Dear Shaded Viewers,
You know the saying : Paris is closed in August. It might not be accurate this year with the Olympics. But for the ones that don’t understand sports rules (like me) , there’s a special show in the Folies Bergère. A show where streching and tight clothes will leave your eyes and mouth wide open : Fantasma Circus Erotica.
This daring show is made by a unique cast composed of artists coming from different fields, led by Manon Savary and Marc Zaffuto the creative duo that had a great success directing Kylie Minogue’s latest résidence in Las Vegas. This cast is no stranger, they’ve been doing outrageous routines in the Manko, an intimate restaurant near the Théâtre des Champs Elysees until covid. Against all odds, they continued some of their numbers after lockdowns.
Going to Fantasma is more than a theatrical show : it’s a complete experience. The tone is set at the entrance. A dimmed red light has recovered the famous blue hall. You can easily manage to have a drink to unwind. Not for long… because a couple of gimps are coming in tight laces and leather. They are making their role-play in the middle on the crowd but are also eager to play with viewers. It’s also a moment that’ll prove their magnetic presence because they are the performers of the main shows but not in the role you’ll expect later.
Then the show stars on a brassy music, with a gargantuan meneuse de revue. Allanah Starr, former adult movie actress comes from behind the curtains, She’s every icon, real and unreal. Cheering the crowd before the rise of the curtain, she’ll come back between numbers with demonic wigs made by reunionnese drag queen Shei Tan. Then the ensemble greets the audience with an eerie dance on disco classical Relax.
This shift of atmosphere is not the last. It is in fact the rewarding conductive line of the show. Fantasma questions us about what arouses us. Is it nudity ? Is it a scene ? : Well… answers are numerous. Without spoiling it for you, here’s a few things you’ll see : Vampire foreplay by Jean Biche and Esther, Hectic strip-tease on a designer chair by Mimi or a surrealistic scene where X-actor François Sagat cross the screen and David Peirera is twirling on loose drapes. “It’s like a videoclip, a book where you don’t know what’s real or not” Manon and Marc tells us. We understand that we’ve taken an ambiguous trip about erotic archetypes and what we thought we knew about them. But in the end, we don’t care! Even side kick Piche is disconcerting, being a comical bunny who you want to play (naughty) with. The two hour show will be well spent, definitely making you want to come back. Luckily, specials acts could happen in the future like Laurie Petrie‘s locker room encounters.
Thoses various numbers are reinforced also by outstanding craftsmen with a sharp eye who’ll create a very intense ambiance. Comedy queen Angèle Micaux created the costumes. Even if she’s not on stage, she left her blueprint in those outfits. Her fondness of 70’s movies made her find the right balance between subversity and humour. “ And no costume is like another” adds Marc. You’ll not know how to react in front of Allanah’s cowgirl outfit’s with sewn…penises. She also associated with Atelier bas et haut, a specialised workshop in performance outfits. Since 1987, they design outfits for entertainers from various tracks. They made a glittery morph-suit for the show where a contortionist act as a slave. Besides the aesthetics, they are also attentive on the functioning aspect of the costume. They’re eager to reprise it again and again, listening to the performer’s sensations. Special mention to Clément Delezus, praised by the duo for the video design that were on their mind. Some of his backdrops remind us of the Canal+ era (hot movies blurry at night, if you hadn’t subscribed) while others are magically framing the performer. Chiseled halos of smoke surround Julie Demont during her daunting suspended hoop dance.
Indubitably, the show is about freedom of love, sex , but particularly to be true to yourself. Sema Tawi delivers an emotional act where she catwalks on Alien Superstar. The futuristic lights of Pascal Noel illuminates her Gilles Asquin outfit : a suit mixing subtly sci fi and SM patterns. The statements resonates with a timeless force like in a Mugler show. This boosting collective team unleashes other performers. Dancer Jake Dupree confies us that they had doubt making their number in the US. But in France “It was unanimously accepted with continuous praise” A bonanza for the european audience that cheers wildly on his strip tease on Kim Petras’ XXX. Jean Biche summarizes perfectly this exceptional collective spirit ” We all got our gigs out there, but each time we come back, we remember what we could do together and how great it could be”
In the end, that night is also a relief for the audience. That’s why after-show cocktails are made each night.The cast comes into the lobby to continue the party. The greatest surprise for them was the visit of the olympics champions, thanking them to have transformed the venue into a safe space, even for previous generations.
Don’t miss the show’s last week. If you’re still abroad, the show returns for three weeks next January. One more advice given by our hostess Ruby, the revelation of Drag Race France’s last season : “Come with your parents…and your step-parents !”
Later,
Mael Heinz
