Jean-Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freakshow

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Jean-Paul Gaultier was on the Radio 2 Breakfast show this morning talking about this which is coming to London in the summer (I think to the Royal Festival Hall but it's not on their website yet)

I though initially it was an exhibition like the Alexander McQueen one at the V&A but actually it seems to be a full-blown musical extravaganza which played at the Folies Bergeres last year

www.vogue.com/article/jean-paul-gaultier-fashion-freak-show-at-the-folies-bergeres

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Queen Elizabeth Hall from 23rd July - 2nd August

Eccentric, scandalous, provocative, exuberant and as funny as ever, fashion’s enfant terrible presents his new creation: part revue, part catwalk show.



In a UK premiere, author, director and set designer Jean Paul Gaultier takes an extravagant, yet tender, look at our times, inviting us into a world filled with excess, poetry and magic.



New designs get their debut alongside Gaultier’s most iconic creations in a show thought out like a grand party. Actors, dancers and circus artists take to the stage to play outlandish, passionate, larger-than-life, sexy, sassy creatures.



Gaultier shares memories from his childhood and his early career, from his greatest fashion shows to wild nights spent in legendary Paris nightclub Le Palace and in London. The show pays tribute to those who have inspired him in film (Pedro Almodóvar, Luc Besson), music (Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Mylène Farmer) and dance (Régine Chopinot, Angelin Preljocaj).


From disco to funk, pop to rock and new wave to punk, the Fashion Freak Show is an explosive playlist of hits that have inspired the artist throughout his life.



The project has been brought to life by a stellar line-up of collaborators, including actor, scriptwriter and director Tonie Marshall, who co-directs, and choreographer Marion Motin (Madonna, Christine and the Queens, Stromae, Resiste the musical).

Tickets go on sale to Southbank Centre Members at 10am, Thursday 4 April and on general sale at 10am, Friday 5 April.

Contains nudity and sexual references.

[dlevi]

What a glorious mess of a show this is. It's too long ( 2:30 with an interval) and it has a "book" when none is needed or desired, BUT the design is out-of-this world ( video and costume) and while the cast is led by a charmless woman who really can't sing, happily most of the vocal work is recorded, they are all rather sexy and high-spirited. If it were 80 minutes long without an interval it could be the next "immersive" hit - as it is , it's just an expensive curiosity.

[stuart]

This has got to be one of the most visually spectacular shows I have ever seen.

Pet peeve - when shows go up “late” but still manage to end on time. Just tell us that the show is going to start late! I was in a proper rush to get there after a day at work and was then sat for 10 minutes in my seat before the show actually started. The “20 minute intermission” then lasted for exactly 30 minutes too!

Act 1 - 19:41-20:24
Interval - 20:24-20:54
Act 2 - 20:54-21:52

Tell you what though, you can see where your ticket money has gone in this show! Wow, it is a proper spectacle. This has higher production values than some A-list pop concerts I’ve seen at The O2. It’s part cabaret, part dance, part burlesque with a heavy influence on fashion obviously. I really enjoyed it and loved having no clue at what the hell would happen next.

They probably went too big on the venue (the entire upper section was closed off and the “stalls” were only 3/4 full) but it doesn’t feel big given how they incorporate the catwalk and lighting through the venue.

There are deals aplenty around for this and the TodayTix Rush Seats don’t seem to be selling our daily so if you can get a good price, I cannot recommend this highly enough. An electric, intense, shocking and bonkers evening at the theatre.