads, torch songs, comedy numbers, musical theatre hits and a dash of pop, just a dash. And as if that was not enough, every number is choreographed to within an inch of its life, real terpsichoreal talents on show, high kicks, complex routines and tap, all delivered with style and skill. There’s no bluffing here. The cast of six, on this occasion, can all deliver to a very high standard.
But having the technical skill is not enough, what this cast also have is acting skills, they embody their individual characters with charm and skill, a sassy blonde bombshell, a leggy vamp, a broody French chanteuse channeling more than a dash of Fenella Feilding, a hunky bell boy with a stunning voice and Gaylord, the cute one who taps up a storm.
It’s all accompanied by live music, not a track in play here, keyboard and drums used to great effect. And the staging is equally effective and spare. Scene changes are created by the use of vintage brown suitcases, lined up, piled up, swung around, danced with and knocked down domino style, it’s damned clever.
And we also discover that on this occasion one performer is unwell, which means that every dance routine and every harmony, the harmony singing is superb, everything at the last minute has been re-worked to accommodate that loss. We would not have known.
This show is slick, saucy, stylish… well to sum it up it is sensational. You will now be expecting five stars but, were I allowed I would be delivering five stars each to every member of this company, a company that should be heading to the West End, Broadway even.
There are two more shows before Christmas, the 25th of October and the 29th of November and it is guaranteed to sell out so get those tickets now!
Andrew Kay
27 September
The Tusk Club
Rating:
