Review: LA CLIQUE, Leicester Square Spiegeltent

When it comes to London Christmas stage institutions, there's an argument for saying that La Clique now deserves a place alongside Handel's Messiah, A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker and Mother Goose. The cabaret extravaganza is once again ensconced in the midst of Leicester Square's seasonal market. Past the waft of roasting sausages and bubbling mulled wines, its customary Spiegeltent has been erected to house the show's winter run.

To call La Clique extraordinary is to state the obvious: its cabaret performers step beyond what is the ordinary, the everyday and the quotidian and give us scintillating examples of an art form rarely seen on TV these days and even less rarely experienced in the flesh. This year's outing is not a vintage but there are still plenty of utterly beguiling and gobsmacking acts as well as a touch of controversy.

Although notionally an ensemble show, top of the bill for us is Katharine Arnold, an acrobat with natural theatrical ability to match her aerial skills. In a routine that would fit equally well in the famous Double R Club and the infamous Soho venue The Box, she ambles onto the stage in a hospital gown, head bandage and dark sunglasses and holding onto an IV drip. She shambles forward, discarding one and then the other of her high heels before shedding her disturbing outfit and climbing onto an aerial hoop to complete the second part of this mindbending act. Her mid-air balletics to Post Modern Jukebox's take on "Creep" are as skillful and intriguing as anything I've seen at Sadler's Wells.

Audience interaction is generally kept to a minimum but even those sat in the rear seats can expect some attention from the wonderful Sam Goodburn. Harnessing the kind of sadistic charm that lifted Tape Face into the top ranks of variety acts, this Covent Garden performer uses the humble unicycle, pockets full of biscuits and a disarming manner to draw us into his world. Digestives are flipped from his foot to his mouth, dangled above audience members on a fishing rod and squeezed into his buttcrack, all in the name of raucous entertainment. Goodburn is around until 27 November after which date his spot will be taken by David Pereira, a man who knows how to make interesting use of shaving foam.

Australian artiste Tara Boom is making her La Clique debut but, on the basis of her performance here, deserves to be a mainstay. Her jaw-dropping first act as a barely-clad popcorn seller with a chimney-like device upon her head is reminiscent of Kiki Beguin, a burlesque artiste who uses electrical gadgetry about her body to make food on stage (in Kiki's case, electric whisks which are plugged into her bra to make a delightful dessert). Her second goes in a very different direction as she casually juggles up to four umbrellas through the air using only her feet. From crown to corns, Tara Boom is a class act that hopefully will be back on a UK stage soon in this show or another.

A more awkward fit is Ashley Stroud. The Chicago-born singer's profile has been boosted by her work with Post Modern Jukebox and she certainly possesses a fine voice. In an show filled with performers pushing the boundaries of cabaret, she paints the night's plainest picture. This slot would perhaps have been better served by the likes of more expressive performers like Le Gateau Chocolat, Jonny Woo, Puddles Pity Party or Meow Meow. Even if all the producers had in mind was just a damn fine pair of lungs, there are still plenty of superb local options not least Dusty Limits, Lili La Scala and Camille O'Sullivan (all of whom are in the UK this month and have worked with La Clique or similar shows).

Another interesting choice is Miss Jolie Papillion. She controversially kicks off the night with a standard by-the-numbers display of glamour burlesque set to AWOLNATION's "Sail", something of a curious option considering the song is very closely linked with Vicky Butterfly's seminal When The Hard Rain Falls...The Night Flowers Begin To Bloom. There is no suggestion here that usage of the 2010 sleeper hit amounts to artistic theft but, while some songs are used over and over (and over) by ecdysiasts, "Sail" has been forever associated with this immensely popular act, one which stands as a towering rebuff to anyone who does not consider burlesque to be an art form. Imagine the French deciding to appropriate the tune of "Rule Britannia" for their own national anthem or Manchester United marching out to "You'll Never Walk Alone" and you'll get an idea of just how strange and ever-so-slightly crass Papillion's song choice is. Her second act is barely better. Intended as a homage to past La Clique acts, it mashes key stylistic elements of very well known routines like David O'Mer's career-making Bath Boy, Dita Von Teese' classic cocktail glass act and Brief's Captain Kidd with his birdbath into something frothy and fun but highly derivative.

There's plenty more to enjoy too. Mikael Bres displays wonderful levels of showmanship and aerialism while Hugo Demerais continues his longstanding partnership with Arnold, joining her for a rousing mid-air finale. La Clique has proved, once again, to be one of the capital's most spectacular shows, a guaranteed good night out which only whets our appetite for its return.

La Clique continues at Leicester Square's Spiegeltent until 7 January.

Photo Credit: Craig Sugden

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