Glamorous, electrifying and skilful dancers, acrobats, musicians and singers perform in the sensual and exhilarating L’Hôtel at The Star’s Foundry Theatre. From the opening upbeat singing of La Vie en Rose to the closing ballad Hotel Amour the crowd was cheering, clapping and even gasping at some of the more improbable manoeuvres.
Set in a Parisien hotel, the waitresses are delivering champagne and cheese platters to the tables on the floor before bursting into a scintillating, eclectic dance routine. The effect was breathtaking. Just as breathtaking were the chambermaids swinging and twirling on the chandelier. An eye-catching burlesque duet in a bathtub combined erotic dance with powerful and graceful acrobatics for yet another highlight.
A series of routines followed including a bellhop performing extraordinary acrobatics on a pile of suitcases, a girl suspended above the stage by her hair carrying out spins, twirls and incredible feats, and the hotel manager performing Jacque Brel’s Ne Me Quitte Pas. It’s a diverse collection and the mix up of styles and forms provide delightful variations. A burly man in a sparkling mankini staged a spellbinding pole dance that was memorable and impressive.
These and other equally as exciting scenarios are accompanied by a mixture of live and recorded music. The wonderful musicians switch between pianos, accordions, melodicas, flute, clarinet, guitar and vocals and all are of the highest order.
The little touches of humour, often conveyed by a raised eyebrow, a pleading look, or even just a twinkle in a performer’s eye, are a nice touch and add to the variety and joy of the show.
Crew and cast are all to be congratulated: Director Craig Ilott, Co-creator Stuart Couzens, Costume Designer Rose Jurd, Lighting Designer Renier Jansen van Vuuren, Music Director Joe Accaria, Choreography Lucas Newland, Performers John Waters, Brendan Maclean, Caroline Nin, Bri Emrich, Lexi Strumolo, Beau Sargent, Masha Terentieva, Leah Shelton and Bentley Rebelent.
L’Hôtel is running at The Star’s Foundry Theatre until 27th July and is highly recommended.
