Review – Marcel Lucont’s Cabaret Fantastique

Marcel Lucont masks his comedic material via a French caricature. It’s like watching Gabriel Gaté not cook anything. It’s a safer platform to work from, the unfunny bigotry espoused by common comedians works better coming from fictitious ‘characters’. To Lucont’s merit, he’s confidently maintained his schtick over many festival seasons, so he’s won the trust of his peers of the touring circuit. Like many stalwarts of the comedy scene, Lucont in ‘Cabaret Fantastique‘ assumes the role of MC & each night’s show features an array of guests.

While you could perhaps get a similar show for free at Fringe in the Mall, the late hour of ‘Cabaret Fantastique‘ deems it more suitable for blue language & nudity. Guests on this night began with Sammy J, who happily stripped for audience approval & performed a song about his favourite profane words. This was followed by more undressing featured in a selection from burlesque show ‘Boon-esque‘. Final act Le Gateau Chocolat surprisingly kept all clothes on, but this popular cabaret-singing drag act announced this was their last performance in Adelaide & hair was let down in complaints about our local heatwaves. The renditions of old favourites thankfully brought a touch of class to the proceedings.

By stepping out of the spotlight, Lucont proved an amicable host. Between guests we heard two songs about tits, lamentations on weekend drinking culture & audience members were invited to perform their party tricks, the thumb wrestling proving the more popular. By the time Lucont bid us all adieu, he’d hinted acknowledgement of his borderline racist posturing, but more importantly shown to be not without charm during an overall entertaining show.