Stage: Art, absinthe and anarchy

Chat Noir!
writer-director Will Kunhardt
with Joe Morrow, Issy Wroe Wright, Alexander Luttley, Coco Belle, Neil Kelso
musicians Alex Ullman, Guy Button, Kieran Carter, Aine McLoughlin, Will Fry
composer Steffan Rees • movement Catriona Giles
sets Thomas Kirk Shannon • costumes Susan Kulkarni
lighting Mike Gunning • sound Luke Swaffield
chef Ashley Clarke
The Lost Estate, West Kensington • 24.Mar-31.Jul.26 ★★★★

For events created by the Lost Estate, the audience arrives in costume ready to be transported back in time for a luxuriant evening of food and entertainment. This time, we venture through a velvet-curtained Parisian rift in time to arrive at Le Chat Noir, a disreputable cabaret club in 1896 Montmartre, dripping in faded Art Nouveau glory. There, proprietor Rodolphe Salis (Joe Morrow) leads us through a decadent experience that tickles literally all of the senses.

The tasty meal is expertly served in Belle Époque style, with a pâté starter and coq au vin main (although it should be noted that the veggie chartreuse option felt oddly unsubstantial), concluding with a tangy tarte au citron. This is accompanied by lashings of drinks options, including champagne, wine, a dazzling array of cocktails and mocktails, plus an absinthe infusion. In between the courses, the show unfolds in three acts that explore how art and insanity so happily mingle together.

Issy Wroe Wright

Opening with Art, Rodolphe introduces each of the seriously talented Chat Noir artists: singer Yvette Guilbert (Issy Wroe Wright), mime Paul LeGrand (Alexander Muttley), burlesque dancer Cléo de Mérode (Coco Belle) and illusionist Joseph Bautier (Neil Kelso). They show off their skills as a group and in evocative solos, accompanied by a superb live five-piece band that dives right into the middle of the action. All of this comes with a witty blast of attitude, as Rodolphe celebrates the delightful pointlessness of art, which of course is what makes it essential.

After the main course, Absinthe takes a big shift away from bawdiness into the swirlingly hallucinatory, as the performers gyrate in eerie lighting, using smoke and seductive choreography. This is dreamy and ethereal, with an intriguingly emotive kick. But we're relieved when Anarchy restores the riotous atmosphere. Rodolphe asks us to think less and laugh more, announcing that the company will make up the rest of the show on the spot. So while it is obviously well-rehearsed (thankfully!), there is a thrilling sense of chaos as the ensemble performs various lively solos that coalesce into a raucous run-through of Bizet's Carmen.

Neil Kelso

Quoting Baudelaire, Rodolphe urges the audience to stay drunk on wine, poetry or virtue. Through all of this, the audience joins in on the absurd hilarity, interacting with the performers individually or adding a chorus of meowing cats. The way the Lost Estate builds this experience is exceptional, from technical expertise in the lighting and sound to excellent food and, most of all, first-rate performances. This may be a pricey night out, but it's a great excuse to dress up for an immersive experience that keeps us entertained for three and a half hours before sending us floating out into the night.

Joe Morrow as Rodolphe Salis

Alexander Muttley & Guy Button

Coco Belle

For information, CHAT NOIR >
See also the Lost Estate's THE GREAT CHRISTMAS FEAST >

photos by Nick Ray, H Leatherby • 2.May.26