The Lost Estate’s latest immersive creation Chat Noir! brings art, absinthe and anarchy to London
The Lost Estate have made a name for themselves with The Great Christmas Feast and 58th Street and they are quickly becoming one of the most interesting creators of immersive performance in the country.
Chat Noir! could be their most polished work yet – dinner, a concert, a piece of theatre and a night out, all fused into one.
It begins, as all good nights in Paris do, with a secret door. Being told to arrive at 6pm and then left waiting on the pavement until 6.45 is possibly the most French thing that’s ever happened. Whether or not it was intentional, I have no idea, but having spent two years living in Paris, the humour was not lost on me.
As the door open, we are immediately transported to Montmartre, 1896.
At the centre of the madness is Rodolphe Salis, played with magnetic, slightly dangerous charm by Joe Morrow, the self-styled Dandy King of Cabaret. He presides over the room like a man with one last great idea and only tonight to realise it.
Around him, he has summoned the legends of his age and historic icons of their form:
The Muse (Yvette Guilbert) played by Issy Wroe Wright
The Dancer (Cléo de Mérode) played by Coco Belle
The Mime (Paul Legrand) played by Alexander Luttley
The Magician (Joseph Buatier) played by Neil Kelso
The evening is structured around Salis’ own mantra ‘art, absinthe and anarchy’.
Three acts with intervals between, during which a three-course French menu is served. Pâté, coq au vin and lemon tart, washed down with champagne, wine, cocktails and of course, absinthe. The Lost Estate has remarkably sourced every authentic 1890s-style absinthe drip remaining in the UK and I can confirm they put them to use. Watching the slow ritual of sugar, ice and water at our table felt like part of the performance itself.
The first act is classic cabaret, drawn from the artists and acts that defined Le Chat Noir in its heyday. It’s variety in the truest sense, paced with the sort of theatrical confidence that only comes from a company that knows exactly what it has created.
The second act is where the show pivots into something stranger and more beautiful – an “absinthe dream” sequence in which music takes the lead and movement, mime and shadow puppetry respond directly to the score.
The house band, Les Enfants Vagabondes, are a ragtag quintet of piano, violin, cello, accordion and percussion, bringing to life the world being created in front of our eyes.
The third act is anarchy – unpredictable and deliberately untidy. The walls between performer and audience, stage and floor, story and night out, are dissolved. By the time it was over, I couldn’t tell whether I’d watched a show or been to a dinner party.
If you like immersive dinner theatre then this is the show for you. Tickets are priced from £129.85, which includes a three-course meal and three hours of live entertainment. I think that’s a pretty good deal!
For more information and to book tickets visit chatnoirlondon.com
★★★★★
West End Wilma
