LA CLIQUE HEADLINES

Check out LA CLIQUE's first review from its opening night in Stockholm, courtesy of QX. (Svenska)

Mon, 16 August 2010 13:15:00 GMT

Hello everyone! Check out LA CLIQUE's first review from its opening night in Stockholm, courtesy of QX: "Jag älskar LA CLIQUE!"
(Swedish/Svenska).

SvD reviews LA CLIQUE's opening night in Stockholm. (Svenska)

Mon, 16 August 2010 13:15:00 GMT

"Kittlande kitschig varieté": SvD reviews LA CLIQUE's opening night in Stockholm.

Read more here (Swedish/Svenska).

Dagens Nyheter's wonderful review of LA CLIQUE's opening night in Stockholm. (Svenska)

Mon, 16 August 2010 13:15:00 GMT

"Skit i karriären, lev din dröm!" Dagens Nyheter advises in its wonderful review from LA CLIQUE's opening night in Stockholm.

Read more here (Swedish/Svenska).

Sweden's The Local reviews LA CLIQUE (in English)

Mon, 16 August 2010 13:15:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE, performing in Stockholm this week, is a brilliant mix of raw sex appeal, humor, and unbelievable physical ability, writes Emy Gelb.

"Big hearted, funny, sexy, and dangerous" is how LA CLIQUE's creative producer Brett Haylock describes the show's delicious blend of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary variety. LA CLIQUE, which has been on tour for the past seven years, has delighted audiences across the world.

Now, the group is one of the highlights of Stockholm's Culture Festival, during which they performing their first Swedish show at Tyrol on Djurgården.

When Claes Karlsson, Artistic Director of the Stockholm Culture Festival, and Anders Ålander, Senior Producer at Södra Teatern, saw LA CLIQUE perform abroad, they knew that they had to bring the self proclaimed oddballs to Stockholm to perform in Culture Festival.

Ålander recalls his first reaction to the show:...

See the full review (in English) here.

Read Dagens Nyheter's fantastic feature on LA CLIQUE (Svenska)

Wed, 11 August 2010 16:50:00 GMT

Please click here to read this article (Swedish/Svenska).

Svenska Dagbladet interviews creative producer Brett Haylock and Sweden's own Carl-Einar Hackner (Svenska)

Wed, 11 August 2010 16:50:00 GMT

Please click here to read this article (Swedish/Svenska).

QX interviews Ursula Martinez (Svenska)

Wed, 11 August 2010 16:50:00 GMT

Please click here to read this article (Swedish/Svenska).

The LA CLIQUE Summer Tour

Fri, 11 June 2010 10:20:00 GMT

Paris, la belle ville: nous t'aimons! With a tear in our collective eye, we'd like to remind you that it's your last chance to see LA CLIQUE in its chic Parisian home. Eight months after its triumphant opening the show now has only two weeks left at Bobino before the city shuts up shop for the summer.

The show is in tremendous form and basking in the glow of nightly standing ovations - now's the time for a long weekend in la Belle Paris so snap up one of the last tickets for the closing weeks here. Au revoir!

As soon as the last of the crowds have headed off down the Champs Elysees, the company will pack up their hoops, heels, racquets and balls and head out on the LA CLIQUE summer jaunt.

This year a smorgasbord of cities await LA CLIQUE's dysfunctional charms as we visit Sweden, Hungary and Denmark for a sensational Summer Tour.

The tour bus will be bursting with new acts and old favourites.

GLAM Adelaide reviews the "high energy, high quality" LA CLIQUE

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:20:00 GMT

The Famous Spiegeltent, Elder Park

This was a preview performance, but you would not have known it. Everything ran as smoothly as clockwork and the performance was up to its usual highly polished and professional standard. If you have seen LA CLIQUE before at a previous Fringe, than you will know just what to expect, except that it is now Festival event, with The Famous Spiegeltent relocated in Elder Park. It is still that same mix of circus, cabaret and burlesque, with a hint or two of vaudeville thrown in.

There are some acts that have been here before and a few that were new to me. The WauWau sisters performed an industrial strength trapeze act that left the audience amazed, but more details of these Sisters will be found elsewhere on the Glam Adelaide Performing Arts Reviews page when I review their show in the Fringe. Miss Behave is back, staggering drunkenly around the venue, taking the patrons' drinks, sculling a pint of beer and swallowing the leg of a table. She is we are told the only remaining female sword swallower in the world.

Ursula Martinez also has returned, once again performing her magic act, in which a small red handkerchief continually disappears, to reappear from unexpected places. She also gives a very witty lesson in less than polite Spanish, plays guitar and sings. A new act this time is the Skating Willers, Jean Pierre Poissonnet and Wanda Azzario, who have been performing their act for almost three decades. The speed a which they spin around, Azzario coming perilously close to serious injury time and again, is breathtaking. Old favourite Clarke McFarlane's creation, Mario, Queen of the Circus, hilariously revives the memory of Freddie Mercury whilst juggling and crowd surfing, and comic magician and musician, Carl-Einer Hackner generates loads of laughs with his chaotic nonsense.

Cabaret Decadanse bring their giant puppets to life in a bizarre cabaret and, before you realise just how long they have all been entertaining you, it is all over and the hours have slipped by. This is a high energy, high quality show that is sure to please its regular patrons and surprise newcomers.

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, GLAM Adelaide Arts Editor, Wednesday February 24th 2010

Presented by The Adelaide Festival http://www.adelaidefestival.com.au

Adelaide Now gives LA CLIQUE 17 stars out of five!

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:20:00 GMT

THE amazing cabaret, burlesque and circus extravaganza LA CLIQUE makes a triumphant return to Adelaide in the beautiful and incredibly atmospheric surrounds of The Famous Spiegeltent.

The blend of seven or so mini-acts comprising the show has never been better; with less emphasis on impressive artistic/gymnastic performances, and more emphasis on flat out entertainment. Regulars Miss Behave, in her tight red rubber suit still steals drinks from the audience and swallows bar stools, and Ursula Martinez still strips and finds her red hanky in implausible locations. Mario, Queen of the Circus, manages the almost impossible, by turning juggling into rock and roll while the comedic highlight of the night is the deranged Swedish magician Carl-Einar Hackner. There's also sexy trapeze set to Guns 'n Roses, a woman on roller skates spinning horizontally on a rope from her partners neck, and some impressive puppetry. I'm not required to give a score out of five for LA CLIQUE, because it is an Adelaide Festival show, but if pressed I'd probably give it 17. Every night bar one has already sold out so if you want to see it, you'll have to get in quick!

Andrew Fenton

The Bolton News reviews LA CLIQUE's 'mind-altering combination of camp cabaret and saucy circus' at Blackpool Tower

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:20:00 GMT

Camp cabaret and saucy circus at Tower By Steven Thompson

VARIETY is alive and kicking and back at its spiritual home - Blackpool Tower.

LA CLIQUE - the centrepiece of the Showzam! festival - is a mind-altering combination of camp cabaret and saucy circus, complete with a healthy dollop of adult humour.

Blackpool's annual festival of circus, magic and new variety has pulled off a real coup this year.

The LA CLIQUE troupe has performed sold-out seasons in London, Sydney, Melbourne, Montreal, Dublin, New York, Edinburgh and Paris - and now you can see them at the Tower.

The raunchy, ultra-camp show may not be to everyone's tastes but some of the acts have to be seen to be believed. The crowd favourite is Captain Frodo - a double jointed contortionist who does things with a tennis racket Andy Murray can only dream of. Then there's the Wau Wau Sisters - a pair of scantily-clad, chain-smoking trapeze artists whose flexiblity apparently knows no bounds. The gentlemen in the audience appear especially transfixed by their synchronised routine as the girls' bodies entwine 20 feet above the Tower Circus floor. Dinosaurs of the variety world, the Skating Willers, who have been wowing audiences for nearly 30 years with their gravity-defying stunts, also make an appearance. Described as the roller-skating equivalent of Torvill and Dean, their break-neck-speed act leaves the front row feeling very nervous indeed. The sticky goo holding LA CLIQUE together is the deliciously disturbing Opera-singing diva, Le Gateau Chocolat, who appears throughout the show. The cross-dressing baritone camps it up to a whole new level early on before a stunning the crowd with a painfully beautiful cover of Radiohead's Creep - it is a bona fide show-stopping moment.

Amy G discusses kazoos with Bonjour Paris!

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:20:00 GMT

How does a girl from Brooklyn end up playing the kazoo with her vagina in a Paris cabaret? And how in the world did she come up with that outrageous idea?

"It started in Edinburgh with the Daredevil Opera Company, Rocket and Roxy's Untimely, Tragic, Fiery Death Stunt Show," Amy Gordon (aka Amy G) explains. "There I met the good people at the Famous Spiegeltent (a Dutch mirrored tent) and played one of the first LA CLIQUE club nights. Rocket & Roxy and I ended up at the Sydney Opera House. I had to figure out how to do a high impact act that didn't involve fireworks in the middle of a pyrogenics show. So, I thought, what's the most explosive magical part of me? The answer was clear."

She played "Dream the Impossible Dream."

For the past few years the blue-eyed, dark haired, 35 year old comedienne has been playing the kazoo with her various orifices as a member of the raucously iconoclastic LA CLIQUE, a troupe of 7-10 players now performing at Bobino in the 14th arrondissement. It's a festive carnival atmosphere with starry ceiling lights and a roving spotlight. Performers speak to the audience, even slug down guests' drinks. It's a tight, well timed show orchestrated by producer Brett Haylock and performed by seasoned troupers who include a Norwegian who contorts his entire body into the rims of two tennis rackets, a balancing act by muscular Australians, a German hunk taking a bath (bare-chested in jeans) while spurting water from his mouth and dangling from a trapeze, and a wine-slugging, scissor-swallowing Russian Betty Bop in red latex.

At Bobino, Amy first appears as a roller-skating, ukulele-playing hen. She's wearing a plumed hat, pinkish body suit, black mesh tights and a bright red G string. In the second part of the show, she saunters on in an elegant black evening gown. She might be a guest at a black tie White House reception. "I was going for the 'Senator's wife look,' then I blow 'America the Beautiful' out of my ass," Amy says. "It never fails to impress." It's as subtle as inserting a kazoo into one's private parts can get it, nothing tawdry, just a slight elevation of the evening gown and oops!

I noticed some rather austere looking Francais who seemed a bit tight lipped at her rendition. Which begs the question: do the French have a sense of humor? Amy says they do. "The French do have a sense of humor but it's not like New Yorkers who understand the ironic. The French are more traditionalists. They like silliness, big gestures. They don't want to work too hard to understand what's funny. They get the hen act, but they are not used to seeing a comedienne making fun of one of her country's traditions. But when it comes down to it everyone loves to make fun of America. It's especially acceptable when it's an American who's making fun of her own."

LA CLIQUE has played seven countries to full houses. Amy has played twenty six countries as a solo or with other acts on the festival circuit. What does she enjoy most about her long stint in Paris? "The fabulous city which I still haven't really explored," Amy says. And, of course, in every city there are the rehearsal sessions that precede the shows. "The most fun thing you can do in an act like this is to try to get the angles right." Amy laughs.

Bobino's show has been held over until March.

www.bonjourparis.com

Luxsure Magazine reviews LA CLIQUE

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:20:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE is back in town!

Breathtaking, lip-smacking, jaw-dropping...

An ever-changing line-up of some of the best acts in the world, a heady cocktail of decadent circus and subversive London performance-art clubs, with a touch of burlesque and cabaret and a vibrant coat of rock music...

There's no words really, to describe LA CLIQUE'S show. Impossible to define and impossible to resist, LA CLIQUE has returned to London for the festive season and will perform until the 17th January at The Roundhouse.

The New York burlesque scene is represented through the Wau Wau Sisters, performing what the Toronto Comedy Festival has described as 'Filthy Flying Fun', while the exquisite Marawa, part Josephine Baker and part Betty Boop, with her leopard print unitard and large pink flower in her hair, mesmerises the audience with a spectacularly sexy Hula Hoop act.

Saying that Ursula Martinez, writer and actress as well as cabaret performer, treads where few performers dare to go, is definitely not a cliched expression to sustain the conversation - and her cult striptease act, with its mischievous disappearing hanky, is a genuinely jaw-dropping sensation.

Other highlights include The Skating Willers, who spin at breakneck speed on the tiny circular stage in a highly dangerous roller-skating act that leaves the spectator with the feeling they've never seen something like that in their whole life. It's also the London debut of mesmerising Sam Alvarez and his incredibly fascinating flying acrobatics performance in chains...

On the comedy side, let's not forget Mario Queen of the Circus, a leather-bursting reincarnation of Freddie Mercury (well, kinda), the Ikea-country fellow Carl-Einar Hackner and of course Le Gateau Chocolat, an opera-singing diva with an obvious penchant for lycra and tulle.

If you miss the delightful taste of decadence on your tongue, if it's been too long since the last time you took a walk on the wild side, don't wait one minute more... Book your tickets now! And by the way, it's strictly age 18+ only.

www.lacliquelondon.com

The Times recommends LA CLIQUE

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 17:20:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE at The Roundhouse

Variety is supposed to be dead, or at least shunted off to television. But clearly nobody told the people behind LA CLIQUE, which takes the traditional arts of circus, magic and burlesque, and gives them a postmodern tweak. Out of the hat comes a show that is loud, sexy and often wildly funny. Already hugely popular when they performed at the Hippodrome, these outrageous entertainers have now moved into the cavernous Roundhouse, where they play on a tiny circular stage in the centre.

More recent arrivals include the raucous, smoking-and-drinking Wau Wau Sisters, who dangerously hurl themselves at the trapeze, and Carl-Einar Hackner's lanky Swedish magician, dripping with woeful inadequacy in his white Abba suit. His inability to distinguish between a bandanna and a banana has messy and hilarious consequences. Best of all is Meow Meow, a dominatrix and diva who races on in some disarray before demanding that the men in the front row remove her outer clothes and lift her up above them. By the time she sings her torch song, these hapless participants are trapped in some extremely compromising positions. Is there a ruder, rowdier, more enjoyable show to be seen? Surely not.

From The Sunday Times December 6, 2009

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article6942522.ece

Ham & High 24 gives LA CLIQUE a 4 star rating

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 17:35:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE, The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm

YOU'D have to be a po-faced killjoy to pour critical cold water on such an energetic, fun show, but sorry, I prefer my entertainment with more substance.

LA CLIQUE is a changing line-up of burlesque, comedy, cabaret and circus acts and I should say that it is slick, sometimes sexy and highly skilled enough to deliver wow factor.

But forget any Weimar-esque connotations of cabaret as dark, decadent and satirical, this is risk-free anarchy-lite entertainment for the noughties generation, assumed to have the attention span of a gnat with no stomach for politics or emotion.

The trendily dressed audience of professional 30-somethings lapped up the bloke who juggled while miming Freddy Mercury songs, and the ironic stripping act. (We know it was ironic because Ursula Martinez kept winking to make it ok for us to be watching something we might otherwise find offensive and tacky like her 'disappearing hanky' finale.)

There was a diverting comedian who impersonated The Queen, leopardskin-clad trapeze twirling twins, a couple who spun each other around on roller skates and a girl who did things with glittery hoops.

As the old Gypsy song goes, You've Gotta Have A Gimmick, and everyone did; the magician was dippy and Swedish and rounded off his act by playing a harmonica stuffed inside his mouth, the stripper did magic and the cabaret singer comedy.

Most acts played to ear splittingly loud rocky soundtracks which brings me to my other beef, a full house at £25 a seat and no live music bar a lone underused pianist?

He accompanied cabaret act Miaow Miaow, who clearly had a belter of a voice though it was hard to hear for all the gimmickry of cod accents and chicken fillet bra fillers emerging from her dress while being hoiked around by two male audience members.

Did she think we'd all mutiny if she just got up and delivered a spine tingling torch song?

The show though is perfect for the Roundhouse, which has championed circus for years and cultivated an audience of young professionals who perhaps shy away from straighter theatre.

Until January 17.

Bridget Galton

http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/

The Stage profiles the Skating Willers

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 11:30:00 GMT

“Jean-Pierre Poissonnet and Wanda Azzario look too young to have been performing as the Skating Willers for 27 years. The thrilling roller-skating duo have worked worldwide in circus, cabaret and variety, and on TV. They return to the Olivier Award-winning show LA CLIQUE, opening at London's Roundhouse on November 20.”

The Stage 13th November 2009

Click here to read the profile

The Guardian's Lyn Gardner gives LA CLIQUE 4 stars!

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 11:30:00 GMT

Swinging back into London for a short season with some old and new acts, LA CLIQUE continues to offer a lesson in theatrical seduction. Essentially, this is an old-style variety event with added titillation, and the Queen is on hand in the form of Gerry Connolly to give her blessing. After years of snoozing through Royal Variety performances, I reckon she'd be beaming at Ursula Martinez's subversive piece of hanky-panky. Her witty striptease is still the show's highlight, and the infamous red handkerchief is neatly turned into a running joke.

Essentially, LA CLIQUE is a sly come-on, the kind of evening that proves while sex may be bad for one, and good for two, it is surprisingly enjoyable in a large crowd; particularly when, as at Saturday's late-night show, the crowd are really up for it. Perhaps there could be a little bit more emotional variety in the acts, which veer too far towards the comic. The phenomenal Meow Meow's cabaret turn is fun, but not quite seductive enough to be the cat's whiskers. It's left to Sam Alvarez to provide an erotic charge with an aerial act that uses chains instead of silks to suggest that desire is just another form of bondage.

The whole thing may be lightly done, but there is never any doubt about the level of skill. The Wau Wau Sisters behave with gum-chewing insouciance, but their fixed trapeze act is a model of co-operation, and while the Skating Willers' act is wrapped up in a naff showground aesthetic, somebody really would get hurt if they got it wrong. It's a great night out, and it's a pity that LA CLIQUE is just for Christmas.

Until 17 January. Box office: 0844 482 8008.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/dec/01/la-clique-review

The Telegraph lists LA CLIQUE as one of its top ten Christmas shows

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 11:30:00 GMT

Describing LA CLIQUE as "A rough and raw alternative variety show will delight office parties and children too old for panto" The Telegraph lists LA CLIQUE as one of its top ten Christmas shows.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/6702202/Top-ten-Christmas-shows.html

Visit London reviews LA CLIQUE on its blog

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 11:30:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE London started its Christmas/New Year residency at Camden's Roundhouse a couple of weeks ago. The show got rave reviews for its original London season earlier this year at the Hippodrome. Some of this season's performers are the same, some are new (to me), but the show is as fresh, exciting and entertaining as ever.

The first act was tight, taut and terrific with a great mix of different acts. It began with an address from The Queen (impersonator Gerry Connolly, who totally looks and sounds the part - "moist generous" of Her Maj to show up). Then there was trailer-trash trapeze, complete with Guns 'n' Roses soundtrack, from the athletic Wau Wau Sisters; Freddie Mercury-inspired juggling with Mario Queen of the Circus; and a whole lotta hula from Marawa.

Act Two kicked off with the gloriously chaotic Meow Meow, who took audience participation to new lengths, and indeed heights, by co-opting five fellas to carry her around the stage. Then Sweden's Carl-Einar Häckner clowned around, and Sam Alvarez got erotic and aerial with some very big chains.

I'd seen Ursula Martinez's saucy burlesque striptease before but LA CLIQUE has now incorporated her "disappearing hankie" into the rest of the show to great effect, if the audience's screams of delight (horror?!) were any indication. The Skating Willers are a stand out - I can truly say I've never seen the like and from my seat in the second row, I almost feared a roller skate in the face as their thrilling act was performed.

I originally saw LA CLIQUE'S show about a year back. Since then, I've been to a lot of variety and cabaret in London but this is still hands down the best show in town. Go.

http://blog.visitlondon.com

LA CLIQUE is best burlesque and circus comedy in London

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 17:00:00 GMT

While certain stand-ups are trying to be as gratuitously nasty as possible, there is a new wave of entertainment that's bringing a smile to faces without causing any offence whatsoever - if you can bear the odd nipple tassel.

At an unspecified point between the emergence of trendy underground burlesque clubs in the early part of this decade and the appearance of Britain's Got Talent on our screens, an appetite for variety has returned. Maybe it is the thirst for different forms of communal live entertainment as a way of escaping the drudgery of sitting alone in front of a computer screen all day? Or a way of escaping the recession blues? You can theorise about it until the cows come home but right now the boom in physical comedy looks unstoppable.

LA CLIQUE, which returns to London tonight, juggles traditional circus, variety and burlesque and creates a brilliant night out. The Olivier Award-winning show was the hottest ticket in town when it ran at the Hippodrome earlier this year and is set to repeat its success at the Roundhouse. Ticket sales have already grossed £500,000, making it the fastest-selling show since the venue reopened in 2006. At the Hippodrome, it grossed £3.5 million in nine months.

And LA CLIQUE does not have London to itself. Another act that deserves to thrive is Pajama Men. The duo from Albuquerque dispense with the flash and tinsel, performing instead with few props and, as their name suggests, in their nightclothes. Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez were a sensation at the Edinburgh Festival, collecting five-star reviews, and the only reason they did not return to New Mexico laden with awards was because they were so uncategorisable.

Their show, The Last Stand to Reason, is set on a long-distance train journey but that is incidental. The pleasure is in the faultlessly funny performances. As Marx Brother-lookalike Chavez and Allen contort their bodies and rattle through so many different characters, from old biddies to little children, it is sometimes hard to keep up, but it is terrific fun trying.

If the Pajama Men mix comedy and theatre, New Art Club - formed by classically trained dancers Tom Roden and Pete Shenton blend knockabout humour with graceful poise. It is as if Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer were auditioning for the Royal Ballet. Their show, This Is Now, is based around the discovery of a 1983 pop tape and found them shaking a leg to hits by the likes of Duran Duran and Malcolm McLaren. Their loose-limbed interpretation of Heaven 17's Temptation will live long in the memory.

Not all attempts to create something new are quite as sure-footed, but they all offer terrific entertainment value. The monthly Wam Bam Club at Café de Paris offers a posh meal and free burlesque classes before the gig. Earlier this autumn Infinite Variety at the Players Theatre put a more camp spin on the LA CLIQUE format.

What all these hits share is a sense of adventure. One of the reasons for LA CLIQUE'S success is that the line-up constantly changes, which prompts lucrative return visits. New guests this time include the Viking clown, Carl-Einar Häckner, a kind of Tommy Cooper trapped in the body of Thor, and the Lycra-clad opera-singer Le Gâteau Chocolat. Look out, too, for the Skating Willers, a veteran rollerskating twosome who have been doing their act for so long they can almost remember vaudeville the first time round. They might be old but they ooze more life and energy than a dozen blokes telling bad taste jokes.

LA CLIQUE is at The Roundhouse, NW1, until 17 January.

0844 482 8008

www.lacliquelondon.com

London Evening Standard 25.11.09

Time Out says 'LA CLIQUE' is still a variety show to shout about

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 17:00:00 GMT

By Caroline McGinn

Can the surprise hit of the alternative cabaret scene maintain its crossover appeal at the Roundhouse?

'LA CLIQUE' is the little show that roared. In the monetised world of popular entertainment, shows that start small and grow through word of mouth, talent and sheer late night drunken enthusiasm are rarer than ever. Five years since its debut on the Edinburgh Fringe, six months since it was the last show to play the London Hippodrome before demolition crews knocked it into a casino and one Olivier Award later, 'LA CLIQUE' is still a variety show to shout about.

As its raggle taggle bunch of burlesquers, strong men, rubber men and kinky artistes limber up for a double-pronged run at the Roundhouse and Theatre Bobino in Paris, they're hoping that even more people will join them to celebrate adult Christmas in the nu-old-fashioned way.

A hundred thousand Londoners came to see 'LA CLIQUE' at the Hippodrome last year. But producer Brett Haylock - a quietly intense Antipodean who's midwifed his many-headed prodigy from the spit and sawdust of the Famous Spiegeltent to increasingly glossy venues in Sydney, Paris and New York - is sure that there's still demand. The Roundhouse show has a new line-up, though old favourites like Mario: Queen of the Circus (a Spanish-accented Freddie Mercury with a lot of extra balls) will be there throughout the run. According to Haylock, sold-out shows doesn't mean 'LA CLIQUE' itself has sold out: 'We could have set up a dozen shows but we chose not to because we wanted to keep our integrity.'

So what's the secret of 'LA CLIQUE's success? Well, it's reinvented the variety show for one. The sad demise of that snazzy old hoofer of a venue, the Hippodrome, is bound up with the decline of variety shows for a mass audience. Popular culture in the form of variety and talent shows has largely been televised - in Saturday night favourites like 'The X Factor' - whose starlets transfer to West End shows but whose wince-and-shimmy formats do not. But 'LA CLIQUE', with its bowler-hatted and pinstriped ushers, its pies and pints and seats that range from raucous roped-in standing room to posh perches with table service, has found a new way of bringing different classes of entertainment seekers together.

Secondly, it combines the edginess of burlesque - which has too often failed to make the leap from living on its wits and tits in a cabaret bar to the big stage - with the character-driven appeal of theatre and the eye-watering skills of contemporary circus (the kind of shows that the Roundhouse, essentially a big top made out of stone, presents with flair).

Thirdly 'LA CLIQUE' has, thus far, had a cast of performers who make you like them even when they're making you cringe. Take Mario: Queen of the Circus, the flamboyantly Eurotrash juggler/Queen tribute act whose patter and character give him a central, compère role. In real life, like Superman, he's a softly spoken professional called Clarke. And he's eloquent on the importance of character to his act - something that was revealed by 'LA CLIQUE's' stint in Paris. 'I was dying onstage every night for the first week because of the language barrier. The audience was hearing Clarke, not Mario.'

Meeting the performers backstage at Theatre Bobino, it's impressive how involved they are with each other: watching each other's backs, critiquing each other's acts and even - during an impromptu try out of a 'Singing in the Rain'-inspired streetlamp pole dance by one of the acrobatic English Gents - leaping up to bolt down toppling equipment. As burlesque comedienne Miss Behave points out, the alternative family that the performers have found in 'La Clique' is one of the reasons for its broad appeal: 'Me and Frodo have been in freakshows before now. And when it's just freaky it's not so interesting and you don't feel so at home.'

Gateau Chocolat - an enormous baritone who is bringing his Lycra-clad act and his velvety voice (which definitely contains at least 80 per cent cocoa solids) to the Roundhouse next week - goes further. 'For me it's about reclaiming that whole freakshow thing. Here, if someone calls you a freak you take it as a compliment.' It's certainly true that hanging out with 'LA CLIQUE' makes you feel a bit freaky for being an un-double-jointed norm.

But they're great company, and some of their best new ideas come from after-show partying with the audience - the streetlamp act comes from a 'dishevelled' post-show night of pole dancing with Kate Moss and Stella McCartney: cliquey indeed. It remains to be seen whether the new gang at the Roundhouse will be as much fun as the old. But 'LA CLIQUE's success - achieved without the marketing machine of 'Cirque du Soleil' or any recognisable star or spin off - is good news for audiences everywhere.

Time Out

http://www.timeout.com/london/cabaret/review/179/la-clique

LA CLIQUE PRESS RELEASE

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Brett Haylock, Mark Rubinstein, and Mick Perrin for Just For Laughs Live present La Clique At the Roundhouse Chalk Farm Road, London NW1

   • Advanced bookings for LA CLIQUE the little show that roared exceeded well over £500, 000 prior to first performance on Friday 20th November

   • This figure breaks the record for the highest box office advance of any show at the Roundhouse

   • LA CLIQUE has announced extra Christmas performances along with a special New Years Eve party

Impossible to define and impossible to resist, LA CLIQUE is living up to its seductive charms having grossed in excess of half a million pounds before the doors have even opened on its Christmas season at the Roundhouse. The production has surpassed Fuerzabruta as the fastest selling show pre-opening at the Roundhouse since the venues relaunch in June 2006.

LA CLIQUE at the Roundhouse opens on November 20th for a strictly limited eight week season. It follows a hugely successful nine months at the London Hippodrome which came to an end in June this year when a planned redevelopment of the venue into a casino began. LA CLIQUE grossed well in excess of £3.5 million during its time at the Hippodrome and won the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. Approximately 150, 000 people passed through the Hippodrome's doors to savour LA CLIQUE's heady cocktail of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary variety.

LA CLIQUE's strictly limited eight week season at London's legendary Roundhouse promises to bring back everything that was great about LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome, with more tinsel, more glitter, and more glamour. It features a previously unseen lineup that will include old favourites along with the crème de la crème of twisted cabaret entertainers from around the world including; Carl-Einar Häckner, Le Gateau Chocolat, Gerry Connolly, Hugo Desmarais, Marawa, Mario - Queen of the Circus, Meow Meow, Sam Alvarez, the Skating Willers, Ursula Martinez and the Wau Wau Sisters.

LA CLIQUE has announced extra performances for Christmas with additional performances on:

Monday 21st December 8pm
Sunday 27th December 7pm and 10pm
Monday 28th December 8pm

LA CLIQUE will once again be hosting a New Years Eve party with a special late night show, mystery guests, champagne, an exclusive after party with DJ, plus other surprises!

For further information please contact The Corner Shop PR on 020 7494 3665 or email info@thecornershoppr.com

LA CLIQUE - The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1

Box Office number: 0844 482 8008

November 20th 2009 January 17th 2010

Ticket prices: £15 - £45

For a full performance schedule visit: www.lacliquelondon.com

LA CLIQUE reviewed by The Stage

Thur, 26 Nov 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Thursday 26 November 2009 by Liz Arratoon

Lights, no cameras, action - LA CLIQUE is back in town. Sexy and sassy, this sensationally successful Olivier Award-winning show is a crazy mix of circus, cabaret, magic, burlesque and fun. It's something dreams are made of - a good old-fashioned variety show with an edgy, modern twist, in which there are no fillers, no pauses for breath, no time-wasting. And who better to host it than the ebullient Brett Haylock? He not only knows how to put on a show but how to look after his audience.

Gerry Connolly opens the "insignificant occasion" as the Queen, making a hilariously alternative festive speech. New York's Wau Wau Sisters appear as hard-living heavy-metal rock chicks on static trapeze, and Clarke McFarlane as leather-clad Mario - Queen of the Circus reprises his ridiculously funny Freddie Mercury-inspired juggling routines.

Swede Carl-Einar Hackner's magic tricks are engaging, surreal and silly, while Ursula Martinez, who just loves to undress, mystifies with her take on disappearing a hanky. And handsome new boy Sam Alvarez causes serious swooning over his number on aerial chains.

But the outstanding artists are the extraordinary comedy cabaret chanteuse Meow Meow, who drops her plummy English accent to bark commands at men in the audience - the drop-dead gorgeous Marawa performing a sizzling and skilful hula-hoop number in skin-tight leopard skin and teetering glitter heels, and the simply unmatchable roller-skating duo Jean-Pierre Poissonnet and Wanda Azzario (known as the Skating Willers), whose daredevil moves on a tiny circular stage leave people both shaken and stirred.

This is one clique everyone will be desperate to join.

A red hot thrill of a night from LA CLIQUE

Thur, 26 Nov 2009 13:00:00 GMT

By Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard 26.11.09

Hang on to your hats, LA CLIQUE is back and ready to leave audiences gasping again. After raking in £3.5 million and an Olivier award at the Hippodrome during its first run, this eye-popping variety vehicle has returned and wowed the crowd in Chalk Farm last night.

The eclectic line-up has been significantly tweaked, but LA CLIQUE 2.0 still scored plenty of bullseyes, despite a royally misfiring start. Drag artiste Gerry Connolly welcomed everyone, in the guise of the Queen, with a speech full of over-ripe gags before transgressive trapeze twosome the Wau Wau Sisters started the party for real with their anarchic comic acrobatics, setting the tone of the evening, a delicate balancing act of sexiness and clowning.

Each new recruit has been chosen very cannily. Marawa was a kind of leopard-print Betty Boop, playfully spinning umpteen hula hoops on stage and even suspended in the air, which was a new one on me. Sultry singer Meow Meow was also a sublime mix of laughs and loucheness, combining knockabout comedy with a knockout vampish voice.

There really is something for everyone here. Sam Alvarez and his enviable six-pack spiralled on a chain up to the Roundhouse rafters and got a particularly vocal cheer from the women in the stalls. For me though, the real hit was Sweden's Carl-Einar Hackner. This blond-locked buffoon is a brilliantly silly Ikea Tommy Cooper, pulling endless magic shop tricks out of his tatty bag. Clearly a perfect addition to the dysfunctional Clique family.

As for the returning cast, if there is a better juggling Freddie Mercury tribute act than Mario Queen of the Circus I have not seen it. And Ursula Martinez was also a hoot reprising her post-modern striptease and magic, hiding nothing up her sleeve or anywhere else. Veteran roller duo The Skating Willers, Jean Pierre Poissonnet and Wanda Azzario, offered a display of death-defying skating. The blood dripping from Wanda's arm after one stunt was clearly real.

If there is a minor quibble it is the venue, which although the right shape for an in-the-round show, is a shade too cavernous. The Hippodrome had more intimacy. But by the end the temperature was soaring. A red hot thrill of a night.

LA CLIQUE: circus berserkus

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Somewhere between performance art and variety show, La Clique has delighted, baffled and outraged audiences all over the world. The wild, ever-changing show comes to London.

LA CLIQUE is not a normal theatrical experience. It is unlike any other circus, vaudeville, variety or cabaret show. It celebrates diversity and each night promises a plethora of acts: a baritone drag queen, a Swedish clown, a hula-hoop virtuoso, a striptease, gravity-defying roller-skaters. The result is two hours of pure escapism. LA CLIQUE began life at the Edinburgh Festival in 2004 as a late-night cabaret show in the Famous Spiegeltent, the travelling mirrored cabaret tent in which Marlene Dietrich sang in the 1930s. Brett Haylock, LA CLIQUE's creative producer, had managed the Spiegeltent on the international festival circuit for four years when he decided to set up a new show. He took the age-old variety form and subverted it for a modern festival audience, making it faster, sexier, shinier, brighter. Haylock calls LA CLIQUE a 'tiny show with a big heart'.

There are 15 artists in the LA CLIQUE family, and each show changes depending on which seven artists are performing. The response has been phenomenal. It has toured the world and built a cult-like following. Its nine-month run at the Hippodrome in London last year received standing ovations every night and won an Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. Collecting the award, Haylock says, is the highlight of his career. 'To be acknowledged on that level by our peers and the wider industry when we were the complete underdogs, was phenomenal. I was the only person to say vagina in my speech: "Who could have ever imagined that a show that involved a woman pulling a hankie out of her vagina would ever win an Olivier Award." I then walked off stage and bawled my eyes out.'

By Sophie Robinson
The Daily Telegraph

The 12 shows of Christmas

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT

This is London chooses LA CLIQUE as one of the 12 shows of Christmas. Click here to find out more

Giles Newington from the Irish Times reviews LA CLIQUE

Fri, 18 Sept 2009 11:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE Up Late

Spiegeltent

All the performers are "available for casual sex after the show", the moustachioed Mario, Queen of the Circus, promised the audience at the first of this year's new late-night weekend shows from LA CLIQUE.

Apart from that generous offer though, this "cheekier, bolder" version of the company's spectacular but intimate burlesque circus was only slightly camper and more explicit than the treats this charismatic company have been serving up for the past three years in the Spiegeltent.

The atmosphere of anticipation among the packed crowd was in no way diminished by a prolonged wait for Frodo the rubber man's return from the Late Late studio before the show could begin, as this, we knew, is a company that delivers.

Starting on a high with the insouciantly brilliant strongman duo The English Gents (this year revealing their underlying Irishness), the roster of breathtaking acts passing across the tiny round stage gave us acrobatics, unicycles, hula hoops, contortions and, perhaps most exhilaratingly given the confined space, the high-speed gyrations of the Skating Aratas.

Wit, spectacle, artistry, great music - sadly, it's the final year at the Fringe for this "dysfunctional family" of virtuosos who are now having to deal with international success, so do whatever juggling you can to get tickets. LA CLIQUE runs until Sat at 6.30pm LA CLIQUE Up Late is on Fri and Sat at 9.30pm

Giles Newington, Irish Times

Marawa reveals her 10 favourite things

Fri, 18 Sept 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Marawa gets us in a twirl with her spinning selection of cool combs, high heels, and catty costumes. Grrreat!

1. Shoes I love heels, and buy a new pair at any opportunity. This morning, I went grocery shopping, and came back with chick peas and a new pair of lilac heels that I picked up in Meath Street for just €15 -- I couldn't believe it! My favourite pair though were bought in London, and then painted and sprinkled with glitter. I like re-designing my heels around my personality.

2. Chanel No5 I always like to have a bottle of Chanel No5 with me wherever I go; this mini travel-size bottle is running a little low . . . I think I'm going to have to get a new one soon.

3. Treasure box Each one of the little things in this treasure box is important to me, be it the rock from Somalia, the lucky acorn, or the Insect Circus badge. The latter was a really amazing circus in Britain, where the insects were people in costume doing amazing tricks. I was a praying mantis keeper . . . it was a great show!

4. Hoola Hoops When I started college, I was originally studying for a degree in social sciences, but then I transferred to do a bachelor of circus arts, specialising in trapeze and hoola hoops. I've been hoola hooping ever since, and don't know how to live without them. They're great exercise, and really fun. I'm also quite interested in fashion, and so I colour co-ordinate my hoops with my costumes. How many hoops do I own? Oh, around 102 at this stage.

5. Leopard print jump suit I keep telling people that Blackpool is the best place in the world, but no one believes me until they see this costume which was made by a Blackpool drag queen . . . the city is a bit of a fashion capital. I love the place, and want to buy a house there, I'm obsessed!

6. Hair Wars book Hair Wars is a competition in America between different hair salons, which do the most insane hair styles you've ever seen. Some styles incorporate fish bowls, or George Foreman grills, then there's the outfits made out of hair. This book of photos from the competition really inspires me and gives me ideas for my own hair.

7. Roller skates My mam bought me my first pair of roller skates when I was two, and I still love skating today. Once you're not scared of falling over, it's a really nice feeling, like floating around on the ground.

8. iPhone The iPhone is the wonder device of the century. I can speak to people on it, email on it, check what time it is around the world on it -- so I don't wake my mam up when I phone her on tour -- and then there's all the other applications like Facebook and Twitter, which I use when I'm away to keep in touch with my friends and family.

9. Peppermint tea I'm a complete tea addict, and used to drink 15 cups of black tea a day. At the moment, I'm trying to get off the hard stuff, and after weeks of not liking peppermint tea, I've decided it doesn't taste too bad.

10. WAMP ring When we were all living in London, me and a little crew of friends all got matching gold rings made. WAMP is our initials -- Alice, Marawa, and Paulie. I'm not telling you want the W stands for, it's a secret!

Marawa performs her sexy roller skating, hoola hooping act at LA CLIQUE, which runs at ABSOLUT FRINGE until September 20 at 7pm and LA CLIQUE Up Late at 10pm on Friday and Saturday www.fringefest.com call 1850 374 643

- Suzanne Yarker, Irish Herald

Totally Dublin review

Fri, 18 Sept 2009 11:00:00 GMT

From outside, the Spiegeltent is wood-panelled curiosity, but inside it's a glamorous Western saloon. The audience have their choice of gilded chairs or wooden booths, with walls lined with mirrors and technicolor glass. In one corner, a bar is stocked with heavily-branded cocktails from the Fringe's vodka sponsor, while in the other a heavy red curtain and a layer of smoke hides what is about to come.

It's hard not to be seduced before the show has even started; everything in this setting should be beautiful and beastly, prefixed with 'The Amazing', 'The Incredible' or 'The World Famous'.

LA CLIQUE does not disappoint, beginning as it does with corpulent drag-artiste La Gateau Chocolat bellowing out an epic 'Nessum Dorma'. What follows runs to traditional circus acts- aerial displays, juggling and unicycles- reinvented through a post-modern lens.

The Skating Aratas offer the old-fashioned thrill of watching a couple swing each other through the air on rollerskates.

Norwegian Captain Frodo squeezes his entire body through two tennis raquets, entertaining us as much with repartee as with his dislocated arm.

Mario, Queen of the Circus demonstrates what would have happened if Freddie Mercury had known how to unicycle, and the show's most photogenic act, acrobat David O'Mer, rises from a bathtub in dripping jeans, turning himself into the world's sexiest water fountain.

LA CLIQUE conjures up an air of living fiction, a spellbinding mix of showmanship and incredible talent utterly detached from normal life. Through all the tongue-in-cheek the circus sprit is intact; this show will as much inspire your spirit as it will shred your nerves. Emotions reach fever pitch at La Gateau Chocolat's rendering of Radiohead's 'Freak', his heartbreaking baritone serving to summarize the show itself.

Witty and aware of its freakshow roots, LA CLIQUE is world-wise, inventive and endlessly dazzling. Catch it now in its last year at the Fringe, before it disappears in a theatrical puff of smoke.

LA CLIQUE runs at the Spiegeltent til September 20th see https://dublinfringefest.ticketsolve.com for details and booking

A Christmas season of LA CLIQUE has been announced at Camden's Roundhouse.

Tue, 23 July 2009 11:00:00 GMT

The announcement comes after a hugely successful nine month run at the London Hippodrome ended on 27 June. Tragically, demolition crews will soon move in to convert the Hippodrome, a building with a fascinating theatrical history, into yet another London casino.

A jaw-dropping showcase of gloriously freakish variety, LA CLIQUE was seen by over 100,000 people and grossed an impressive £2.5 million during its residency at the Hippodrome. Audiences were genuinely mesmerised and critics (myself included) were in awe of what might have been the greatest variety show the West End had ever seen.

The show won the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and played to packed houses until its very last day at the Hippodrome. Now, for a limited nine week season LA CLIQUE returns to London to play at Camden's Roundhouse.

Promising to be "bigger, better with a previously unseen line up which will include some of London's favourites along with the créme de la créme of twisted cabaret performers from around the world", LA CLIQUE at Christmas will no doubt be brilliant, see you there.

Jonathan Dudley

www.lacliquelondon.com

TimeOut names LA CLIQUE as Critic's choice for Cabaret 25 June - 1 July 2009

Tue, 23 June 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Nine months of spell-binding circus, gut-busting physical comedy and one of the sexiest damn shows we've seen in years. Thursday's their Last Hurrah and they're finishing up on Saturday... until their return to London come November.

Time Out

www.lacliquelondon.com

LA CLIQUE invites you to their LAST HURRAH! party on Thursday 25th June

Mon, 8 June 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Join LA CLIQUE for one final hurrah at the London Hippodrome. As a thank you to the myriad of fans that have supported the show over the past 9 months at its iconic London base, LA CLIQUE will stage a special extended performance on Thursday June 25th for one evening only. The 'Last Hurrah' will feature the current cast of the show, along with some spellbinding new acts and friendly old faces. Stay back after the show and say farewell to the sexiest, sassiest and most eye-popping performers in the West End with a DJ and party until late.

LA CLIQUE's incredibly successful run at the London Hippodrome will officially come to an end on Saturday June 27th 2009, making way for the bulldozers which will convert one of London's great theatrical venues into a casino. Impossible to define and impossible to resist, more than 100,000 people have been seduced by LA CLIQUE's twisted charms and the extraordinary atmosphere of the venue. The production has grossed almost £3 million during its time at the Hippodrome and picked up the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. Although the doors will close at the Hippodrome at the end of the month, LA CLIQUE will return to London this Christmas for a strictly limited season of 8 weeks at Camden's legendary Roundhouse.

www.lacliquelondon.com

LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome: cabaret in the West End (Telegraph 29.05.09)

Mon, 1 June 2009 12:00:00 GMT

One of the West End's most venerable venues is to be turned into a casino.

Last autumn I predicted that the superb circus-cum-variety show LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome would become a huge hit, since its wacky entertainers and louche atmosphere seemed expressly made for those seeking escape from the credit-crunch blues.

And so indeed it has proved. The show won an Olivier award for best entertainment, more than 100,000 people have been to see it and it has taken in excess of £2.5 million at the box office. But on June 27 the show closes because the Hippodrome is to be turned into a casino.
Originally built by the great theatre architect Frank Matcham in 1900 for circus, music hall and water spectacles, the Hippodrome featured a vast tank holding 100,000 gallons of water into which aerialists could dive from the theatre's central dome and in which sea-lions and polar bears would swim.

Harry Houdini played there, and made an elephant disappear, and the venue witnessed the British premiere of Swan Lake (with a real lake, presumably). In the 1950s the place was turned into the Talk of the Town, a cabaret and restaurant which attracted such major stars as Judy Garland and Stevie Wonder. By the early Eighties, however, the once glamorous venue was looking dated and dusty and it wasn't long before Peter Stringfellow turned the place into a disco.

Staging LA CLIQUE, with its acrobats, contortionists, singers, jugglers, and roller skaters, not to mention the woman who does something unmentionable with her kazoo, the Hippodrome seemed to have returned to its variety roots while attracting a hip young audience into the West End.

The owners of the new casino are promising a 158-seat cabaret space somewhere amid the slot machines and the blackjack tables and the man in charge of it, Nick Frankfort, believes he will be able to attract acts like Elaine Paige and Michael Ball as well as mind readers and magicians. Since major theatre owners like Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber have turned down the chance to buy and refurbish the dilapidated building, I suppose we should be glad that at least some form of entertainment will be provided even if it is a small space.

Nevertheless I suspect that the theatre space was largely included to persuade the planners to grant permission for yet another London casino, and it will be interesting to see if it survives. I've bet Frankfort £100 that the cabaret won't be running 12 months after the casino opens. It is cash I very much hope to lose.

Charles Spencer
Telegraph
29 May 2009

LA CLIQUE - Reviewed (Show-And-Stay 18.05.09)

Tue, 19 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Anyone who's had an eye on our Twitter posts will know I saw LA CLIQUE at the weekend. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of seeing the show it's basically a modern variety show. People sing, they dance and they do what can only be described as 'other stuff' but I'll get to that.

First things first, the venue. The Hippodrome is a wonderful place for this kind of show, the touch of sleaze that is leftover from the building's nightclub days fits perfectly with LA CLIQUE. Rather than hushed whispers and velvet seats, the Hippodrome is all dry ice, popcorn vendors and lots and lots of drinking. In short, it's a Friday night theatre and (forgive me theatre purists) I adored it.

Armed with a double G&T, a bag of popcorn and a sense of pant-wetting anticipation I've not felt since the midnight Harry Potter queues, I headed into the auditorium for my first surprise. The stage for LA CLIQUE is the tiniest in-the-round I've ever seen. It was no more than perhaps eight feet across, two feet high and sat there in a cloud of dry ice as if miniaturised for comedy value. Slightly perplexed but even more excited I positioned myself for the best possible view and settled down.

The show began with gusto. LA CLIQUE's resident diva, Meow Meow, treated the audience to spot of what the show's own website accurately describes as "kamikaze cabaret". Her stage presence was palpable and with each of her three performances it seemed to build, by the end of the show she was a whirlwind of bawdy humour and sequins. Her occasional use/abuse of audience members was slightly unnerving and I must admit I hid behind my programme more than once as the swept past me. My own cowardice aside, it must be said, Meow Meow is the future of cabaret.

I could continue this review with a blow by blow account of the show, letting you in on every jaw-dropping detail of this magnificent, no, perfect piece of theatre. However, if I did that I would ruin LA CLIQUE for you and I just can't bring myself to do that so I've decided to be coy and only give you my top five moments from the show.

5) Bret Pfister's aerial hoop entrance.

Despite a woman somewhere behind me adamantly telling her companion "I'm certain that bloke in the hoop is from Fall Out Boy" Mr Pfister's swooping entrance was stunning. Not only because he moved with a grace that would made even the National Ballet's finest look twice but he did it to a soundtrack of 80s synthpop!

4) Marawa's stray hula hoop hits my girlfriend in the face.

I know, it's a cruel thing to put in my top five and I'm a bad bad man. However, it serves to highlight the hilarious temper tantrum humour that goes into Marawa's act. An act which basically involves pouting, stamping and lots and lots of hula hoops. Little harmless 'accidents' like this seem to happen semi-regularly and they only add to the show's wonderful sense of glittering anarchy.

3) Mario, Queen of the Circus' unicycle act.

Unicycles are cool, that's a scientific fact. Queen (the band) are also cool, that's not a scientific fact, more of a universal truth. When you combine the two with a man with a painted moustache you get this particular act and it's superb. Funny, unique and just the right amount of crazy, Mario was a star of LA CLIQUE.

2) Captain Frodo's "Follow your dreams" speech.

Not only did Captain Frodo inspire me to carry around a pocket of confetti for impromptu celebrations, but he also gave a rather touching speech. Nothing quite puts life into perspective like hearing a man who has just dislocated his own shoulder in order to squeeze through a tennis racquet tell you that if he can follow his dream, so can you.

1) Amy G and the kazoo.

I have no idea how to really describe this so I'm abusing YouTube. If you're easily offended, not a fan of kazoo music, or are at work (depends on how strict your employer is), I'd advise you save this video for home viewing. It's not rude per se, but well.....you'll see.

I know I've waxed lyrical about this show but honestly, it's remarkable. It blends all that I love about burlesque and circuses and the beautiful seedy underbelly of theatre into one stunning show. LA CLIQUE proves without a doubt that the West End has plenty of room left for the silly, the sexy and the outrageous. Once you see it you'll regret having never learned to play the Ukulele while rollerskating, I swear to you.

In short, if Tim Burton and Dita Von Teese had a child, she grew up, ran away with the circus and then ate too much cheese before bed, LA CLIQUE would be what she'd dream. 10/10, five stars, SUPERB!

Jonathan Dudley
Show-And-Stay
18 May 2009

LA CLIQUE - London Hippodrome (The Public Reviews 16.05.09)

Mon, 18 May 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Whipping cabaret into the 21st Century, LA CLIQUE is the most fabulous show in town. Filled with daring do and skill, all covered in a healthy dose of sexy charm and wit, this international band of performers has wowed audiences across the world in The Famous Speigeltent for years. They are now in their last month at London's Hippodrome before coming back to the Camden Roundhouse for a limited Christmas Season. Indeed London seems desperate not to let them go and it's easy to see why in a show which fills the drizzle of the current British climate with rose tinted, life affirming (oh and did I mention, incredibly skilled) fun and joyful possibility.

Circus is on the rise in England at the moment, with company's such as No Fit State and Ockham's Razor on cracking form with performances at the Roundhouse and the Lyric, and it is easy to see why. This magical blending of aerialism, acrobatics, juggling, thumping sexy music or just pure old fashioned magnetic showmanship is incredibly attractive. This is passionate, enthralling performance - prepare to be dazzled and you will not be disappointed.

Of them all LA CLIQUE are the queens of blending cabaret with burlesque with a show which will make you want to sleep with each and everyone of the performers on stage, from the breathtakingly sexy English Gents to the slight framed contortionist Captain Frodo (and yes he CAN do what you're thinking). The intoxicating Meow Meow will wind you around her vampiric and throaty performance, and Marawa's bootylicious hoopla act is fun and feisty. Bret Pfister's 1980's emo aerialist act is witty and impressive; marrying the swoopy feel of a flock of seagulls with the iron strength of a man who can hang from a hoop from just the bridge of his foot.

Of all these delightfully prancing peacocks, my personal favourite is the incomprehensibly charming Mario Queen of the Circus. Dressed like Freddie Mercury and performing a myriad of talents from crowd surfing to a wickedly funny juggling act to Another One Bites The Dust, Mario is a enchanting performer who could make Queen Victoria herself amused. But this is the point - my favourite may not be your favourite, but what I can guarantee is that when you leave this vibrant space you will not only have a firm favourite of your own but you will have taken every single one of these enthralling performers into your heart, making your journey home in the grey London night life just that little bit more sparkly.

A stunning escapade and an alcohol infused, popcorn/toffee apple spectacular to remember, LA CLIQUE is a show to take your friends and family to now before it closes. But make sure all are accounted for when you leave - you never know, one of your party may have submitted to the infinite temptation to run away with this circus, I know I nearly did.

Honour Bayes
The Public Reviews
16 May 2009

LA CLIQUE Moves to Roundhouse Post-Hippodrome (What's On Stage 15.05.09)

Mon, 18 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

As previously tipped, the Olivier Award-winning burlesque show LA CLIQUE will move into a new home in the capital after being forced to vacate the London Hippodrome next month.

LA CLIQUE must close at the Hippodrome, after a final extension to 27 June 2009, making way for property developers United Leisure, who are converting the space into a new £15 million casino complex. After a break, the show will reopen on 25 November 2009 (previews from 20 November) for a limited nine-week Christmas season to 17 January 2010 at the Roundhouse in Camden.

LA CLIQUE made its London debut at the Hippodrome on 10 October 2008 (previews from 2 October), initially due to run for just four months. It has extended multiple times at the Hippodrome, where it's been seen by over 100,000 and grossed more than £2.5 million. In March, it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.

A mixture of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary variety, LA CLIQUE has performed seasons around the world including Sydney, Melbourne, Montreal, Dublin and New York in addition to regular summer stints at the Edinburgh Fringe, where it's annually one of the hottest tickets at the festival. It's presented in London by LA CLIQUE Productions, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin.

A press statement today about LA CLIQUE's move to the "legendary" Roundhouse states: "The show promises to bring everything that is great about LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome back, with more tinsel, more glitter, and more glamour. Bigger, better with a previously unseen line-up which will include some of London's favourites along with the crème de la crème of twisted cabaret entertainers from around the world, LA CLIQUE at Christmas will be the very best alternative show that London has to offer."

Terri Paddock
What's On Stage
15 May 2009

LA CLIQUE to return to London at Christmas following Hippodrome closure (The Stage 15.05.09)

Mon, 18 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

West End variety show LA CLIQUE will play a special Christmas season at the Camden Roundhouse from November, after its run at the London Hippodrome comes to an end to make way for a casino.

LA CLIQUE will have played at the Hippodrome for nine months when it closes on June 27 and will have grossed more than £2.5 million. It is leaving the central London theatre because building work is due to start to restore the historic building, which was designed by theatre architect Frank Matcham, and convert it into a casino.

However, LA CLIQUE will return to the capital in November at the Roundhouse, where it will play from November 20. Full details will be announced shortly.

LA CLIQUE is produced by LA CLIQUE Productions, Mark Rubinstein, and Mick Perrin for Just For Laughs Live.

Alistair Smith
The Stage
15 May 2009

Christmas season of LA CLIQUE announced at Camden's Roundhouse!

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Following a hugely successful 9 months, LA CLIQUE's run at the London Hippodrome will finally come to an end on Saturday June 27th 2009, making way for the bulldozers which will convert one of London's great theatrical venues into a casino.

Over 100,000 thousand people have seen LA CLIQUE's incredible collection of performers and the production has grossed well in excess of £2.5 million during its time at the Hippodrome. Impossible to define and impossible to resist, audiences and critics have been seduced by LA CLIQUE's twisted charms and the extraordinary atmosphere of the venue. The Hippodrome's many bars, lavish auditorium and iconic history have all provided the perfect setting for one of the most unusual and eye-popping shows in the West End. This was recognised in March when LA CLIQUE won the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. LA CLIQUE will continue to play to packed houses at the Hippodrome until June 27th when the building will close for its planned conversion into a casino.

It is therefore, with genuine delight that the producers of LA CLIQUE are able to announce that this Christmas, for a strictly limited season of 8 weeks, the show will return to London to play Camden's legendary Roundhouse. The show promises to bring everything that is great about LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome back, with more tinsel, more glitter, and more glamour. Bigger, better with a previously unseen lineup which will include some of London's favourites along with the crème de la crème of twisted cabaret entertainers from around the world, LA CLIQUE at Christmas will be the very best alternative show that London has to offer. Full details will be announced in due course.

For further information please contact The Corner Shop PR on 020 7494 3665 or email info@thecornershoppr.com

www.lacliquelondon.com

Is it comedy, is it burlesque or is it the circus? Whatever it is, LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome is unmissable, says Victoria Purcell

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Banish the credit crunch frown-and-furrowed-brow combo with an evening out in the company of team LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome. That's just what a friend and I did when in need of entertainment on a dreary Wednesday evening.

Unsure of what to expect from a "theatrical phenomenon which is almost impossible to describe", we pitched up camp, beers in hand, on a couple of back-row seats (safe from the nerve-wracking prospect of audience participation).

A fabulous lip-pouting, diva-extraordinaire opened the show, seductively crooning her way onto the stage before bursting into life with a disco-thumping remix of Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind. Montreal's Cabaret Decadanse duo Serge DesLauriers and Enock Turcotte are behind the most impressive disco shimmying ever pulled off by a puppet.

Next up were The English Gents. Stiff upper-lips and bowler hats gave way to astounding acrobatic displays of strength and agility. To a girl who struggles to do even 10 tricep dips, this is jaw-dropping stuff. Of course the biggest cheer came when they whipped off their suits, exposing rippling torsos and very patriotic pants.

The fact that I'd seen Captain Frodo fold himself through tennis rackets before on Graham Norton's When Will I be Famous? did nothing to dampen my howls, hoots and even tears of laughter. And that was just his first stint on stage - he later returned for a second pop at making my jaw ache unbearably by doing some very odd things with tin cans.

Amy G was another stand-out act - it's easy to see how she's earned herself a reputation as a legend of the cabaret scene. She skates, she plays the ukulele, she has a filthy laugh and she pulls an interesting stunt with a kazoo that I think I saw once while holidaying in Benidorm as a teenager...

Speaking of that infamous corner of Spain (which is apparently undergoing a bit of a revival - you heard it here first), the Skating Willers seem to have lifted their sound track right out of that regrettable Club 18-30s, bar-crawling, vodka-swilling era. What they can do on roller skates looks dangerous enough, but this act has been around for over 27 years, and the cracks are showing.

But naff music aside, this is a fantastic evening out. The Hippodrome itself looks great, resembling a little big top. The stage in the round is tiny, but the use of space clever. And with audience members so up close and personal, you can't help but get involved.

The show also features laugh-out-loud, sing-along moments courtesy of Mario Queen of the Circus (the kitschiest, campest reincarnation of Freddie Mercury imaginable), beautiful aerial displays by Bret Pfister and Erna Sommer and sassy, cheeky, hula-hooping clown Marawa.

So there you have it. It's the circus, it's burlesque, it's cabaret, it's comedy - and best of all, with unpredictable acts and an ever-changing line-up, it's a different show every time.

LA CLIQUE won Best Entertainment in the 2009 Laurence Olivier Awards. It runs until 14 June at the Hippodrome, 10-14 Cranbourn Street WC2H 7JH. Call 020 7907 7097 or see www.lacliquelondon.com to book

Performances: Mon, Weds and Thurs 8pm, Fri-Sat 7.30pm and 10.30pm, Sun 6pm. Tickets £15-£35 (seats with table service £45). Over 18s only.

From 25 March, mad-cap illusionist Carl-Einar Hackner and outrageous operatic diva Le Gateau Chocolat join the line-up.

http://www.livingsouth.co.uk/what's-on-reviews--137883

LA CLIQUE is delighted to welcome the cabaret sensation Meow Meow for a limited season until May 26th 2009

Wed, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Until May 26th LA CLIQUE will feature the truly sensational cabaret chanteuse Meow Meow. The term cabaret diva is a pathetically inadequate phrase to describe this prima donna chanteuse. Jetting into London for a very special stint at the Hippodrome, Meow Meow is a star of gargantuan proportions, famed the world over for her virtuosic voice and her unconquerable stage presence. Beautiful and sexy, and haunted by a tantalizing shadow of darkness, she has seduced audiences with her own anarchic brand of vamped-up kamikaze cabaret. Enter her world of cracked cabaret, euro-opera trash, tragedy and high glamour.

From psychotic to cool, from kitsch cabaret to multimedia performance art and virtuosic contemporary opera, Meow-Meow performs solo and with companies including Opera Factory (London), Elision Ensemble (Australia), Robyn Orlin (South Africa/Berlin), John Jesurun and Mikel Rouse (NYC), in venues as diverse as NY's Lincoln Center Berlin's Philharmonic, the Hebbel Theater, B-Dungeon, Sydney's Opera House, Theater Spektakel Zurich, Joe's Pub NY, Tokyo's Saitama Theatre, The Glamour Room Shanghai, the Dublin Spiegeltent and numerous international arts festivals.

"The darling of the dungeons of the euro jet-set, Le Monde's 'tawdry underworld eurydice'. International Singing Sensation Meow Meow (no fixed address), descends with her 'voix inhumaine' in a dazzling downward spiral of cracked cabaret, euro-opera trash, tragedy and very, VERY high glamour." (The Art Party, NY)

LA CLIQUE took up residence at the The Hippodrome in Leicester Square on October 2nd, 2008. Both audiences and critics alike have fallen for its twisted charms and the extraordinary atmosphere of the venue. The show was recognised in March when LA CLIQUE won the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.

A melange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow, and contemporary variety, LA CLIQUE has assumed cult status as a seductive, dangerous, funny and above all, heart-warming sensation. The Hippodrome's many bars, lavish auditorium, incredible atmosphere and iconic history provide the perfect setting for one of the most unusual and eye-popping shows in the West End today.

www.lacliquelondon.com/performers.asp

LA CLIQUE welcomes two new artists to the show; Carl-Einar Häckner and Le Gateau Chocolat, from March 25th 2009

Wed, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE, winner of the 2009 Olivier Award for BEST ENTERTAINMENT, is proud to welcome two new artists to the show; mad-cap illusionist Carl-Einar Häckner, and outrageous operatic diva Le Gateau Chocolat, from March 25th 2009

Impossible to define and impossible to resist, LA CLIQUE's ever-changing family of freaksters welcomes two new faces;

Carl-Einar Häckner

This famous, marauding Swede joins LA CLIQUE in London with his unique and shambolic brand of musical comedy and illusion. You will laugh against your better judgement at this delightful and sinfully talented comic magician. Carl-Einer is a classic Shakespearian fool, utterly clueless yet full of brilliantly executed routines. A mega-star in the land of the midnight sun, this lunatic is living proof that the Swedes have a sense of humour beyond exporting white bell-bottom jump suits and 70's pop anthems.

Le Gateau Chocolat

Le Gateau Chocolat is an opera-singing diva with a penchant for being wrapped in body-hugging lycra and a passion for laughter. This delicious confection is a killer baritone who delivers outrageous and moving renditions of pop, jazz and musical theatre numbers. Le Gateau Chocolat has performed at many prestigious venues including The Royal Opera House, London and Copenhagen Opera House. A real show-stopper, Le Gateau Chocolat has a warmth that will see the whole world addicted to chocolate.

LA CLIQUE took up residence at the The Hippodrome in Leicester Square on October 2nd, 2008. Both audiences and critics alike have fallen for its twisted charms and the extraordinary atmosphere of the venue. On 8th March 2009, LA CLIQUE was awarded the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.

A melange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow, and contemporary variety, LA CLIQUE has assumed cult status as a seductive, dangerous, funny and above all, heart-warming sensation. The Hippodrome's many bars, lavish auditorium, incredible atmosphere and iconic history provide the perfect setting for one of the most unusual and eye-popping shows in the West End today.

www.lacliquelondon.com/performers.asp

LA CLIQUE Supports the Australian Bushfires Appeal by performing at the West End's Sunday Best concert on 29 March.

Wed, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE will be joining other stars of London's West End for a one-off benefit concert to raise money, awareness and hope for victims of the recent Australian bushfires and floods. All proceeds will go to the British Red Cross Australian Bushfires Appeal to assist in rebuilding the homes and livelihoods of the victims.

The concert will feature cast members from LA CLIQUE and some of the West End's other biggest shows including Oliver!, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical, Dirty Dancing, The Sound Of Music, The Lion King, and Jersey Boys.

West End's Sunday Best, will be held on 29 March at 7pm at The Palace Theatre. To attend phone 0844 412 4657 or visit www.seetickets.com

Click here to view article

LA CLIQUE is Timeout's Cabaret Critcs Choice of the Week

Tue, 23 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

"The spirit of the London Hippodrome in its heyday lives on, in aptly scuzzy form, in 'LA CLIQUE'. This burlesque variety show is impressively eclectic. Thanks to thoughtful presentation (spivvy ushers in bowlers), and to the lead of Mario Queen of the Circus (think Freddie Mercury with a lot of extra balls), it comes together as a whole lot of hilarious pleasure."

Time Out
Click here to view article

Amy G is the talk of London's West End (The Sun, 11.03.09)

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

THE talk of London's West End is US comedienne Amy G's musical tribute to President Obama in the variety show LA CLIQUE, at the Hippodrome.

She plays America The Beautiful on the kazoo - but not using her mouth. An extraordinary rendition.

The Whip
The Sun
11 March 2009

Olivier award for LA CLIQUE hits the spot (Theatre Voice, 09.03.09)

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I'm impressed by the spread of this year's Laurence Olivier awards. Good to see the Donmar's sensational revival of The Chalk Garden being rewarded in the best actress and lighting categories. Top marks for the championing of Elena Roger, too, as Piaf, a knock-out performance. And the acknowledgement of the RSC's Histories was more than richly deserved. The full list of victors can be viewed in latestNEWS; but I would single out the success of LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome as Best Entertainment as a suitable riposte to the idea that the Olivier awards panel plays it safe. This melange of avant-garde, new circus and performance art antics has gone from being a cult Edinburgh Fringe phenomenon to a centre-of-town must-see. What a fine rebuke too, the award is, to Westminster Council and its daft, philistine acquiescence in plans to turn the Hippodrome, one of London's great neglected theatrical glories, into a casino.

For various logistical reasons, to do with printing timetables, a preview feature I wrote for the Telegraph ahead of the London opening last autumn never ran. So here, for your perusal, is the copy - which I hope, despite now being past its sell-by date, will whet the appetites of the uninitiated to go and check out a genuine marvel.

'I really find it hard to explain how I've ended up doing this for a living,' says Ursula Martinez, flashing a smile and shrugging her shoulders. 'It's almost impossible to put into words.' Struggling to unravel the mystery of her unusual showbiz calling in a public gardens in Dublin, this twinkly-eyed fortysomething, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the comedienne Catherine Tate, then heads into the beautiful mirror-lined Spiegeltent behind her to strip off slowly in front of a whooping, tantalised and gob-smacked crowd.

One thing's for sure: Martinez works magic whatever her job-description might be. Her foxy routine involves shedding her skimpy outfit as she searches for a handkerchief, which she 'discovers' about her person using classic conjuring skills. Her mock-astonished looks, exaggerated pouts and pelvic thrusts help transform a kinky party-piece into an arty tour de force. Later, she will use a lit cigarette to set fire to dollops of flammable cream spread on intimate parts of her anatomy without so much as singeing a nipple - but that's another story.

If any single performer sums up LA CLIQUE's cheeky, teasing and warm-hearted carnival of unexpected pleasures then it's probably Martinez - based in London, blessed with Anglo-Spanish roots, but quintessentially a free-spirit. This international brigade of highly accomplished novelty acts, which has been wowing the Edinburgh Fringe and audiences abroad for four years, is finally coming to the West End this week. The plan is that LA CLIQUE will re-launch the Hippodrome as an essential entertainment destination after decades off the cultural map and a very chequered recent history. And you know what? They'll pull it off.

When did London's regular theatregoers last get to see a world-class contortionist? Zany Norwegian Captain Frodo can pull himself - with much deft slapstick - through the rib-busting confines of a tennis-racquet. Ukrainian beauty Yulia Pykhtina becomes a human whirlwind of hula-hoops, while the English Gents are a strong-man duo who perform incredible balancing acts while wearing business suits and the straightest of faces. Guaranteed to send the ladies into a frenzy, Germany's David O'Mer is a rippling Adonis who swoops in and out of a water-filled bath on a harness like an aerial Chippendale. Mario 'Queen of the Circus' is a winningly camp, leather-clad Freddie Mercury tribute act who juggles balls and lip-synchs in perfect synchronicity to 'Another One Bites the Dust'.

The range of offerings on the bill defies any simple catch-all description: is it new circus, 21st-century variety, postmodern cabaret, neo-burlesque? All of the above, and only a term as nebulous as LA CLIQUE will do.

It's true that London's cannier thrill-seekers may have already come across Martinez and a few of her kind on the capital's experimental performance circuit, which has seen a resurgence of cabaret and burlesque over the past 10 years or so. But none of them will have seen it in this context, in a Hippodrome newly reconnected with its glory days. And up until now, LA CLIQUE has been almost entirely experienced the world over in the Famous Spiegeltent, one of the last surviving examples of a deluxe, early 20th-century species of travelling dance hall that originated in Belgium.

It's owned by the Australian producer David Bates, who had the quick good sense to notice that all kinds of disparate acts he was encountering - on the street, in clubs and festivals - needed a home. He's had the nous again to recognise that the Hippodrome might be best port of call LA CLIQUE ever stopped at.

Designed by the legendary theatre architect Frank Matcham, the Hippodrome was one of the wonders of the Victorian Empire when it opened for business in 1900. Originally configured as an aqua-circus, it boasted a 100,000 gallon water tank, filled by the underground river that runs directly below the building, and which must be held at bay by dedicated pumps to this day. Boats could sail in through side-entrances; acrobats could splash down from vertiginous heights above the gods; and the variety bills included contributions from polar-bears and elephants. During its many incarnations, it has played host to such legends as Harry Houdini, Shirley Bassey and Julie Andrews.

'The Hippodrome has been crying out for something like this for ages,' says Nick Wright, the venue's general manager and a man so smitten with the building's forgotten charms he knows every inch of the place, dusty upper reaches and all. 'The West End also needs somewhere people can come to after work for a few drinks, perhaps eat, and see some fantastic entertainment, staying around afterwards for an hour or so if they like.' Acknowledging that the place has had a poor image since it was run as a nightclub by Peter Stringfellow in the Eighties, he explains 'at one point, we ditched the Hippodrome name altogether because it had become so associated with everything naff and crass.'

With the building's landlords refurbishing the Grade II listed facade, due for unveiling any week now, people may finally start queuing round the block to get in again, rather than scurrying past it oblivious on their way into Leicester Square. Wright is so confident of LA CLIQUE's success he's downscaled all the private corporate hires that have been, for the last few years, the venue's mainstay. Isn't there just a slight danger, all the same, that the enterprise will belly-flop badly on account of the credit squeeze?

'Absolutely not', declares Brett Haylock, Bates' co-producer and a fellow Aussie. 'I don't get worried about those credit crunch headlines in the slightest. LA CLIQUE is recession-proof. When times get hard, this is what people are looking for.' There's a historical precedent for that, he points out; during the Great Depression the one art-form that thrived in America was burlesque.

The flip-side, of course, is that LA CLIQUE - which is being set up for an open-ended run - becomes so successful it spawns a commercial monster. They'll be crossing that bridge when they come to it, but the ethos is all about intimacy, high-class and great value. 'It's the antithesis to Cirque de Soleil, that has been said of us many times,' Haylock points out.

Certainly as things stand, LA CLIQUE unleashes far fiercer dreams of running away to join the circus than the global juggernaut Cirque de Soleil does. Is there any reason why, so many years after the big variety and music-halls fell out of favour, the form seems to have mutated its way back into the limelight? 'I do think it could be as simple as the cyclical movement of fashion,' suggests Martinez. 'For a while now, we've had a very mediated culture. Even with the boom in reality TV, it's all very controlled. Here nothing comes between the spectator and the experience. It's absolutely in-the-moment.'

According to her, variety artists, street entertainers and the whole hotch-potch of mavericks, freaks and prodigies have always kept going, it's just that TV stopped noticing, and after a while, so did most of the rest of us. LA CLIQUE in some shape or form has always been there. Only now we've realised - as with the neglected Hippodrome itself - that we rather missed it.

LA CLIQUE is at The Hippodrome, Leicester Square, London, WC2 tickets: 020 7907 7097; www.lacliquelondon.com

Hippodrome timeline: from live polar bears to white elephant

1900 - 1909: Built for Edward Moss of Moss Empires, the Hippodrome opens boasting a water-circus arena and music-hall. The foyer is rigged up like an ocean liner.

1909 -1951: Now a variety theatre, it stages the Albert de Courville revues, numerous plays and musical comedies.

1951 - 1982: At the start of the Fifties, it plays host to the Folies Bergere revue, then, after a 1957 refit, becomes the Talk of the Town, showcasing legends such as Eartha Kitt, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones and Judy Garland to a wining, dining audience.

1983 - 1993: Leisure tycoon Peter Stringfellow re-opens the venue as a nightclub, installing state-of-the-art discotheque lighting.

1993 - 2008: In the wake of Stringfellow, various corporate leisure groups run the joint but it struggles to sustain any popular affection, and becomes a venue for corporate hire events.

Dominic Cavendish
Theatre Voice
09 March 2009

Wins for Roger, Hodge and LA CLIQUE (Offical London Theatre Guide, 08.03.09)

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Elena Roger and Douglas Hodge have been named Best Actress and Actor in a Musical at the Laurence Olivier Awards 2009, while cabaret show LA CLIQUE picks up the Best Entertainment prize.

Roger has claimed Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of doomed French singer Edith Piaf in Jamie Lloyd's production of Pam Gems's Piaf, which opened at the Donmar Warehouse in August before transferring to the Vaudeville theatre.

The win tops a highly successful couple of years for the Argentine actress, who made her UK stage debut in Michael Grandage's production of Evita at the Adelphi theatre in 2006, collecting her first Laurence Olivier Award nomination for her performance as Eva Peron. After a spell in comedy Boeing Boeing, the actress was chosen by Grandage's Donmar Warehouse to take the title role in Piaf, which charted the sharp rise and tragic fall of the Parisian chanteuse.

Clutching her statuette, Roger told Official London Theatre "It's very nice to have one of these! I can take it to my country now, my mum is going to be very proud. I work very hard but there is a lot of people around me who help me to be in this country and be comfortable." She singled out Piaf director Jamie Lloyd, who she forgot to thank in her acceptance speech. "Without him I wouldn't be able to do it," she said.

Hodge was awarded Best Actor in a Musical for playing drag queen Albin/Zaza in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of comedy musical La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse theatre, triumphing in a category that included his co-star Denis Lawson. Hodge first assumed the role at the Menier in December 2007, before the show came into the West End in October 2008.

It was a bittersweet night for Hodge, as, sadly, his father passed away just three days ago. "It's been the most awful week and he would have loved this, so it's fantastic," he told Official London Theatre. "I spoke to my mum before and I wasn't going to come but she said we won't forgive you if you don't come, so I'm delighted that I've won."

La Cage Aux Folles is one of the few nominated shows still running, though Hodge left the musical in January, to be replaced by Graham Norton. Earlier in the ceremony Hodge reprised the role of Albin to give a performance of show stopping number I Am What I Am. "I miss it, I miss them, I don't miss the exhaustion or the worry but. singing it again tonight you just think it's a gift of a role."

This is the first Laurence Olivier Award win for Hodge, who has twice been nominated in previous years, in 2001 for The Caretaker and in 2006 for Guys And Dolls. A director as well as actor, Hodge is currently directing Dimetos, which opens at the Donmar Warehouse, of which he is Associate Director, on 25 March.

In the Best Entertainment category, quirky show LA CLIQUE has triumphed over Brief Encounter and Maria Friedman: Rearranged. Billed as a mixture of cabaret, new burlesque, circus and contemporary variety, LA CLIQUE opened at the Hippodrome in October with an ever-changing cast that has included a Norwegian contortionist, a strip-artist, a Russian hula-hoop artist and London's own Miss Behave. Though it has twice extended its run, LA CLIQUE faces an uncertain future as a license has been granted to convert the Hippodrome into a casino.

CB
Offical London Theatre Guide
08 March 2009

Laurence Olivier Awards Winners! (London Theatre Guide, 08.03.09)

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The 33rd Laurence Olivier Awards winners have been announced at a ceremony at London's Grosvenor House

Winners....

Best Actress
Margaret Tyzack The Chalk Garden at Donmar

Best Actor
Derek Jacobi Twelfth Night, at Wyndham's

Best Performance In a Supporting Role
Patrick Stewart Hamlet at Novello

Best Company Performance
The Histories at Roundhouse

Best New Play
Black Watch by Gregory Burke at Barbican

Best New Comedy
God Of Carnage by Yasmina Reza at Gielgud

Best Revival
The Histories at Roundhouse

Best New Musical
Jersey Boys at Prince Edward

Best Musical Revival
La Cage Aux Folles at Playhouse

Best Actress In A Musical
Elena Roger Piaf at Donmar & Vaudeville

Best Actor In A Musical
Douglas Hodge La Cage Aux Folles at Playhouse

Best Performance In A Supporting Role In A Musical
Lesli Margherita Zorro at Garrick

Best Director
John Tiffany Black Watch at Barbican

Best Theatre Choreographer
Steven Hoggett Black Watch at Barbican

Best Lighting Design
The Chalk Garden Paule Constable at Donmar

Best Set Design
August: Osage County Todd Rosenthal at National

Best Costume Design
The Histories Tom Piper/Emma Williams at Roundhouse

Best Sound Design
Black Watch Gareth Fry at Barbican

Outstanding Achievement In An Affiliate Theatre
The Pride, Royal Court Upstairs

Best New Opera Production
English National Opera's Partenope at London Coliseum

Outstanding Achievement In Opera
Ed Gardner for conducting English National Opera's Boris Goduinov, Cavalliera Rusticana, Der Rosenkavalier, I Pagliacci, Riders To The Sea at the London Coliseum and Punch And Judy at the Young Vic

Best New Dance Production
Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal's Cafi Muller/ The Rite Of Spring at Sadler's Wells

Outstanding Achievement In Dance
The company of the Royal Ballet of Flanders for their performances in Impressing The Czar at Sadler's Wells

Society's special award
Sir Alan Ayckbourn

London Theatre Guide - Online
8 March 2009

LA CLIQUE at The Hippodrome (Spoonfed 06.03.09)

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE takes place in what is probably known to most of us as a West End nightclub that is best avoided like the nearby kebab shops. LA CLIQUE harnesses the frayed and slightly seedy vibe of the space to create a show that has a simultaneously glamorous and earthy atmosphere. The smell of the popcorn and the extravagence of lights flashing in the mirrored room immediately transport you to a world far removed from the West End street you are still only a few yards away from.

Every act in this show was worthy of praise. Each one showed a strong degree of stagecraft in their shows. The proximity of the seating to the small, circular stage meant that all the acts retained a feeling of street theatre. The humour and personality of the acts meant that I would have happily seen most of them extend their sets beyond the allotted 8 minutes.

The show is sexy but not sexual with oodles of glamour and titilation but no burlesque to speak of. It would be considered risqi in parts in comparison to mainstream entertainment - but is really humourous about the sort of everyday things we all laugh about under wraps. Everyone was comfortable enough to find it funny.

To the perfomers: Captain Frodo the Incredible Rubber Man did things you'd never have seen from Bjorn Borg and, as well as being revolting, was funny in the way that silent comedies are funny. Amy G demonstrated her support for Obama by playing 'America' with a kazoo in an unusual fashion. The Skating Willers performed an acid house pumping, roller-skating acrobatic act that was near death defying. We saw a crowd surfing, uni-cycling, juggling Freddy Mercury look-alike that led a chorus of 'We Are The Champions' and a couple of city gents who performed feats of balance whilst displaying their patriotism to Land of Hope and Glory in Union Jack boxers.

This show made me laugh, gasp and applaud throughout its 2 hour span. I could not recommend it enough and with £15 being the maximum price of a standing ticket no-one has an excuse to miss it. A brilliant night out.

Longboy
Spoonfed London
6 March 2009

LA CLIQUE extends its hugely successful run at the London Hippodrome

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE extends its hugely successful run at the London Hippodrome until Sunday 14th June 2009

Owing to popular demand and the extraordinary success of LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome, the producers are delighted to announce it will now extend until Sunday 14th June. The show first opened in London on October 2nd 2008 originally booking until February 1st. A first extension was announced until April 19th and now a further 8 weeks have been added. A melange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow, and contemporary variety, it has since assumed cult status as a seductive, dangerous, funny and above all, heart-warming sensation.

LA CLIQUE has been nominated for the Best Entertainment Olivier Award 2008, the results will be announced on March 8th. Recent additions to the company include the jaw-dropping Skating Willers, and joining over the next two weeks are the extraordinary hula-girl Marawa and physical comedienne Amy G along with aerialist Erna Sommer.

Impossible to define and impossible to resist, audiences and critics have been seduced by LA CLIQUE's twisted charms and the extraordinary atmosphere of the venue. The Hippodrome's many bars, lavish auditorium and iconic history provide the perfect setting for one of the most unusual and eye-popping shows in the West End today.

For further information please contact The Corner Shop PR on 020 7494 3665 or email info@thecornershoppr.com

LA CLIQUE is proud to welcome Marawa, Amy G and Erna Sommer

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE is proud to welcome three new artists to the show; Hula- hoop artist Marawa, comedienne Amy G and aerial trapeze artist Erna Sommer.

Impossible to define and impossible to resist, LA CLIQUE is set to become even more alluring with the addition of three new artists to the show;

Marawa joins LA CLIQUE on February 25th

Skilled, sassy and hot to trot, Marawa Ibrahim brings her unique brand of coquettish comedy to the Hippodrome. A virtuoso of the Hula-Hoop and a demon on skates, she joins LA CLIQUE direct from Sydney.

Amy G and Erna Sommer join LA CLIQUE on March 4th

The irrepressible showgirl Amy G is known as a physical comedienne, actor and a musician of prodigious anatomical gifts. Amy is a legend of the cabaret scene. She has the legs, the skates, the ukulele - and what she can do with a kazoo will astound you!

Fitting LA CLIQUE like a sheer silk stocking, Erna Sommer brings her fluid aerial trapeze act to London. In a black evening dress, Erna Sommer is an ethereal picture of spellbinding physical control. Her sensual, graceful and deceptively delicate act has earned her a reputation as one of the world's most beautiful and hypnotic performers.

LA CLIQUE took up residence at the The Hippodrome in Leicester Square on October 2nd, 2008. Both audiences and critics alike have fallen for its twisted charms and the extraordinary atmosphere of the venue.

A melange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow, and contemporary variety, LA CLIQUE has assumed cult status as a seductive, dangerous, funny and above all, heart-warming sensation. The Hippodrome's many bars, lavish auditorium, incredible atmosphere and iconic history provide the perfect setting for one of the most unusual and eye-popping shows in the West End today.

For further information please contact The Corner Shop PR on 020 7494 3665 or email info@thecornershoppr.com

Legendary roller-skating duo the Skating Willers join LA CLIQUE

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Legendary roller-skating duo the Skating Willers join LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome from February 11th, 2009.

Also rejoining the company are captivating puppeteers Cabaret Decadanse and bath tub aerialist extraordinaire, David O'Mer.

It's time to get your skates on! Breathtaking roller-skating duo Jean-Pierre Poissonnet and Wanda Azzario spin onto the Hippodrome stage at breakneck speeds on February 11th, 2009. Known as the Skating Willers, this gravity-defying couple join the LA CLIQUE company with one of the most extraordinary displays of physical skill you are ever likely to see.

For more than 27 years these true dinosaurs of variety have thrilled audiences around the world, entertaining everyone from the Queen of Denmark to our very own Queen Elizabeth II. They have performed at the Folies Bergere and the Royal Variety Performance and appeared on the big screen in the James Bond classic, Octopussy.

Also returning are founding LA CLIQUE favourites Cabaret Decandanse and the Adonis in denim, David O'Mer. Fresh from successful seasons overseas, they rejoin the company from February 11th, 2009.

Impossible to define and impossible to resist, LA CLIQUE took up residence at the The Hippodrome in Leicester Square on October 2nd, 2008. Both audiences and critics alike have fallen for its twisted charms and the extraordinary atmosphere of the venue.

A melange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow, and contemporary variety, LA CLIQUE has assumed cult status as a seductive, dangerous, funny and above all, heart-warming sensation. The Hippodrome's many bars, lavish auditorium, incredible atmosphere and iconic history provide the perfect setting for one of the most unusual and eye-popping shows in the West End today.

For further information please contact The Corner Shop PR on 020 7494 3665 or email info@thecornershoppr.com

Pfister joins LA CLIQUE cast (The Stage 08.01.09)

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

New York hoop artist Bret Pfister has joined the cast of LA CLIQUE as its run is extended until April.

A graduate of the prestigious L'Ecole Nationale de Cirque in Canada, Pfister was a headliner at Miss Behave's Variety Nighty at the London Roundhouse last summer.

LA CLIQUE, which opened last October, will now run until April 19 at the London Hippodrome.

Full plans for the £8 million transformation of the Hippodrome into a casino are expected early this year from United Leisure Gaming.

Natalie Woolman
The Stage
8 January 2009

Being a Cabaret Star in the Naughties (What's On Stage 26.12.08)

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What's On Stage interview with Camille O'Sullivan.

Camille O'Sullivan - The Dark Angel Multi-award-winning chanteuse, Camille O'Sullivan, has toured the world with her unique Cabaret performance style. Trained as an architect, the multi-talented Camille is also a proficient painter, actress and singer. Following 5 star sell our performances in New York, Sydney, Edinburgh and London, she now brings her critically acclaimed show, The Dark Angel, including work from Nick Cave, David Bowie, Tom Waits and Jacques Brel, to London's Roundhouse on 14 January. We sat down for a chat and asked her what being a cabaret performer is really all about.

What one achievement are you most proud of?

Hmmm.That I was crazy enough to leave being an Architect and become a performer and manage myself. And that I'm still doing it.

What is the best thing about being a cabaret star?

An excuse to feel the most alive when performing on stage, connecting to an audience, living in fantasy land and dressing up (I'm not good at reality).

And the worst?

When the fantasy is over, the slight embarrassment you feel after you've finished a show and wondered why the band hadn't tried to stop you rolling on the floor, climbing on somebody in the audience and falling off the table spilling wine over you. Organizing my life and tours is a wee bit of a nightmare too.

What attracted you to cabaret?

It began when my French mother introduced me to the dramatic emotive music of Jacques Brel and when I discovered the old German Weimar 1920's Kabarett music of Hans Eisler, Friedrich Hollaender and Kurt Weill. The Weimar songs are essentially narrative stories, a combination of poetry, politics, witty satire and song (which blossomed in reaction to strict morality laws whilst holding a mirror to society) Cabaret has a confrontational quality about it and, like theatre, it entertains, but, more importantly, it exists to make you think and reflect. There is an intenseness in delivery that is very similar to an actor doing a monologue, while in this case it is mixed with music and about inhabiting the song- making it your own-almost as if in conversation with the audience- yet there is no fourth wall.

That started my obsession with narrative song. I loved the fact that you could become a different character on stage, exploring every different aspect of yourself vulnerable, humorous, sexual, dark etc There is something very special in being a few feet away from the audience, involving them in a very direct and very personal manner, displaying vulnerability, anger, passion and humour, becoming many different characters but still being you. Though written by others, you must make the song your own, it helps when you're moved and obsessed by the songs!

Tell us a little about your background and the path that led you to cabaret.

I was raised in a village outside Cork city Ireland by an Irish racing driver father and French artist mother who instilled a real love of music, theatre, art and dance in my sister and I, so, after I became a painter and architect, it's no surprise that I left it all behind for the 'stable' life of a performer! My parents had a great, eclectic vinyl collection and introduced my love of Jacques Brel, Serges Gainsbourg, and David Bowie whilst growing up. Though not formally trained, I acted and sang throughout my college years, yet Cabaret was to be a big discovery for me. As an Architecture student living in Berlin I started to hang out in the smoky 'Kabarett' clubs where I first heard the music of Eisler, Hollaender and Weill. I hadn't heard that type of music before - telling stories in song (political, sexual, and emotional) and became obsessed with finding out more.

I loved the emotive quality -it ranged from funny to desolate, to harsh, sometimes creating a dangerous, uncomfortable atmosphere, other times sheer elation. Compared to the Jazz standards I'd previously sung - where it was more about the melody and how beautifully you sing - cabaret was more about theatre, a character, and using music to tell a story.

When I returned to Dublin I began performing their work in the Da Club. It was there that I saw the late great Agnes Bernelle- one of the finest Kurt Weill performers I've ever seen, who had settled in Dublin from her native Berlin, an inspiring mentor to me she was real Kabarett, not the cliched version of fishnet stockings and feather boas, but an actress who 'lived in' the song.

Since those early days in Dublin, I've had an amazing journey travelling the world with the Famous Spiegeltent (with my solo shows and LA CLIQUE) and performing at the Sydney Opera House, Glastonbury, New York and recently on Jools Holland.

Tell us a little about this specific show and what we can expect.

The Dark Angel show involves singing the dark and light music of Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Brel, Weill and more with a band of seven musicians. It is like several different characters on stage whilst inhabiting each song you interpret. You can never be sure what direction the show may take as I like to reveal and surprise (through change of personality or clothes) whilst always having an element of questioning in it. Emotionally - it can be a roller coaster for the audience (and myself exploring it -I do not like to hold back on my emotions on stage!) Happy, sad, vicious, loving, cheeky - it's quite intense. It has the feeling of a contemporary Kabarett and I like to spend time setting the stage with old vintage dresses, candles, invoking an old atmosphere. I love the intensity of a sad poignant song but I also love to laugh or just break the mood by singing a fantastic upbeat song, just enjoying the music. Nothing is quite what it seems.

You have had some glowing reviews for your work. How do reviews affect you and do you pay attention to them?

It is always nice to receive praise for your work, but I tend to not read either the good or the bad. I tend to get upset at bad criticism and if you can't take the bad then don't look at making yourself feel better by just reading the good (also you can sometimes change your performance by believing too much in what they liked about you). Proper criticism is good so I am open to friends reading them and then telling me "well this critic had a point perhaps you should try it like this etc"..!

You have worked with LA CLIQUE, who seem to be getting ever stronger after their residency at the Hippodrome. What was your experience of working with them like?

I've had a wonderful journey from being part of the original cast in Edinburgh 2004 to running away with them and the Famous Spiegeltent and travelling all over the world in the last few years. It is as exciting now as it was then to be part of such a fantastic evening of talented varied acts who have become family, I still get a thrill to watch the acts and see the audiences' reaction- like children at their first circus show! Audiences really embrace the variety and joy of circus & cabaret although I think I might be the most normal thing in the show, and the most unfit! You have to see me beside the boy in the bath, the English Gents, beautiful Yulia, to see what I mean! I have been stopped several times last week from people who are still smiling from having seen the show in the Hippodrome which has turned out to be a perfect home for this mad wee circus.

What's On Stage
26 December 2008

WOS Theatregoers' Choice Nominees Announced (What's On Stage 5.12.08)

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The nominations in the ninth annual Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards were announced today (5 December 2008) at a star-studded event at the Hippodrome in London's West End. The Theatregoers' Choice Awards is the only major theatre prize-giving decided by the public, who vote online at here at awards.whatsonstage.com. This year, over 4,000 people took part in the nominations phase of the judging process, with many thousands more expected to vote from today for the eventual winners.

Following its success last month at the Evening Standard Awards, the Donmar Warehouse continues to lead the way with a phenomenal 18 nominations in this year's Theatregoers' Choice Awards shortlists, including six nods for Ivanov, five apiece for The Chalk Garden and Othello, four for Piaf and one for the overall launch of the high-profile, year-long Donmar West End season at Wyndham's Theatre.

Only two other productions match Ivanov's half-dozen nominations haul: the Royal Shakespeare Company's epic eight-play Histories cycle at the Roundhouse and Menier Chocolate Factory revival of Broadway musical comedy La Cage aux Folles, now transferred to the West End's Playhouse Theatre.

In one of the most hotly contested categories this year, two Donmar leading men, Ivanov's Kenneth Branagh and Othello's Chiwetel Ejiofor, face stiff competition for Best Actor in a Play from Adam Godley (Rain Man), Eddie Redmayne (Now or Later), Ian McDiarmid (Six Characters in Search of an Author) and, nominated jointly, the Old Vic's high-octane Speed the Plow "double act", Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum.

Meanwhile, the Donmar's co-stars from The Chalk Garden, Penelope Wilton and Margaret Tyzack, who shared the Evening Standard actress prize, are nominated separately for the Whatsonstage.com Award for Best Actress in a Play, competing with two pill-popping performances, from Lindsay Duncan (That Face) and this year's Tony Award winner, American Deanna Dunagan (August: Osage County), as well as Katy Stephens (The Histories) and Lesley Sharp (Harper Regan).

In the musical categories, this year's big Broadway import, Four Seasons hit Jersey Boys, receives four strong nominations, including Best New Musical. And, though it recently fell foul of critics, the so-called "Holocaust musical" Imagine This proves it has audience support with four nominations of its own, while its prematurely closed predecessor at the New London theatre earns two, one of them for former reality TV star Darius Danesh. The Theatre Royal Haymarket's premiere of Michel Legrand's Marguerite also attracts four nominations, while Zorro swings in with five.

Danesh and Jersey Boys' Frankie Valli, Ryan Molloy, are in the running for Best Actor in a Musical alongside Marguerite's Julian Ovenden, Zorro's Matt Rawle, La Cage aux Folles' Douglas Hodge and The Harder They Come's Rolan Bell. In the Best Actress in a Musical category, Connie Fisher, a former Newcomer of the Year for The Sound of Music, is nominated for They're Playing Our Song and competes against Elena Roger (Piaf), Leila Benn Harris (Imagine This), Lisa O'Hare (Gigi), Ruthie Henshall (Marguerite) and Sofia Escobar (the 50th anniversary production of West Side Story).

Even before his London transfer, David Tennant gets a shortlists look-in with two nominations. Hamlet, which opens at the West End's Novello Theatre next week, is nominated for Best Regional Production following its Stratford-upon-Avon season, while the frenzy around the Doctor Who star's return to the stage to take the title role in the RSC production is up for Theatre Event of the Year.

In that always quirky category, Tennant faces competition from the RSC's Histories, the launch of Donmar West End, the in-the-round transformation of the Old Vic, adult cabaret LA CLIQUE's London debut at the now-threatened Hippodrome and the widespread protests over Arts Council funding cutbacks which attracted headlines at the beginning of the year.

Other big names up for awards include: Hollywood's Josh Hartnett, Derren Brown, Eddie Izzard, Vanessa Redgrave, Britain's Got Talent's George Sampson, Daniel Boys, Samuel West (a previous Best Actor winner, now nominated for Best Director), Barbara Jefford, Sophie Thompson, Douglas Henshall, Kevin J McNally, Tom Hiddleston, Linda Thorson, Tracie Bennett (the 2008 Best Supporting Actress in a Musical winner for Hairspray and nominated again, in the same category, for La Cage aux Folles), David Bradley, Maria Friedman, Neil LaBute, Yasmina Reza, Michael Grandage, Michael Boyd, Rupert Goold, Rob Howell (the 2008 Best Set Designer winner for The Lord of the Rings and nominated again, in the same category, for The Norman Conquests), Matthew Bourne, and former Kinks' frontman Ray Davies (nominated for Newcomer of the Year for his musical writing and performing debut, Come Dancing).

The race is now on to decide the eventual winners in the 2009 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award, with voting continuing from today (Friday 5 December) until the end of January and results announced in the week commencing 9 February 2009, ahead of our Awards Concert, which will take place on Sunday 15 February 2009 at the West End's Prince of Wales theatre. Check back on Monday for full photo and TV coverage from today's star-studded launch party, held in aid of our adopted charity TheatreMAD at the Hippodrome!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR LA CLIQUE BEFORE 31ST JANUARY

VOTE AT AWARDS.WHATSONSTAGE.COM -
CLICK HERE TO VOTE

What's On Stage
5 December 2008

Titian Beauty - (Vogue 25.11.08)

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

BEST known as Sex and the City's man-eating Samantha Jones, Kim Cattrall is no stranger to baring her body on camera and she's at it again - this time, in the name of art. The actress, who recently confirmed that a SATC movie sequel is in the pipeline, has recreated a version of Titian's Diana and Actaeon with performers from theatre production LA CLIQUE for photographer Tom Hunter as part of a campaign to keep the original work of art on display in the UK. "Kim is the perfect Diana," says Hunter of his newest muse. "Just like the Greek goddess, she combines beauty with a sense of threat. She was a great sport and at 52, made an amazing Diana. She more than held her own among a room full of 20-somethings."

Cattrall, who was born in the UK, feels strongly about the painting; £50 million is needed to keep it on display in Britain after its owner, the Duke of Sutherland, issued an ultimatum to the National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery.

"It would be a tragedy if it were not on public view," she says during the shoot, which was filmed for BBC2's The Culture Show, airing at 10pm tonight.

Leisa Barnett
21 November 2008

LA CLIQUE - BBC2's The Culture Show

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Company members from LA CLIQUE take part in a photographic recreation of Titian's Diana and Actaeon for BBC2's The Culture Show.

As part of the ongoing campaign to save the Titian masterpiece for the nation, BBC2's The Culture Show challenged photographer Tom Hunter to create a 21st century version of the painting.

David O'Mer, Yulia Pikhtina and Ursula Martinez from LA CLIQUE were involved in the photographic shoot to recreate the painting which also featured Sex In The City star Kim Catrall.

The photograph has attracted a lot of media attention and the film about the creation of the photograph will be shown on The Culture Show on BBC2 tonight (Tuesday November 25th) at 10pm.

The international sensation LA CLIQUE performs at London's famous Hippodrome.

Camille O'Sullivan joins LA CLIQUE

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Legendary songstress Camille O'Sullivan joins the company of LA CLIQUE from December 5th 2008

LA CLIQUE is proud to announce the return of original cast member Camille O'Sullivan. The seductive songstress, who first came to international attention for her performances in LA CLIQUE, has toured the world with the hit show. Following her hugely successful solo show "The Dark Angel" at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, she will rejoin her LA CLIQUE family at The Hippodrome from December 5th 2008.

Born in London of a French mother and Irish father, Camille moved to Cork when she was a child. She spent a year studying Painting than moved onto UCD, where she graduated as an Architect. She won the prestigious Architectural Association of Ireland Award in 2000 and has also exhibited in the Royal Hibernian Academy as a painter.

Camille then ran off to join the circus.

Since re-inventing herself as a chanteuse, Camille has received overwhelming critical acclaim. Well known for her passionate and dramatic interpretations of the songs of Jacques Brel, Kurt Weill, Nick Cave, Hans Eisler, Bowie, Tom Waits, Camille has played sellout seasons at Sydney Opera House, Melbourne International Festival, as well as in New York and on tour in Ireland, the UK and Australia. She was awarded Best Music 2005 and Star of the Festival 2006 Brighton Festival and 'Best Cabaret Artiste' Green Room Theatre Awards Australia 2005.

Camille also works as an actress, and after being spotted in LA CLIQUE she was cast by Stephen Frears in the Oscar winning film Mrs Henderson Presents alongside Dame Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins & Will Young. Other recent projects also include Lola Montez in Her Name was Lola at RTE 1, The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd at the Gate Theatre, Man of La Mancha at Cork Opera House, Finola Cronin's critically acclaimed Tanztheatre piece Murder Ballads, Gavin Kosticks One Night Stand and George Kreisler's Tonight Lola Blau.

She has appeared recently on Later with Jools Holland several times on The Late Late Show and as guest with Damien Rice, Shane McGowan, Jack L and Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club. Her albums include A Little Yearning and La Fille du Cique.

LA CLIQUE has performed successful seasons all over the world. A melange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow, and contemporary variety, the show has assumed cult status as a seductive, dangerous, funny and above all, heart-warming sensation. The Hippodrome's many bars, lavish auditorium, incredible atmosphere and iconic history provide the perfect setting for one of the most unusual and eye-popping shows the West End has seen in a very long time. Owing to massive popular demand, the run has recently been extended until 19th April 2009.

LA CLIQUE official press release
21 November 2008

LA CLIQUE Wows London's Hippodrome (The London Word 23.11.08)

Mon, 23 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The London Hippodrome is an ideal venue for a variety show like LA CLIQUE; the perfect combination of spectacle and sleaze, opulence and intimacy. And compere Mikelangelo, who only joined LA CLIQUE's ranks last week, is pure sexual magnetism in a pastel-blue suit.

His thunderous baritone as he purrs depraved lyrics ('sodomy is not just for animals, human flesh is not just for cannibals') sends shivers down my spine straight to my knickers. Imagine, if you can, an even-filthier-than-usual Matt Berry with slicked-back hair and a penchant for seducing audience members, and you're somewhere along the right lines.

Captain Frodo is a contortionist Avid Merrion with tattoos, pierced nipples and double-jointed limbs that he can dislocate at will. His goofy, bumbling charm and choreographed tumbling across the stage as he stretches and bends his body through two stringless tennis rackets leaves the audience shrieking with laughter and horror, watching from behind their hands.

Mario, Queen of the Circus, is Russell Brand with a painted-on moustache and a fixation with Freddie Mercury. Dressed in tight black leather, he mimes to Queen's hits whilst juggling and riding a unicycle; an innovative subversion of traditional circus skills that convert the intimate music-hall atmosphere into a stadium-rock extravaganza, complete with crowd-surfing finale.

David O'Mer is a wet dream of a Diet Coke ad who has been a cornerstone of the LA CLIQUE line-up for three years. Soaping himself in a bath on stage, he leaves all the girls breathless and damp, and not necessarily just as a result of his amazing feats of aerial ballet, in which he flicks huge glittering arcs of water across the entire auditorium.

I don't need to say much about Ursula Martinez; her cult striptease act revolving around a mysteriously disappearing hanky is renowned the world over, and to see it in the flesh (so to speak) does not disappoint. So too The English Gents, who perform unbelievable feats of acrobatic strength, balance and skill whilst dressed in bowler hats and three-piece suits; casually reading the Financial Times.

The diversity of the acts involved is in itself astounding, though they are consistently tongue-in-cheek, outre, charismatic and debauched. LA CLIQUE is a passionate celebration of sideshow freaks, oddities, novelty acts and bizarre talents. This is one show you must catch before it leaves town. Just don't blame me when it makes you want to run away with the circus. By Jane Bradley

LA CLIQUE is at The London Hippodrome until April 19, 2009

The London Word
23 November 2008

LA CLIQUE extends its hugely successful run at the London Hippodrome until Sunday 19th April 2009

Sat, 21 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE first opened in London at the Hippodrome on October 2nd this year. Audiences and critics have fallen for its twisted charms as well as the extraordinary atmosphere of the venue, which is playing host to probably its last live theatrical performances. Owing to massive popular demand, the producers are delighted to announce that the run will extend until Sunday 19th April 2009.

LA CLIQUE has performed successful seasons all over the world. A melange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow, and contemporary variety, the show has assumed cult status as a seductive, dangerous, funny and above all, heart-warming sensation. The Hippodrome's many bars, lavish auditorium, incredible atmosphere and iconic history provide the perfect setting for one of the most unusual and eye-popping shows the West End has seen in a very long time.

Please note that the performance times on Friday and Saturday evenings will change from February 2009

LA CLIQUE The Hippodrome, Leicester Square, London WC2 Box Office number: 020 7907 7097

Prices
Performances excluding Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm/8pm - £15*, £25, £29.50
Friday and Saturday at 8pm (until January 2009) - £15*, £30, £35
Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm (from February 2009) - £15*, £30, £35
* Standing tickets

Posh Seats (with table service ) - £45

Booking until Sunday April 19th 2009

Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm
Friday and Saturday at 8pm and 10.30pm (until end of January 2009)
Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm and 10.30pm (from February 2009)
Sunday at 6pm

Extra performances on:
Tuesday December 9th at 8pm
Tuesday December 16th at 8pm
Tuesday December 23rd at 8pm
Tuesday December 30th at 8pm

LA CLIQUE Extends at Hippodrome Ahead of Casino (What's On Stage 20.11.08)

Thu, 20 No 2008 00:00:00 GMT

International burlesque cabaret LA CLIQUE has extended its limited season at the London Hippodrome by two-and-a-half months to 19 April 2009, after which the historic Leicester Square venue may close once again as a public performance venue and be converted into a casino. LA CLIQUE made its London debut at the Hippodrome on 10 October 2008 (previews from 2 October) and had initially been booking until 1 February 2009.

A mixture of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary variety, LA CLIQUE's eclectic assortment of acts includes: Norwegian contortionist Captain Frodo; Spanish stripper Ursula Martinez; Germany bathtub-diving aerialist David O'Mer; hula hoopist Yulia Pikhtina from Kiev; strongmen the English Gents (in fact Australian); London's own PVC-clad fetishist Miss Behave; New York alternative comedian and Freddy Mercury reincarnation Mario; and Mikelangelo, the ‘Bull of the Balkans’ baritone troubadour, who joined the company last week.

LA CLIQUE has performed seasons around the world including Sydney, Melbourne, Montreal, Dublin and New York in addition to regular summer stints at the Edinburgh Fringe, where it's annually one of the hottest tickets at the festival. It's presented in London by LA CLIQUE Productions, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin.

First constructed by Frank Matcham in 1900 as a water circus, the Hippodrome's early performances featured elephants, polar bears and sea lions which all frolicked in its 100,000-litre pool. A varied history has seen it operate as the location for one of Harry Houdini's greatest escapes; and in the 1960s and 1970s, the stage was graced by the likes of Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, Ethel Merman and The Temptations in its incarnation as the dinner-dance venue Talk of the Town. It was purchased in the early 1980s by Peter Stringfellow who turned it into a nightclub and returned it to its original name, the Hippodrome. Most recently, the venue has been used for private events only.

Shortly after LA CLIQUE successfully reopened the Hippodrome as a place of public performance, an application by United Leisure Gaming for a license to convert the venue into a casino was approved. Previous applications have been rejected because of the Hippodrome's historic status. The current managers are appealing the decision of the gaming justices, but if United Leisure Gaming are successful in raising the £20 million capital required, building work may begin as early as next spring.

The London Hippodrome is also the venue for this year's Launch Party for our ninth annual Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards, the only major theatre prize-giving to be decided by the public (See News, 30 Oct 2008). At the star-studded lunchtime event on Friday 5 December, members of LA CLIQUE will join other guest presenters and performers - Graham Norton, Lesley Garrett, Michael Ball, Mel Giedroyc and the stars of Jersey Boys - to help us announce the shortlists of nominations across the 20+ awards categories. Voting will then open online to decide the eventual winners, with results announced in February ahead of our second Awards Show & Concert at a West End theatre on Sunday 15 February 2009

Terri Paddock
What's On Stage
20 November 2008

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE YOUR FAVOURITES IN THE THEATREGOER'S CHOICE AWARDS!

LA CLIQUE (Timeout 19.11.08)

Wed, 19 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This ragtag band of puppeteers, burlesquers, cortortionists and assorted beautiful freaks come together during this two-part extravaganza of modern circus performance. The venue's circular shape is ideal - a small stage in the centre is picked out by the spotlights, but the peformers make full use of the aisles, staircases and various platforms. Acts include the captivating puppet-dancers of Cabaret Decadanse, hypnotic hula hooping from Yulia Pikhtina, incredible feats of balance by The English Gents, London's own Miss Behave (deep-throating a table leg), Ursula Martinez (taking a disappearing hankerchief and striptease routine to its natural conclusion) and Freddie Mercury lookalike Mario - who jokes, juggles, unicycles and crowd-surfs. David O'Mer performs hanging from a set of suspended leather straps, with the added spice that he's swinging into, around and through a full bath wearing just a pair of jeans. Most of the front row got wet - take that phrase as you will.

If it's fair to pick one, the star has to be Captain Frodo. As a contortionist he is eye-wateringly talented, but his is also the slickest physical comedy we've seen in a long time. Spellbinding, sexy and stunning - this is a welcome circus of chaos in the heart of the West End.

Alan Rutter
Timeout
19 November 2008

LA CLIQUE is proud to introduce Mikelangelo

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE is proud to announce that Mikelangelo, the 'Bull of the Balkans', will be joining the production from November 12th 2008.

Hailed for his thunderous baritone, deadpan delivery, and pure animal charisma, Mikelangelo has recently performed hit seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe, Sziget Festival in Budapest, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Indianapolis Fringe, and Sydney Opera House. Combining the roles of storyteller, troubadour, and cabaret singer, he serenades the soul with an exotic storybook of original songs that are at once absurd and profound; melodramatic and melancholic.

Impossible to define and impossible to resist, LA CLIQUE opened at London's famous Hippodrome on October 2nd to popular and critical acclaim. Mikelangelo joins this ever-changing assortment of the most outrageous, hilarious and downright bizarre and beautiful acts that make up the international sensation that is LA CLIQUE, from November 12th.

LA CLIQUE has performed successful seasons all over the world. A melange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow, and contemporary variety, the show has assumed cult status as a seductive, dangerous, funny and above all, heart-warming sensation. The Hippodrome's many bars, lavish auditorium, incredible atmosphere and iconic history provide the perfect setting for one of the most unusual and eye-popping shows the West End has seen in a very long time.

Captain Frodo On... Contortionism & LA CLIQUE (Whats On Stage 30.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Captain Frodo, who is originally from Norway but has since been primarily based in Australia, is a contortionist with LA CLIQUE. The international cabaret/burlesque/circus group is currently enjoying its London debut at the recently refurbished Hippodrome, where the launch for the 2009 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards will be held on 5 December.

My father is a magician so I spent my childhood travelling around doing shows with him, and I quite quickly caught onto the idea of presenting unusual things on stage - I've always been very flexible so it was kind of a natural development. I had to work out how to present that on stage and first I put together an escape act. We ordered a straightjacket from New York, my dad would strap it onto me with chains, and my escape would be the climax of our show.

They call my skill hyper-mobility and for me it's caused by a lack of collagen in my ligaments which gives me extra-elasticity. It's not bad for my health in the long term. I mean, some of the things that I do are kind of precarious in themselves, but it's not dangerous for me. People always ask if I do yoga and I actually don't. I guess that could be a good place to start for those wanting to learn contortionism. But you need to know a little about what you're doing so you don't pull muscles - maybe don't start with the tennis racket!

LA CLIQUE have been coming to Melbourne for many years, which is where I used to be based doing another show called The Happy Sideshow with Circus Oz. When I finished working with them about two and a half years ago, LA CLIQUE immediately asked me if I wanted to join them, which I was more than happy to do. I've travelled the world with them now, and I think that audience members everywhere can see that we are passionate about what we do and also that we have a great bond as a group. All the acts in the show are so strong that even after all this time we all still sit and watch each other's acts. That's the level of respect and professionalism and artistry that all the different acts have.

Our London debut has been a long time coming. We talked about it before but for different reasons it hasn't happened, so it's very exciting to have finally made it and the venue is just so amazing. Having performed in the famous Speigeltent (at the Edinburgh Fringe), which was built in the 1920s and has been the home of some great performers like Marlene Dietrich, to now come into another venue (the Hippodrome) that was built in 1901 and has such an incredible history. it's great. With Houdini having performed on the same stage that we're now on, it feels like a perfect marriage and a perfect venue for us.

I have no plans to leave LA CLIQUE. There's talk of an extensive tour of America and Canada and maybe even an open-ended season in Paris on the cards. So there's lots of stuff going on, and I hope that I'll be along for the ride!

Theo Bosanquet
Whats On Stage
30 October 2008

LA CLIQUE (A Night Out 29.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE is as outrageous as it claims to be and all the better for it. With every quirky act there comes a zest for the surreal and the audience just can't get enough of it.

The recently reopened Hippodrome provides the ideal setting for this fusion of the burlesque and circus. In her striking red PVC dress Miss Behave blends in perfectly with the extravagant backdrop. No time for niceties, she dips into the crowd, spits in wine glasses and twists pointy objects through her tongue. And that's just the interlude.

Freddy Mercury obsessed Mario Queen of the circus is an equally entertaining compere. His peak being a crowd surf to We Are the Champions - so naff it comes round full circle. Hilarious.

Norway's Captain Frodo doesn't shy away from the absurd. His double jointed physique means he can bend his entire body through tennis rackets. His balancing act sees him climb up a tower of increasingly small upturned buckets; nail-biting stuff.

Stripping magician Urusala Martinez, of Croydon, may leave little to the imagination as far as her naked form is concerned but where she hides that hanky is still a mystery.

But the highlight of the show comes courtesy of David O'Mer. Twisting through ropes and landing in a bath of water, he is mesmerising to watch. And the tongue-in-cheek spurting of water from his mouth finishes things off neatly. Yulia Pikhtina's hula hoop act is also enchanting.

There's something for everyone in LA CLIQUE, providing you are over 18. But you've got to see it to believe it.

A Night Out
29 October 2008

When does titillation become voyeurism? (The Independent 26.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

When does titillation become voyeurism? Two very different shows consider the darker aspects of eroticism.

Con O'Neill's Dave is scrambling out of bed. Has his humiliating attempt at sexual congress with Amanda Drew been filmed, by accident, on his webcam? It looks that way for a moment in Leo Butler's new payback drama, Faces in the Crowd, as O'Neill rushes over to his computer exclaiming that no one has switched off the wireless connection. Heaven knows what he'd say if he glanced upwards. The audience in the Royal Court's attic theatre are all peering down from where his cornice should be, like dozens of flies on the wall.

It's hard not to become somewhat bug-eyed watching director Clare Lizzimore's sunken-stage premiere. This City worker's Shoreditch apartment - where Drew's Joanne turns up as a blast from his Sheffield past - has only imaginary partition walls. So you can see everything. To begin with, she heads into the bathroom, pulls down her pants and has a wee. Later, O'Neill perches there, trying to - how shall I put this? - arouse his trouser snake with rather more than a sleight of hand, because Joanne's body clock is ticking. Moving swiftly on from the shock of the loo, there's a bout of coitus interruptus beside the kitchen sink.

Perhaps this makes Butler's play sound tackily pornographic, but Lizzimore deftly avoids that. Faces in the Crowd feels more like a painfully raw slice of life, thanks to multilayered performances that aren't about titillation at all. They explore these old flames' fluctuating, messed-up emotions: their suppressed desperation, their bitterness, and their unexpected surges of tenderness. Drew is brusque and malicious, with a deep-buried vulnerability, while O'Neill appears more inclined to gentleness, yet with frightening eruptions of vicious rage.

The sunken stage, co-designed by William Fricker and Rae Smith, benefits the play too. It generates a kind of pressure-cooker intensity, while the recriminations boil up, and by turning the audience into snoopers it creates a curious intimacy which tallies with Joanne's own nosiness. She rifles through Dave's cupboards when he isn't looking, as well as flashing at a teenage peeping Tom across the street.

The imaginary walls mean you get to see how individuals behave when they give each other the slip and think they're alone. Butler also generates a degree of menacing uncertainty. He keeps you guessing about precisely what went on in this duo's dysfunctional past.

Unfortunately, Joanne's bullying demands verge on the unbelievable. The plot's delayed revelations end up seeming oddly sprawling, and Butler's fine ear for the Yorkshire dialect is belatedly undermined by what sounds obtrusively like the introduction of his big theme: financial and moral debt.

LA CLIQUE is more overtly kinky, with its tongue humorously in its cheek. Burlesque cabaret, a fast-rising cult on the fringe, has triumphantly reached the West End, with the Hippodrome in Leicester Square being rescued from oblivion by this troupe of contortionists, acrobats and sword-swallowers - all with an alternative twist. Don't expect a spectacular on the scale seen at this venue in Victorian times when elephants and polar bears cavorted in a 100,000-litre pool designed by Frank Matcham. Nevertheless, LA CLIQUE creates a very winning big top-cum-cabaret atmosphere, with strings of lights, swags of red velvet and a raised stage closely encircled by the audience. More importantly, these frisky performance artists and circus acts are startlingly entertaining, with a hugely enjoyable "Aargh" factor.

Captain Frodo performs the most jaw-dropping routine. A wonderful clown who looks like Bjorn Borg's idiot brother, he has such freakily loose joints that he can squeeze through the head of a tennis racquet, lurching around with one foot jammed under his chin and one arm whirling above his head like a helicopter blade. A fantastically polished impression of a crazy clutz.

Meanwhile, the sword-swallower Miss Behave totters like a deviant Betty Boop, voluptuously stuffed into a scarlet PVC dress. She manages to be absolutely charming while nicking punters' drinks, clearing her throat with a steel table leg, and sticking a rose through her pierced tongue - twisting it like an elastic band till it twirls back on its own. Ursula Martinez, with delightful flamboyance, also pulls off a mocking magic trick, where a disappearing hankie turns into a cheeky striptease.

The second half dips and, personally, I could have done without the muscle-bound aerialist "Bath Boy", who clearly fancies himself as he flaks around on giant rubber bands in dripping wet jeans. All in all though, great fun.

Kate Bassett
The Independent
26 October 2008

LA CLIQUE (Curtain Up 23.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE, a cabaret style entertainment with a nod to circus, is proving to be the perfect antidote to these days of economic recession and depression- euphemistically known as the credit crunch, which sounds to me like a breakfast snack bar that you don't have to pay for until later. Housed in the red Spiegeltent, inside the Hippodrome, LA CLIQUE's clientele sit round a small circular red stage, maybe eight feet wide to watch a series of original acts. I saw a gymnast who emerges from a bath and twirls wearing only a pair of wet jeans, acrobats and a contortionist, a fun stripper and puppeteers, two men to a life size singing and dancing female puppet who is more grotesque than burlesque, and a girl with hula hoops that spin so fast we can only see the orbs of light.

Although the style is distinctly Victorian, the acts themselves are modern and innovative versions of the old vaudevillian tradition with elements of a freak show. The giant woman marionette with a slinky body opens the show as she mimes to a well known popular song, two men controlling her arms and leg movements. She is followed by two Australian men (Denis Lock and Hamish McCann) with an act called "The English Gents", who dressed in pin stripe suits and bowler hats, balance, do the splits, perform lifts and lifting splints all with that well know British stiff upper lip, while puffing a pipe, reading a newspaper or holding a brolly as if they were hailing a cab. Their closing feat sees them stripped down to Union Jack underwear, lovely bare torsos, but with long black socks and suspenders. Miss Behave wiggles her rear at the audience, tantalisingly clad in a laced up, skin tight, red rubber dress and then swallows a sword. She has many other cringeworthy "skills" and is a handy woman if you need to extinguish your cigar and there is no ashtray in the vicinity. Don't ask! But it involves her tongue! Mario Queen of the Circus (Clarke McFarlane) makes an appearance as Freddie Mercury in leather and combines the music of Queen and lots of strutting and jokes with juggling and unicycle skills, and juggling while riding a unicycle. These performers are nothing if not versatile.

The bizarre Captain Frodo with his far away gaze contorts himself through two stringless tennis rackets in a feat of double jointed exertion of the kind that makes you groan and turn away not bearing to look. He later moves up a tower of increasing small paint tins to sit on the top of a baked bean can- quite remarkable! Yulia Pikhtina from Kiev beautifully spins many hoola hoops setting up double helixes of silver whirling shapes. For my money there are two really outstanding acts. There's David O'Mer's original strap hanging gymnast from out of a Victorian enamel bath half filled with water, setting up aerial flumes of spray which are lit against the dark backdrop, making his act visually exciting and artistic. That is if you aren't already getting enough pleasure from his magnificent physique! I noticed a standing ovation for him from some attractive young women. He spins and turns and twists and dives on the straps and the front row are provided with a polythene blanket to catch the worst of the spray. It's witty and watery! Ursula Martinez gives us a first act strip. Starting off in a demure business suit she finds a small red handkerchief and makes it disappear like a magician only to find it in an item of clothing which signifies that this is what she will remove next. What makes this complete strip extra special is how much she enjoys it, showing off her slim, tanned frame with a really mischievous twinkle. It's a million miles away from the sleaze of Peter Stringfellow's completely naked pole dancing club.

The music is old fashioned and accessible, some of it classical romps like the Thunder and Lighting Poker, fairground music and classic songs from Queen. Get there early as the seats are unreserved and the nearer the front you are the better!

Lizzie Loveridge
Curtain Up
23 October 2008

LA CLIQUE (TNT 23.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE

Roll up, roll up because you'll certainly want to run away to the circus after taking in the sexy yet at times freakish traveling show LA CLIQUE.

Unveiled in London at the Hippodrome, which has itself recently undergone a makeover, the show is set in a cabaret-style venue complete with red velvet decor.

There are acrobats who awe and bedazzle with their stamina and physique, and a hula-hoop dancer whose lithe body spins the hoops so quickly in the air they blur together. The stand-out act, though, is a performance by gymnast David O'Mer, aka The Bath Boy.

His erotic routine in a bathtub and wet jeans, which sees him twirling around the stage with black bondage-style ropes, leaves the audience breathless, and those in the front seats just a little soaked.

It's one of the best nights you could have out in London and will keep you captivated the whole way through.

Erin Miller
TNT
23 October 2008

LA CLIQUE (Music OMH 23.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE

Having heard many good things about LA CLIQUE, international touring legend and darling of the Edinburgh Fringe, my expectations of this were pretty high - and I wasn't disappointed. I now understand why this fusion of circus arts, burlesque and cabaret has become such a sensation.

The London Hippodrome once staged one of Houdini's great escapes and was home to a water circus with an 100,000 litre pool, so it has a history of indulging the absurd. It seems an apt home for this extraordinary show.

One of the most enjoyable of LA CLIQUE's acts are the lip synching puppets of Montreal's flamboyant Cabaret Decadanse and the show opens with a booty shaking black diva marionette rising out of the darkness while singing her heart out and ends with a gaudy grand dame performing burlesque striptease, that takes her handlers right down to their bare knuckles.

If you saw Miss Behave, at her eponymous Variety Nighty at the Roundhouse earlier this year, she is a LA CLIQUE founding mother and performs many of the same routines in her trademark eye wateringly tight red rubber dress, and will make you shudder, especially when she feeds the leg of a stool down her gullet.

The freak that stole the show for me was Norwegian Captain Froddo, the contortionist. Watching him dislocate his shoulder to get his body through a tennis racket will inevitably make you wince; but later, perched on his bucket tower with his legs behind his head he delivers a follow-your-dreams sermon that marks him out as a true savant.

The fearsome Ursula Martinez goes for full frontal nudity in her disappearing hankerchief trick and this provocative magic show/striptease left some on the front row shell shocked, and possibly not able to engage with the concept of performance art as activism.

To me hula hoops are potato-based snacks, not a means of seduction, but the glorious display of beauty, acrobatics and skill from Russian hula-hoopise Yulia Pikhtina meant she had the audience eating out of her hand by the end of her whirling, twirling showcase.

But if Yulia, did it for the guys, aerial artist David O'Mer, is the super buff stuff of female fantasy and his act was like an old school Levi's ad. Writhing, sopping wet out of a bath tub in his faded blue denims, he cavorts, twisting and turning above your head. Never mind a bath, most people- straight or gay-needed a cold shower after this aquactic, erotic interlude.

In a world full of get famous quick shows the uniqueness of these acts and the dedication to pursuing these specialist arts is inspirational. These performers are icons, models of integrity, purveyors of the bizarre, and creators of one of the best night's out in London right now.

Clair Whitefield
Music OMH
20 October 2008

LA CLIQUE (Mail on Sunday 23.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Meet my very flexible friend: Jane Fryer meets a contortionist who can squeeze through the head of a tennis racquet

Captain Frodo is a very disconcerting figure. It could be his semi-naked and very white body, bulging eyes, tattooed back, or perhaps the 2in black pegs skewered through his nipples that do it.

Or maybe it is the small fact that he is currently squeezing his body through a 10in diameter tennis racquet - strings removed. Oh yes, and to speed things along a bit, he's now dislocating one joint after another, leaving spaces where shoulders should be and white limbs flopping and flapping in all the wrong places like a rag doll gone wrong.

'It's very straightforward, you just pop your arms through and sort of squeeze one shoulder through at a time - it helps if you can dislocate them,' he adds, twirling his left forearm above his head like a rotor blade and hitting himself in the face again with a loose dangly hand. 'This gives new meaning to tennis elbow, ha ha!' Indeed. It also gives a new meaning to entertainment. Because after performances everywhere from Sydney to New York, Edinburgh to Ireland, Captain Frodo, 32, is taking London's West End by storm.

He's a contortionist in LA CLIQUE, a circus that also features juggling, sword-swallowing, strong men acts, acrobatics - indeed, pretty much everything but the bearded lady.

And today, on stage in the Hippodrome, Leicester Square, he is very kindly giving me a masterclass in tennis racquet contortion. Or, more accurately, making friendly, but not terribly helpful suggestions, as I stand trapped, sore and claustrophobic inside a graphite loop.

'It's difficult to explain exactly how - it's just sort of natural. Try wiggling a bit more . . . '

Great, thanks. It's like an extreme version of Twister, but with a tennis racquet instead of the slippery plastic mat.

I've always been pretty bendy, but Frodo certainly has the edge on me. And not just because he's spent years climbing in and out of tennis racquets. Frodo also suffers from the rare genetic affliction Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which means that the collagen in the body which should act as a connective protein doesn't function properly. Luckily for LA CLIQUE, this means greater flexibility for Captain Frodo.

'There are three different types of EDS and some are deadly, so I tend to refer to it as muscular elastosis in my show, so I don't offend anyone. I have it only very mildly with no side effects, so rather than handicapping me, it has given me an opportunity. It's a great way to make a living.'

Frodo Sandven was never going to be a lawyer or an accountant. Entertaining was always in his blood. As, it seems, is talking. He is extraordinarily chatty and, despite his unconventional appearance, very engaging.

It all started when he was nine, living in the small town of Haugesund in Norway, and touring with his magician father, the Great Santine. 'In the beginning I was more of an assistant, in matching hat, bow tie and tails, but soon I was doing magic - vanishing handkerchiefs, balloons that popped with cards inside . . .'

And white rabbits? 'Oh yes, and doves - but it was difficult to take the animals on tour as you don't really want to be popping your rabbits and doves in and out of quarantine all the time.'

And the bendiness? 'Oh yes... we'd always known I was bendy, so we thought we'd make it part of the act. So my dad and I ordered a straitjacket from the Humane Restraint Company in New York. They usually supply mental institutions and police stations.

'I was only 12, so you'd think it'd be a little awkward when someone calls up and orders a children's-size straitjacket for private use - but they sent it straight away and we started using it as the finale in the show. My dad would strap me in and chain me up and I'd escape and the audience loved it.'

Tennis racquets were a natural progression.

'If you're a contortionist, people are always asking "Can you squeeze into a box?" or "What's the smallest thing you can squeeze though?" So why not a racquet?' Why not indeed. Though there's more to squeezing yourself through a tennis racquet than meets the eye.

The shoulder bit isn't too bad - happily I'm a good deal smaller than 11st 2lb Frodo, so I narrowly avoid having to dislocate both shoulders and, after a wriggle, a grunt, a good bit of bruising and a mouth full of racquet I'm through, and listening to his chatter again.

'For me, it's less about the strict dimensions and more about entertaining and being funny,' he continues.

'Some of the things I do are so visceral that people find it very challenging to watch - some have to look away, or they faint. So I try to turn it into more of a slapstick cartoon, and in my act I fall about a bit and get tangled up with the microphone, to lighten things up a bit.'

And grotesque though it sounds, it makes compelling viewing, and as Frodo twists and turns and gurns, and gets tangled in his microphone, and a stool, and two tennis racquets during the show, it's side-splittingly funny. He's a natural comedian.

It's no surprise to hear that Buster Keaton was one of his heroes. Legendary escape artist Harry Houdini is another.

'I followed the same path - first Houdini was King of Cards, then he was King of Escapes.'

Frodo, however, has gone one further. He also plays the accordion, and the saw - yes, one of those big tree-cutting blades, which apparently make a nice mournful sound when bowed.

He can juggle expertly and swallow a 21in sword: 'Anyone can learn, but there's a massive factor of uncomfortableness that can be hard to overcome. It takes years to train yourself to control your internal gag reflex, as well as learning to open the different sphincters to get it all the way down into the pit of your stomach.'

Just as the pit of my stomach is beginning to feel a bit odd, Frodo adds: 'Oh yes, and I'm a human blockhead.'

Which is . . .? 'It's when you put a nail or something else up your nose.'

Of course. 'I usually use a spoon - it's very hard training yourself not to sneeze, so it takes enormous self discipline.'

It goes without saying that Frodo has always been different.

'In my home town, I always stood out a bit. But being different is just about the context of where you are.'

Which is where LA CLIQUE comes in - an extraordinary group described as a mixture of cabaret, burlesque, vaudeville and freak show.

They have temporarily replaced their glamorous, red and gold mirrored tent to take a place in the Hippodrome - which opened in 1900 as a 'water circus', playing host to elephants, polar bears, sea lions and an enormous pool, and later Harry Houdini, Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey.

'LA CLIQUE is the one place where the more different you are, the better you fit in,' he explains.

'It's about everything that's hidden getting flaunted or celebrated. Just as church is a place of worship, LA CLIQUE is a place where you celebrate life. And you get it in both its beautiful and its ugly parts.'

Frodo's certainly done his utmost to stand out from the crowd. For starters, there's the enormous tattoo on his back.

'It's the king of escapes - a man wearing a crown and a straitjacket - and above is an extract from the ancient Norwegian calendar.'

And, dare I ask, the nipple things? 'They were painful at first, but what's a little pain when you want to look beautiful?'

No comment. But, for all the tattoos, piercings and popping sockets, Frodo couldn't be more pleasant company, or a more patient tutor - I'm only glad I'm not trying sword swallowing, or we'd be here for years.

'Perfecting any of this involves enormous self-discipline. We spend as much time on our occupation as anyone, but we're not learning to be a doctor, or a lawyer, we're learning how to swallow a sword.'

And has he suffered many injuries? 'I fall off the stage now and then, and I had a tear in my shoulder's rotator cuff a couple of years ago which was quite painful - it took 18 months to heal properly.'

And the big question - has he ever got stuck in his racquet?

'Never on stage - my weight doesn't fluctuate that much. But I have once been wedged in a racquet. Fortunately there was a strongman handy and he grabbed it and sort of shook me out.'

And, affairs of the heart - has his bendiness been a bit off putting?

'Oh no . . . I suppose with anything that's new and foreign it might seem a bit full on when you first see it, but it soon becomes normal and my girlfriend Miranda loves my act. I think she's proud of me doing my thing.'

And, with apologies for the rather indelicate question, does it help in other areas . . .?

'Well, we don't get the racquets out, but it certainly adds a dimension.'

And with that, we've both gone rather pink and move back to more serious questions, such as what's the point of spending years perfecting these skills?

'In some regards - apart from the actual performance - it's totally useless,' he says, cheery as ever. 'But it depends on how you look at it. Everybody's into different things and for me, standing up here and performing in front of an audience and making them laugh and gasp, is an amazing feeling.'

Back with our racquets, things are going pretty well. The chest bit's fine - if a bit of a snug fit - and I'm feeling confident.

'You're doing very well, but don't worry, it gets worse,' he says cheerily.

And it does. With the hips. 'This it the hardest bit - it's just one big bone that doesn't have any joints, so you have to sort of angle your way through it one bit at a time. Now tuck one foot in and basically flip it over.'

There is no flipping for me. I can't get my foot anywhere near the racket head and everything is screaming in pain. So with that, I call it a day. After all, some things are better left to the experts and Captain Frodo is undoubtedly a comedy and contortionist genius. I, meanwhile, will stick with tennis.

LA CLIQUE is on at the Hippodrome, London, until February 1, 2009.

Jane Fryer
Mail on Sunday
20th October 2008

Only the strong surviving on the West End (Variety 23.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Economy pierces Royal's 'Earring'
Only the strong surviving on the West End

While theater is hardly recession-proof, it has proved more resilient than doom-mongers would have you believe. Some theatergoers, it appears, fancy cheering themselves up with live entertainment. However, there's no denying the chill wind blowing through the West End.

Look at "Girl With a Pearl Earring." Brought into the Theater Royal Haymarket as a six-week stop-gap following the early demise of the Michel Legrand, Alain Boublil-Claude-Michel Schonberg tuner "Marguerite," the play posted a closing notice within days of lackluster reviews and on Oct. 18 ground to a halt two weeks early. As bets go, it looked pretty safe. Auds gazed at the painting, read the book, saw the movie, so surely they would want to see Tracy Chevalier's art-history, master-and-servant story onstage?

No. Peter Mumford's lighting of his own evocative set created nothing less than a series of 3-D Vermeer interiors peopled by actors in Fontini Dimou's recreations of the Dutch master's beloved fabrics. But David Joss Buckley's adaptation of Chevalier's bestseller put the turgid into dramaturgy and proffered dialogue so leaden it could have been mixed into paint.

That's not the only struggling show. Only seven major West End tuners -- "Billy Elliot," "Dirty Dancing," "Hairspray," "Jersey Boys," "The Lion King," "Mamma Mia!" and "Wicked" -- are not being heavily discounted and/or offered at the TKTS booth. That means even the TV-reality-show-related "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "The Sound of Music" and "Grease" are looking less than buoyant. The last of these hopes to boost business beginning Jan. 19, when the role of Teen Angel will be taken over by Jimmy Osmond.

Given this climate, launching another venue seems hugely reckless, but last week saw the re-opening of the London Hippodrome. Formerly London's most prestigious cabaret nightspot the Talk of the Town -- performers from Judy Garland to Diana Ross, Shirley Bassey and the Temptations all recorded live albums there -- its fortunes as a nightclub plummeted in the '80s and '90s. Banishing its tawdry recent reputation, the venue's new resident show "LA CLIQUE," looks like a winner.

The show has been a runaway hit in limited engagements at the Edinburgh Festival and in other international cities, and London, frankly, has nothing to compare with this. Speaking personally, if this critic ever sees another circus it will be too soon, but this exuberant mix of circus and cabaret is eye-watering and jaw-dropping. What stops it from being merely a succession of unhinged acts no sane individual would dream of trying at home -- squeezing your body through an unstrung tennis racquet, quadruple hula-hooping, chair-swallowing and nude conjuring (I'm not kidding) -- is its wholly engaging comic flair. The wildly skilled performers are evidently insane, but they're damn funny with it.

Audiences wrapped right around the stage feel connected to the acts no matter where they sit, and with bars around the edge of the circular auditorium and reasonable pricing -- a $51 top rises to $61 on weekends -- it resembles one of those creations that, like "Stomp," deserves to run forever. Or, at least it did until opening day when Westminster, the London authority that controls the license, declared the venue could not be successful for live entertainment. Instead, they're backing a plan to turn it into a casino.

The producers are fighting to keep the Hippodrome for live entertainment (it was built as a water circus-cum-music-hall in 1900 by Britain's legendary theater architect Frank Matcham), but they'll be forced to close in Aprilshould the developers raise the necessary $21 million. One can only hope that, in this instance, recession will aid theater's fortunes.

DAVID BENEDICT
Variety
Thursday 16th October 2008

LA CLIQUE (The Sunday Times 23.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE

The star attraction here is the venue, not the performers, though they do their best to compete. Once a water circus, then home to everyone from Houdini to Judy Garland, the Hippodrome has reopened for the performers of LA CLIQUE, who mix variety, circus and cabaret. In other words, they're just what the venue requires, if on a smaller scale: the 100,000-litre pool full of polar bears and sea lions has been replaced by a hunk called David O'Mer, who frolics acrobatically in a bath. And this, it appears, is exactly to the audience's liking. We get Mario, Queen of the Circus (he juggles to Queen songs), and Ursula Martinez, a Spanish stripper from Croydon. They're the highlights of what turns out to be a sharply co-ordinated show, obviously smutty and daft, but none the worse for that. If it's relentlessly camp, it's never tiresome - provided you're in the spirit of the thing, that is. Sitting at the back, or holding back, isn't an option here.

Louis Wise
The Sunday Times
October 19th 2008

LA CLIQUE (Extra Extra 23.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Hippodrome is, without doubt, the perfect environment in which to house this eclectic, international blend of cabaret and contemporary circus, as the building itself, which boasts over one hundred years in operation, was originally modelled after a circus 'big top,' albeit one offering infinitely more possibilities. Given the venue's ever changing history, from circus venue to variety hall to disco and most recently, back to its roots again, the Hippodrome's many bars, flexible performance and viewing spaces offer such a carnival atmosphere, that visitors are bound to find themselves feeling entertained even before the show itself actually begins.

The programme for LA CLIQUE features a tattoo heart pierced with flowers on its cover, a fitting symbol for the show's pithy, imaginative mix of sweet, sometimes saucy, often awe inspiring feats of acrobatics, balancing, juggling, hoop twirling, derivatives of sword-swallowing and quirky humour. Conceived and created by Spiegeltent International in 2004 and, in its first incarnation, staged in The Famous Spiegeltent itself, one of the last remaining Flemish mirror tents, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, LA CLIQUE, a show which is continually undergoing transformations, has gone on to play 20 seasons across the globe since.

Our colour coded tickets were transformed into wristbands as we came through the doors, and we were told to pick a seat in the unreserved section on the floor. We took our places in folding chairs facing the raised performance area, opposite those in the 'posh seats' (tables and chairs with waitress service) across from us on the other side of the stage. Popcorn sellers resembling carnival barkers or river boat gamblers in their waistcoats, hats and armbands hawked their wares among the crowd under strings of white light bulbs as a brass band version of the theme from 'Bridge on the River Kwai' set the mood. Tawdry tints of orange and blue fell on a 'Ringmaster' resembling Bruce Willis as he stepped up onto the performance area and advised the audience not to 'be shy' in relation to the Hippodrome's many bars during the performance, or enthusiastic responses to the acts they liked, as the production we were about to see was 'that kind of show.' An atmosphere of cheerful camp prevailed as a blue glow spotlighted the open curtain and Cabaret Decadanse emerged.

Two talented puppeteers from Montreal, Serge DesLauriers and Enock Turcotte accompanied their first incredibly animated, larger than life creation onstage, acting as 'her' onstage entourage during her 'act'. With her chocolate coloured, magnificently made up face, fluffy white Afro, and spiral spring body with its hinged, chiffon draped arms, she is a diva designed for maximum flexibility and, as it happened, an incredible amount of funkability too, thanks to her puppeteers and creators' high spirited choreography. Dancing to a disco version of 'If You Could Read My Mind,' which was perfectly lip synched by their diva, DesLauriers and Turcotte's fabulous female swooped over the crowd and crooned to such captivating extremes that they and, she nearly brought the house down in their attempts to warm up the audience for the next act, my disputable favourite of the evening, The English Gents.

In reality Denis Lock and Hamish McCann hail from Australia, but nevertheless they've got their Monty Phythonesque, bowler hat, pin-striped suit, socks on garters, stiff upper lip routine down to a hilarious science, with their own uniquely spectacular twists intertwined into their 'how do they do that' mix. Their jaw dropping acrobatic feats are wonderfully competitive with their superbly, expressive faced comedic flair. I've seen a lot of circuses in my time, with countless acrobats in them, but these fellows are without question, the most dynamically skilled I've ever seen. Not to give anything away, but their umbrella trick is a moment of pure circus magic. It's a dead cert that once you've watched Lock and McCann, a.k.a. The English Gents strut and stretch their impressive stuff, you will never think of Pomp and Circumstance, or Union Jacks in quite the same way again!

Miss Behave, who recently hosted a group sell-out cabaret show, Miss Behave's Variety Night at the Roundhouse provided some absurdist moments of comedy after this tough act to follow, wriggling atop the grand piano onstage like a blown up Betty Boop, with her red leather, white in the pleats low cut pencil dress and bell-hop hat on her short curly-Q-ed hair, before moving on to jibe with the crowd down front. Among many other peculiar talents, exhibited intermittently throughout the course of the show, Behave exhibits a peculiarly apt proficiency in sword, or in this case, scissor swallowing. As she would quip later on in relation to her enjoyably off-beat act, it's 'not how,' she does what she does, but 'why?'

Clark McFarlane's comically narcissistic character Mario, 'Queen' of the Circus, a small wiry fellow, with a greasepaint black moustache appropriately donned in black leather and motorcycle cap, addressed the audience as 'Thursday Swingers,' claiming that when it comes to love, persistence pays, especially if you 'go out to bars every night.' It's his physical smallness and pseudo wide-boy nerve which helps make his act so funny and his varied circus skills, demonstrated to his character's idol Freddie Mercury's (and Queen's) music which make it even more entertaining. McFarlane is a great juggler, performing feats I've never witnessed before in relation to that particular art as well as balancing astride a unicycle while juggling and pouring forth streams of seemingly, ad lib jokes and spontaneous actions, such as body-surfing atop the crowd down front to one of his favourite Queen songs, 'We Are the Champions.'

Incredible Captain Frodo from Norway, is just that, incredible. As a double-jointed freak of nature, Frodo makes the most of his inherently warped condition, pulling his lean, lanky body through a couple of open faced tennis rackets, cheerily entangling himself in wires, furniture and gags galore in the process. Some of his seemingly dumb remarks, such as, 'Is my hair looking ok?' were, the way he uttered them while engaged in performing his unbelievable feats of contortion simply priceless. Frodo, if that is his real name, (none is listed in the programme), is the son of a famous Norse magician, if that is true! One never knows with Frodo, though that is definitely one of his charms. His ability to hold the crowd in the palm of his hand was unrivalled to the point that upon his return to the stage in the second half of the show for an amazing balancing feat, again to unbelievable extremes, smiles were instantly generated all round.

Berlin's David O'Mer, who originally trained as a gymnast has been with LA CLIQUE for three years, and it's easy to see why his act is so popular, as 'Bath Boy' which he calls his performance is simply breath-taking! As O'Mer emerges from his onstage bathtub, in soaking wet jeans, like a quintessential Levi man, and begins his aerial ballet, in conjunction with two thick black cords, one on either side, which he raises himself up and down, and flies on, like a kind of circus angel, the audience is instantly mesmerised, while those sitting down front collectively taking cover beneath a large, transparent plastic cloth. O'Mer's grace and agility are very striking to witness in practice and his dynamically original approach to what has traditionally been a somewhat overlooked circus act, performed via ropes twirled by assistants on the ground over the sawdust in big tops and/or arena floors the world over is both unique and unforgettable.

Ursula Martinez of 'Spain via Croydon' provides the show's definitive nod to burlesque with her out of the ordinary 'hide the hanky' buttoned up to bare act. Beginning by stuffing her ubiquitous red cloth into her palm in a bog standard vanishing act, Martinez reels her unsuspecting audience in, as she progressively hides her hanky in more and more unlady like places, ending with the end of her own anatomy, before gleefully skipping along the front of the stage in the altogether, exaggeratedly winking at male audience members and nudging the air as she goes. A clothed performance in the second act further surprised the audience in a way I couldn't reveal without revealing more than a mere shedding of clothes could do.

Yulia Pikhtina of the Ukraine was the lone performer to only appear in the second half of the show and given her unique ability to twirl not one, but four iridescent hula-hoops on various parts of her body, at varying speeds and, at times, in different directions at once, her mesmerising act was something to behold. In addition to Pikhtina's highly skilled feats at her specifically tailored act, her Bjork like beauty was a feature which seemed to further endear her to many of her obviously entranced hetro-male fans.

Most of the fabulous, mind boggling performances I've mentioned above took place before the interval. Afterwards, in part two, there were still more intriguing acts, often different from those originally staged, from those who'd performed in the first portion of the show, along with the aforementioned hoop twirling spectacle from Pikhtina, all designed to fire the imagination and curiosity, and elevate one out of the doldrums or should I say, levitate?

Mary Couzens
Extra Extra
October 21st 2008

LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome (London Theatre 16.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE

Where: Hippodrome, Leicester Square
When: to 1 Feb

There are no polar bears or swimming horses, but this Edinburgh transfer more than matches the - reopened Hippodrome's past glories.

While cleverly keeping the intimacy of the Spiegeltent show through a tiny stage, the acts are arena quality. From Cabaret Decadanse's lip-synching puppetry to Yulia Pikhtina's hula, every number is as visually spectacular as Cirque du Soleil, without the dodgy music.

It's all delivered with lashings of wit and irreverence and if you think it can't get better than the incredible English Gents - two Aussies balancing on each other's heads smoking - wait until aerialist David O'Mer is slithering around in blue jeans and a bath tub like a Levi's - sponsored seal.

Kat Brown and Ben Dowell
London Theatre
Thursday, 09 October 2008

Think of any superlative and double it: this show deserves them all (Theatreworld 16.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery: if so, good old-fashioned variety should be tickled pink with the show that LA CLIQUE has mounted at The London Hippodrome. Fresh from slaying Edinburgh Festival audiences, it provides a contemporary take on acts that our parents had flocked decades ago to see at the Palladium - or stayed at home to watch on TV.

In a nutshell, this is one of the most mesmerising shows you could wish for: a perfect antidote for today's dark times. Atmospherically set around a raised stage, it has a circus feel and the buzz starts as soon as you enter the plush room with its un-allocated and (largely) wooden seats.

The show surprises on every level - from the feel-good opening and closing numbers by the energetic two-man team of Cabaret Decadanse and their sassy puppet performers, each act segues seamlessly into the one before in a sexy kaleidoscopic mix of top global performers.

The sartorially-elegant pair of English Gents maintains a stiff upper lip during even the most fiendish of lifts and balances, while a pvc-clad Miss Behave proves astonishingly adept at saucily swallowing swords and other items.

Everyone adored Clarke McFarlane's leather-clad Mario, Queen of the Circus, a Freddie Mercury acolyte, insouciant juggler, trick cyclist and comedian - allow yourself a full thirty seconds to cotton on to his slow-fuse Pinocchio joke - and squirmed at Captain Frodo's incredible contortions.

LA CLIQUE's informal atmosphere encourages frequent trips to the bar during the performance, but most people were so mesmerised that they stayed put to gasp, marvel and giggle, whether participating in Mario's crowd surf or 'learning Spanish' to sing along with Croydon-born's glamorous Ursula Martinez. (But, as for where she had hidden a small red handkerchief on her enticingly naked body as part of her strip and magic act.well, you really don't want to go there: or maybe you do?)

David O'Mer provided 'something for the laydeez' (and one or two excitable gentlemen): this world-class gymnast starts his 'Bath Boy' act immersed in water before emerging in sopping-wet jeans to perform an awe-inspiring series of aerial gymnastics that bring the house down, while the bravura elegance of hula-hooping Yulia Pikhtina delivers a virtuoso display that tantalisingly combines the erotic and the exotic.

There really is something for everyone in this superb grab bag of cabaret, new burlesque, circus and contemporary vaudeville - and, even better, the seats are priced to sell and the bar remains open after the show.

I would recommend LA CLIQUE unreservedly and was still buzzing the morning after. Think of any superlative and double it: this show deserves them all.

Reviewed for Theatreworld by Clive Burton.

LA CLIQUE - London Hippodrome (15.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE
London Hippodrome

Originally created in 2004 for the Edinburgh festival and performed in the world famous Spiegletent (one of the last Flemish mirror tents in existence.) LA CLIQUE is a constant changing line up of some of the worlds best international circus and burlesque performers that you will ever see.

Taking up residency at the London Hippodrome LA CLIQUE has brought back Variety to one of London's original variety hot spots, and the design team for this production have gone to work in every aspect of the evening - even entering the foyer your senses are taken on a sensual journey with dimmed lighting, swaths of luxurious dark black and red material and beautifully looking and scented orchids and roses adorn and tantalise and tease your nose.

The performance flows smoothly between acts and most of the action takes place in the small centre stage or Podium with the audience completely in the round. This is a production like no other and its refreshing to see something so different and aimed at an adult audience...something the West End has been missing for quite sometime.

As you would expect with a Variety show, some acts are going to be better than others this is true to form with LA CLIQUE from the amazing Water Bath Ariel Acrobatics of and i quote from two ladies sat next to me 'The most beautiful man alive on earth.' (David O'Mer) to the sensational Cabaret Decadanse in which their act using environmentally friendly puppets are combined with themselves and highly energetic choreography that put this duo into a whole new league.

The female contingents form only a small segment of LA CLIQUE and bring just the right amount tease for the gents to enjoy and there partners not to feel uncomfortable, even Ursula Martinez's famous hanky routine left the audience in hysterics - combining the fine art of burlesque stripping magic and pure facial comedy to create an act your unlikely to see again in any theatre soon.

Unfortunately the weakest link to this fantastic performance is Mario Queen of the Circus, his leather clad Freddie mercury juggling tribute act, left me feeling cold and embarrassed and just wanting his act to end as soon as possible...if your going to juggle 3 clubs or four balls its important that you are flawless but it seemed that this part of the act wasn't what his focus was on it seemed that he would rather juggle a multitude of four letter words perfectly through his mouth than juggle with his hands.

The stars of this production are The English Gentlemen (even though they are Australian!) who combine sheer physical acrobatics with excellent Physical Theatre performing tricks that you could only wish you could do, but for these two gents you wouldn't be able to tell the strain they are putting their bodies through as its the character that appears to be the number one focus. I'm never going to be able to look at a tennis racket again in the same light after Captain Frodo's ingeniously comic contortionist act. This is an act that with leave you wincing in pain and laughing hysterically and absolutely amazed at what he can do!

LA CLIQUE is one of the best shows in town and really does prove that Burlesque and Cirucs isn't dead but is alive and well in the heart of London's West End.

Conceived by Brett Hayback & David Bates
Reviewed by John Garfield-Roberts

Magic 105.4 (15.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

It's been called an international entertainment sensation and has just started its first run in London. It's called LA CLIQUE, and I went to see its official opening night at the Hippodrome in Leicester Square, and boy, what a night it was. The venue has been transformed into a circus ring with a centre stage and a grand piano to one side, on which entertainers' gather for a succession of performances, the likes of which you only get to see on television during a Royal Variety Show. There are some incredible gravity-defying shows' of strength, some spookily realistic puppetry at the beginning and end, all set to some brilliant music, and a display which will never have you looking at a handkerchief in quite the same way again! I can't remember having seen such a night of variety as this in a long, long time, and for that reason alone I thoroughly recommend you go and see it, you cannot fail to be entertained and thrilled.

Gary Vincent's Blog
Magic 105.4

LA CLIQUE (Chortle 14.10.08)

Tues, 14 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

If you thought the London Hippodrome was a tacky overpriced nightclub, popular only with teenage tourists too naive to know any better, think again. The venue has been transformed into a stylishly decadent cabaret, where you can escape the economic calamities of the real world for the extravagant, sexy thrills of LA CLIQUE.

This global collective of burlesque, variety and circus performers has already been a sensation at arts festivals across the world, but with the West End residency, it is moving firmly into the mainstream.

Most previous attempts to revitalise these artforms have tended to focus on the dark, the gothic and the gruesome, trying to make the circus into an adjunct of heavy metal. In contrast, LA CLIQUE never forgets it's supposed to be fun, and the result is an amusing, seductive, kinky, playful extravaganza of fantastically impressive talents.

The turns might seem, at first glance, rather old-fashioned, with an ensemble that includes hula-hoop girls, sword-swallowers, jugglers and magicians. But each performer adds a memorably original twist to their act which, when combined with the heady atmosphere of flirtatious excitement that is so artfully created, produces one exhilarating show.

Probably the stand-out star is Captain Frodo, aka the Incredible Rubber Man, who is more than an eye-watering contortionist, but also a brilliant physical comedian. Rather than making it look easy, this delightfully barmy, double-jointed Frank Spencer pulls off an hysterical slapstick routine while trying to thread his body though two stringless tennis racquets that once seen, will never be forgotten.

But the rest of this gifted cast were not far behind him. Every time you see one routine you thought couldn't be followed, another comes and tops it.

Kinky conjurer Ursula Martinez both flummoxed and stunned the audience with her raunchy disappearing act, in which not only did the hankerchief vanish, so did her clothes, and her inhibitions. You can be sure there is nothing hidden up her sleeve.

Germany's David O'Mer certainly got some women wet with his impressively acrobatic 'aerial ballet', performed suspended over - and sometimes in - an old-fashioned bathtub in only his tight denim trousers. The chiselled gymnast is a walking, advert for shrink-to-fit denim. More acrobatics came from the English Gents, a firm-torsoed, bowler-hatted pair of City folk (although actually from Australia) who pulled off the sort of delicately engineered balancing act that's more difficult than trying to balance a real merchant bank's books.

Elsewhere Britain's own Miss Behave deftly, and daftly, combined physical comedy, lascivious flirting and fetishistic sword-swallowing; Montreal's Cabaret Decadanse puppeteers set the alluring ambiance with their sassy diva lustily gyrating to a soulfully funky backtrack; and even the normally tedious hula-hoop act was given new life by exotic Ukrainian Yulia Pikhtina.

Part Freddie Mercury tribute, part juggler, Mario, Queen Of The Circus demonstrated some awe-inspiring street theatre skills, and energetically led the triumphant finale - although his other camp attempts at compering were one of the few minor flaws of the night. The others, if you want to know were a second half that couldn't outdo the first, and the lack of a live band that would have added even more oomph to an already explosive mix.

But pay no heed to those minor niggles. This is surely the most exuberantly entertaining evening to be had in London this season, full of laughs, amazement and an unforgettable spectacle.

Steve Bennett
Chortle

LA CLIQUE reveals a kinky circus side (Metro 13.10.08)

Mon, 13 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE reveals a kinky circus side

Sex and the circus is a sticky subject. When a contortionist bends a leg behind her head, you go 'ooh' and 'aah' but keep the erotic button on mute - though you're playing the possibilities through in your head.

The same goes for pumped trapeze guys in skin-tight Lycra. Suppress those big-top urges no longer: LA CLIQUE puts sex at the head of its tricktastic agenda. Whether splashing in the bath with perfectly formed aquatic acrobat David O'Mer or Ursula Martinez devising unique storage solutions for a red hanky (she's nude), LA CLIQUE flicks the erotic switch right from the start of a night of top-notch turn-ons.

Leicester Square's Hippodrome club has been transformed into a sleazy cabaret, the intimate setting creating a palpable buzz of anticipation. When balancing powerhouses The English Gents open up with their muscle-busting act - you'll credit those crunches - being up close to the action lets you soak up the sweat.

Not that it's all lust and muscle. There's plenty of laughter, too, with the anatomically unfeasible tennis racket trickster Captain Frodo the pick of a clutch of funny turns. If there's a downside, it's that the night peaks too soon, the highlights packed into an orgiastic first half. And hardcore circus groupies will have seen many of these acts before. But with LA CLIQUE it ain't the meat, it's the motion.

Until Feb 1, Hippodrome, 10-14 Cranbourn Street WC2, various dates and times, £10 to £42.50. Tel: 020 7907 7097. www.lacliquelondon.com Tube: Leicester Square

Metro,
Keith Watson

LA CLIQUE at the London Hippodrome and Ken Dodd at the London Palladium (Telegraph 13.10.08)

Mon, 13 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE at the London Hippodrome and Ken Dodd at the London Palladium
subtitle: Charles Spencer finds that variety is the spice of life

They have been writing the death certificate of variety for as long as I can remember, but it keeps jumping out of its coffin and displaying remarkable signs of life.

This weekend I attended two cracking variety shows, the one hip and cutting edge, the other a deliciously nostalgic throwback to Sunday Night at the London Palladium with the great Ken Dodd topping the bill as he celebrated 55 years in the stand-up trade.

I haven't had so much far from innocent fun in ages.

LA CLIQUE, which has taken over what was once the Talk of the Town and then Peter Stringfellow's Hippodrome disco, strikes me as the perfect answer to the credit crunch blues.

The posh seats, which include table service, are £42.50, but you can sit on a stool for £15 and stand for a tenner.

What's on offer is a succession of acts with a postmodern twist that deliver spectacle, humour and not a little sexuality, ranging from a handsome hunk in clinging wet jeans who emerges from a bath and flies over the audience's heads hanging from leather straps to a lubricious striptease-artiste/magician, Ursula Martinez, who makes a handkerchief disappear even though she is wearing absolutely nothing.

How does she do that?!

With an outrageous crowd-surfing Freddie Mercury impersonator, a pair of pin-striped City gents who perform some amazing acrobatics, a kinky PVC-clad sword-swallower called Miss Behave and Captain Frodo, the best and funniest contortionist I have ever seen, this is an evening of almost continuous pleasure.

Two things would make it better still - a witty MC to compere the acts, and music that's live, rather than recorded.

But it's great to have the Hippodrome back as a live venue and this is a show that deserves to thrive.

It's more than 40 years since I first saw Ken Dodd in one of his legendary, record-breaking runs at the London Palladium in the Sixties.

I became a fan then, aged 11, and have remained one ever since, and it was wonderful to see him back in his spiritual home, heading a charity bill that also included the likeable Bernie Clifton, still riding his ostrich, and that great belter of a singer, Sharon D Clarke.

Doddy is 80 now, physically a little frailer, his voice a touch congested, but that indomitable generosity of spirit and his ability to create a spell of dotty happiness is entirely unquenched.

"Fifty-five years in showbusiness, ladies and gentlemen. That's a hell of a long time to wait for a laugh," he quipped.

But with Dodd the laughter is almost continuous, the mood, as the succession of surreal one-liners, sentimental songs and sheer comic exuberance progresses, extraordinarily benign.

"Tonight, when you get home, put a handful of ice cubes down your wife's nightie and say: 'There's the chest freezer you always wanted.'"

It is advice like that which will get us through these hard times. LA CLIQUE tickets: 020 7907 7097

Telegraph

LA CLIQUE (The Guardian 13.10.08)

Mon, 13 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE
London Hippodrome

The boom years for burlesque and variety were during the Great Depression, so it is with a consummate timing that Edinburgh Fringe favourites LA CLIQUE shimmy into the Hippodrome. They bring a show that will wipe away the blues with its sheer bare-faced cheek, ability to send itself up, and a gaudy aesthetic that owes more to the dressing-up box than to designer chic.

In its glory days at the start of the 20th century, the Hippodrome's novelty acts included polar bears, elephants, and lions and tigers. Here, the attractions are of the human variety, and if the performers toy like naughty children with the illusion of danger and transgression, all of them are pussy cats who soon have the audience purring.

Previous attempts to do burlesque in the West End have floundered on inappropriate venues and a deluded notion that the merest glimpse of a nipple tassel is worth 30 quid. LA CLIQUE ups the game through artful attention to detail, seamless stage management and the sheer levels of skill and wit involved. The lowbrow comes with a raised eyebrow here, whether it's in the subverting striptease spectacle of Ursula Martinez's infamous "Hanky Panky" act, or the English Gents (Australians, actually) who combine a slick balancing turn with a send-up of British stiff upper lips. Everything is just so; small but perfectly formed, and a lesson for credit-crunch theatre in working up something from nothing.

Like all circus, there is a touch of the freak show, but lurking amid the supremely executed turns of Yulia Pikhtina's enchanting hula hoop routine is a perfect match of skill and content that gives rise to unexpected meaning and metaphor. Contortionist Captain Frodo's party piece may be dislocating his shoulder, but when he climbs up an increasingly precarious tower made from upturned buckets of diminishing size, his precarious ascent becomes a comment on the absurdity of all human endeavour. David O'Mer's jeans-clad bath-time aerial routine works both as a sexy showstopper and a knowing subversion of advertising's eroticisation of everyday life. And when the naked Martinez produces her final red hanky with a flourish, it is a reminder of who is in control here, and that women's bodies are not just objects to be fetishised. It's an evening that works on many levels, but most triumphantly as a piece of old-fashioned popular entertainment that is good, clean, dirty fun.

Until February 1
Box office: 020-7907 7097

The Guardian,
Lyn Gardner

LA CLIQUE (The Stage 13.10.08)

Mon, 13 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE
The international sensation LA CLIQUE have pitched their big top at London's Hippodrome in Leicester Square, bringing to London the very best in alternative specialist acts from around the world. At its most simple, LA CLIQUE is a survivor of the variety circuit from the last century. But whereas the 'spesh act' would be supporting the top-of-the-bill comedian of vocalist, LA CLIQUE are themselves a company of headliners. This heady mix of danger, comedy and sex, carefully threaded together to provide a hugely entertaining evening, makes Cirque de Soleil seem positively establishment.

London's current femme fatale with a penchant for sword-swallowing, Miss Behave, weaves her latex clad body throughout the evening. Puppeteers Cabaret Decadanse open the show, knocking the audience sideways with their larger-than-life puppet divas. The English Gents, a quirky acrobatic duo, perform gravity defying feats in formal business attire. Ursula Martinez's mischievous disappearing hanky trick has the audience squealing with delight, whilst Yulia Pikhtina captivates with her graceful hula-hoop display.

David O'Mer proves very popular with the audience, not only for his innate physical perfection, but also for the sheer grace and strength of his bath-tub aerial ballet - honestly, that's the only way to describe it. Clarke McFarlane is Mario, Queen of the Circus, a reference to his passion for the rock band rather than a slur on his masculinity, and finally Captain Frodo, the most imaginative, and perhaps more importantly, hysterical contortion act you are ever likely to see. LA CLIQUE are here for the party season, making perfect use of this great central London venue. If the dark nights are bringing you down, then this is the show guaranteed to chase off the winter blues.

Production information
Management: LA CLIQUE Productions, Chocolate Factory Productions, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin
Cast: Captain Frodo, Ursula Martinez, David O'Mer, Yulia Pikhtina, Miss Behave, Mario Queen of the Circus
Production information can change over the run of the show.

The Stage
Paul Vale

LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome (The Times 13.10.08)

Mon, 13 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome, WC2
The extravaganza has taken up residence in the venue that once played host to Harry Houdini
Clive Davis

While "A hit at Edinburgh" may be one of the more dubious phrases in the entertainment lexicon, it is easy to see why audiences fell for this manic show. Variety has fallen out of fashion in this country - unlike say, France, where it still commands a place on prime-time TV. LA CLIQUE - which isn't a Gallic venture, in spite of the title - may not be awash with Hughie Green wholesomeness, but it has the potential to introduce a new generation to old-fashioned theatricality.

The extravaganza has taken up residence in the venue that once played host to Harry Houdini and, later, The Talk of the Town. The impresario Nick Wright hopes to restore the Leicester Square landmark to something approaching its former status. The omens look promising, with the evening providing a cheery blend of burlesque, circus and freak- show in a setting that has something of the unpretentious air of the Comedy Store. While VIP table seating is available for the few bankers who still have a few ten-pound notes to burn, most of us were sitting on cheap and cheerful wooden chairs.

The hit of the evening, without a doubt, was Captain Frodo, an amiably demented contortionist who combines the ability to thread his body through tennis racquets with slapstick flourishes redolent of Norman Wisdom. The English Gents (who are, in fact, Australian) came a close second with their understated acrobatics and feats of strength, all executed with deadpan stiff upper-lips. Stripping down to Union Jack underpants, they revealed the most extraordinarily chiselled physiques this side of Action Man.

When sex reared its head it often had a homoerotic or Chippendale tinge to it. True, the one example of all-out nudity came in Ursula Martinez's striptease-cum-magic act, but the routine was performed with so much comic gusto that you were much more inclined to laugh than ogle. (Where on earth did she hide that red hanky?) The ladies - and some of the men - in the audience were rather less restrained during David O'Mer's languid gymnastics, which were performed, for some reason, above a bathtub.

The show loses a little of its momentum in the second half as performers return with a variation or two. Still, if you're sitting near the front, you get to help Clarke McFarlane's deranged Freddie Mercury imitator perform body-surfing: Silly, very silly, but great fun. Box office: 020-7907 7097

The Times
Clive Davis

First Night Feature: LA CLIQUE (Official London Theatre 13.10.08)

Mon, 13 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

First Night Feature: LA CLIQUE
First published: 13 Oct 2008

Cabaret, circus, comedy and performance art combine to create arguably two of the most surreal, risque and entertaining hours you can currently spend in London, with the arrival of the bizarre LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome.

Making audiences laugh, blush and gawp since its creation at the 2004 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, LA CLIQUE has since played 20 seasons across the globe with an ever-changing line-up of weird and wonderful, sexy and eccentric acts, picked up from all over the world during the company's travels. The newly opened Hippodrome is the perfect venue for the eclectic variety performance. The audience sits in the round surrounded by heavy red curtains, 50s style popcorn stands and chocolate fountains, with the surprisingly small stage in the centre. With the building originally inspired by a big top, it evokes the feel of being inside a classic circus with a new glamorous twist.

Acts vary from Montreal's Cabaret Decadanse - two puppeteers with puppets with diva attitudes, made primarily from, it seems, giant slinkies - to Captain Frodo, a double jointed contortionist who happily dislocates joints and tangles body parts all for the audience's viewing pleasure. The English Gents, two acrobats actually hailing from Australia, perform incredible feats of strength and balance while never failing to keep their upper lip stiff and their bowler hats spotless. Comedy comes from Mario Queen of the circus, a Freddie Mercury look-alike who unicycles and juggles to his favourite Queen tracks, only slightly bitterly introducing the following act, David O'Mer, a gymnast who performs an aerial ballet routine with the use of a bath and some very wet jeans, and proves to be a very hard act to follow for the female section of the audience.

The women of the troupe include Yulia Pikhtina, who performs a hypnotic hula hooping routine, and Miss Behave, a PVC-clad, Betty Boop-esque sword-swallower who shocks with her ability to utilise her tongue piercing and steal audience members' drinks. Lastly, Ursula Martinez, an actress and cabaret performer who can't decide whether she is from Croydon or Spain, performs her cult striptease with a mysterious disappearing hanky which reappears from various unspeakable places. LA CLIQUE has the feel of an old-fashioned variety performance with a new raucous and risque edge. One strictly for adult entertainment, expect to be shocked, amused and feel in desperate need to find a new slightly more impressive party trick.

Official London Theatre
CM

LA CLIQUE (The British Theatre Guide 13.10.08)

Mon, 13 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE
London Hippodrome, Leicester Square

It's quite hard to review a show when you were hiding behind your hands for half of it!

The cult smash hit variety show LA CLIQUE is one of those shows where the heart is willing; you want so much to watch, but what you see is so fantastically unbelievable that you end up hiding from it. However, when you peer out from behind your hands you are treated to a line-up of some of the world's finest international acts. The London Hippodrome re-opens its doors to LA CLIQUE with its seductive assortment of circus/burlesque/cabaret. Unpredictable in nature, it attacks all the senses with each act somehow topping the one before with the element of surprise and danger adding to the excitement.

To take away any of the mystery would take away from the experience itself. So I shall whet (or wet: there's a bit of a clue for you already) your appetite without giving too much away. There are acts that you will have seen before: a contortionist, a sword swallower, a juggler and acrobats. However LA CLIQUE is a cabaret performance with a twist. They present a juggler that is a reincarnation of Freddie Mercury who moves his balls (juggling balls that is) to the music whilst singing throughout, a contortionist who looks like he is from the 118 adverts as he clumsily stumbles about the stage making you fear for his safety as well as your own and there is the stripper with her mischievous disappearing hanky - you know what's coming and still you can't believe your eyes. How on earth people discover they posses these skills is probably not worth contemplating. How they then turn them into an art form is truly remarkable; as Captain Frodo the contortionist says himself, "Isn't it just amazing what people can do for a living?"

That really is just a sneak preview into the weird and wonderful world of LA CLIQUE but you'll thank me for not spoiling it. Simply be prepared for a night of guilty pleasures and astonishing acts that must be seen to be believed.

Booking until February 2009

The British Theatre Guide 13.10.08
By Rachel Sheridan

LA CLIQUE clicks into place (Evening Standard 13.10.08)

Mon, 13 Oc 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Bruce Dessau's rating:

Readers rating:

LA CLIQUE clicks into place

Pre-World War II Germany had the Weimar cabaret. Post-crash England has LA CLIQUE. This cool circus and burlesque hybrid has been a festival hit around the world and as it finally debuts in London at this iconic venue, it clicks perfectly into place. With the economy gurgling down the plughole, this is the ideal escape for two hours. The acts range from the seriously sexy to the stupendously silly. The English Gents aptly resembled two pin-striped brokers reduced to performing amazing acrobatics. David O'Mer was another muscular athlete, swooping partly in the air, partly in a full bath. Stripping magician Ursula Martinez offered further unhinged eroticism, doing unmentionable things with a red hankie. With no conventional compere, Mario Queen of the Circus and Miss Behave linked proceedings with juggling and sword-swallowing. Sublime puppetry and graceful hula hoop added to the decadence.

The undisputed highlight, however, was Captain Frodo, a Norwegian contortionist who eyewateringly threaded his entire body through two stringless tennis racquets. At a time when we may all have to bend over backwards to make a living, Frodo brings a whole new meaning to making ends meet.

Until 1 February (020 7907 7097, www.lacliquelondon.com)

Evening Standard 13.10.08
By Bruce Dessau

Sexy cult hit finally makes it to the capital (The London Paper 25.09.08)

Thurs, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Sexy cult hit finally makes it to the capital by Alistair Smith, The London Paper Thursday, 25 September 2008

Sexy cult hit finally makes it to the capital. Featuring contortionists, -burlesque strippers and hula dancers, the show will reopen legendary -Leicester Square night-spot The Hippodrome, which in days gone by hosted one of Houdini's great escapes.

London Hippodrome, WC2, from 2 Oct.
Call 020 7907 7097 to book or visit www.lacliquelondon.com

And now for our next trick... (The Guardian 25.09.08)

Thur, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Brian Logan The Guardian, Thursday September 25 2008
C'est chic .. LA CLIQUE

Oh, the problem of success! The rock music landscape is littered with rich, famous artists who have squandered their credibility. But does the same danger lie in store for, er, circuses? If you think not, then you haven't seen LA CLIQUE, the cult cabaret show which next week takes up a London residency. After four years, theirs is still the overnight success story to end them all, with only one proviso: LA CLIQUE's popularity is intimately bound up with its underground sensibility. And, as their Norwegian "rubber man" Captain Frodo sagely remarks: "Can you ever be truly underground when you're opening in the West End?"

Like rock music, a circus is not just entertainment; it's a repository of people's fantasies about how life might be. People run away to join the circus - not the theatre, or the conservatoire. At its scuzzy, romantic best, LA CLIQUE is the circus many of us would like to run away to. "It's carnival," Captain Frodo tells me, backstage before a gig in Dublin last week. "It's about every-thing that's hidden or dirty getting flaunted or celebrated. Just as church is a place of worship, LA CLIQUE is a place where you celebrate life. And you get it in both its beautiful and its ugly parts."

Frodo, as he'd cheerily admit, represents the latter. In the current show, he dislocates his shoulders to squeeze his body through two string-less tennis rackets. The audience squirms in morbid fascination. Alongside Frodo, there are the English Gentlemen, who pick one another up with muscles that mere mortals don't possess; the buff young German David O'Mer, who takes an acrobatic, very sexy bath; and the Ukrainian Yulia Pikhtina, who spins hula-hoops simultaneously from every one of her extremities.

Sitting in the front row, I am keenly aware that, with one false move from Yulia, my head might be hula-hooped off my shoulders. But that's the point, says LA CLIQUE's Australian founder and MC, Brett Haylock: "The intimacy of the environment is key." For most of its life, LA CLIQUE has been housed in the Famous Spiegeltent, a 1920s Belgian travelling pavilion that pitches up annually on the Edinburgh Fringe. "How that first show [in 2004] came together, I can't put my finger on," says Haylock. "I certainly have no qualifications. But what I knew was that venue, intimately."

At first, the tent was inseparable from LA CLIQUE's appeal. It positioned performers and audience cheek by jowl. "You can see that these acts are real people doing real things," says Haylock. "You can see them sweating right in front of you." But it also brought with it an atmosphere of faded, velveteen glamour (Marlene Dietrich once performed in the very same tent). "It's a special environment," Haylock says. "It travels with its ghosts, it comes from over 80 years of doing exactly what it's doing now: of pitching up, entertaining and then disappearing."

But, at least for now, the Spiegeltent has disappeared from LA CLIQUE's story. The problem was that, while the tent toured successfully to Sydney and New York, no London berth was ever found. And then, this year, an improbable alternative was suggested. "As you walk into the Hippodrome," says Haylock, "you feel the hairs on the back of your neck. In my wildest dreams, I couldn't have imagined there'd be another space so suitable."

If, like me, you only ever thought of London's Hippodrome as a tatty, sub-Stringfellows nightspot, prepare for a surprise. Designed by Frank Matcham in 1901 as a "water circus", the Hippodrome once played host to polar bears, sea lions and elephants in belle-ipoque variety shows. Houdini and Judy Garland performed there. Managing director Charmaine Haig admits the venue has been a tawdry place these last 30 years. But under her stewardship, the fagade has been given a #1.5m make-over to return it to its early 20th-century splendour. LA CLIQUE's residency, starting next week, is the first variety show at the venue since the 1970s.

'It's perfect," says Haylock. "We tap into all its history." After all, what is LA CLIQUE but a wilfully tawdry variety show? "It's a tried and tested formula," says La Cirque's striptease artiste-cum-conjuror, Ursula Martinez. "It's variety in that good, old-fashioned sense of the word." What distinguishes LA CLIQUE is its faster pace, and the sheer quality of its acts. Haylock has culled his performers from all walks of marginalised theatre life: Frodo had worked in freakshows; Martinez was a cabaret performer; the juggler Mario worked in street theatre; the English Gentlemen worked at Tokyo Disney.

'It isn't rocket science," says Haylock. "You can break all of the acts down to: sexy, funny, dangerous. And slightly twisted." Martinez agrees, but adds: "There are moments of poetry, beauty and heart as well." Both believe LA CLIQUE is about more than displays of virtuosity. Its performers all have quirks, gimmicks, senses of humour - personalities, in short - that transcend their actual skills. But the show's appeal is more fundamental. As Frodo demonstrates for me the ancient art of shoving a spoon up one's nostril, I realise that, by dedicating years of their lives to honing totally impractical abilities, these performers afford us all an idiosyncratic perspective on how life might be lived away from the rat-race.

Of course, that's what LA CLIQUE are anxious to preserve as mainstream success beckons. One Canadian newspaper once called them "the anti-Cirque du Soleil" - the opposite of that corporate extravaganza of soulless excellence. Can they stay that way? "How do you get the word out there and get bums on seats?" asks Martinez. "And yet retain an element of cool, underground, alternative? That's a Catch-22." On this point, Haylock ties himself in more knots than Frodo. "I've got to be careful what I say. But the day that our front row is full of, you know: safe, middle-class ... " He stops himself: "I'll have the London producers jumping up and down."

So let's leave it to the contortionist to set things straight. "LA CLIQUE just has to stay true to its roots," says Captain Frodo, and he withdraws a spoon from his nose.

LA CLIQUE is at the Hippodrome, London WC2, from October 2. Box office: 020-7907 7097.

LA CLIQUE opening 2nd Oct 2008 at the Hippodrome, Leicester Square, London (La Clique 26.08.08)

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:00:00 GMT

LA CLIQUE Productions, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin present...
LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome, Leicester Square, London

OPENING 2ND OCT 2008

The international sensation LA CLIQUE will open at London's famous Hippodrome from 2nd Oct 2008.

LA CLIQUE has performed successful seasons all over the world including Sydney, Melbourne, Montreal, Dublin, New York and, of course, Edinburgh. A regular visitor to Edinburgh during the Festival season, the show has assumed cult status, and is annually the most sought after ticket in town. A melange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary variety, LA CLIQUE is a sexy, funny and dangerous experience.

For the first time, LA CLIQUE is coming to London and will make its home in Leicester Square's Hippodrome. First constructed by Frank Matcham in 1900 as a water circus, the Hippodrome's early performances featured elephants, polar bears and sea lions which all frolicked in its 100,000-litre pool. A hugely varied history has seen it operate as the location for one of Harry Houdini's greatest escapes; and in the '60s and '70s the stage was graced by the likes of Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, Ethel Merman and The Temptations in its incarnation as the dinner-dance venue Talk of The Town. It was purchased in the early '80s by Peter Stringfellow who turned it into a nightclub and returned it to its original name - The Hippodrome. Most recently the venue has been used for private events, and now with the arrival of LA CLIQUE it will return to its former glory.

LA CLIQUE is impossible to define and impossible to resist. It is an ever-changing, motley assortment of some of the most outrageous, hilarious and downright bizarre and beautiful acts. On any evening you might see Norway's Captain Frodo whose eye-watering flexibility brings new meaning to the word contortion; Spain and the UK's Ursula Martinez whose show-stopping routines literally strip cabaret down to its barest essentials; Germany's David O'Mer, who has re-invented the pleasures of a nice soak in the tub; Kiev's Yulia Pikhtina, widely considered to be one of the finest exponents of the ancient art of hula hooping; The English Gents performing their inconceivable feats of human strength and skill; Larger than life, London's own Miss Behave - a larger than life, PVC-clad cartoon character with a fetish for swallowing pointy objects; the amazing puppets of Montreal's Cabaret Decadanse's who will instantly captivate, charm and blow your mind; and last, but not least, Mario, Queen of the Circus, a veteran of the New York alternative comedy scene, an uber-cool leather-bursting reincarnation of Freddie Mercury - if he'd ever run away and joined the circus.

LA CLIQUE at the Hippodrome will provide audiences with a unique and unforgettable night out. The venue's many bars, lavish auditorium, incredible atmosphere and iconic history provide the perfect setting for one of the most unusual and eye-popping shows the West End has seen in a very long time.

Hit takes variety from Fringe to centre stage (The Times, 26.08.08)

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The Times, August 26, 2008

One of the hottest tickets on the Edinburgh Fringe is about to transfer to London for the first time.

A fizzing, seductive combination of cabaret and variety show, LA CLIQUE has performed successful seasons from Sydney to Dublin to New York. It first landed at the festival five years ago, rapidly attaining cult status thanks to its intimate setting in a glamorous, old mirrored tent in George Square and the calibre of international talent on offer. Now LA CLIQUE is spreading its wings, and on October 2 the shows opens an extended engagement at the Hippodrome in Leicester Square.

The atmosphere outside the Spiegeltent in Edinburgh is both frenzied and inviting. Punters beg for tickets while celebrities jump the queue. The buzz builds inside, where most of this slick performance occurs on or around a simple, circular platform centre-stage. The spotlight is on small-scale circus acts, contemporary burlesque routines and unique cabaret turns that run a gamut from highly polished to outrageously comic to drop-dead sexy.

A Canadian twosome known as Cabaret Decadanse present lip-sync puppetry with real flair. The English Gents, another male duo, execute a faultless balancing act that doubles as a parody of stiff upper lip masculinity. Mario, Queen of the Circus, is an adept juggler, unicyclist and mischievous stand-up whose hero is Freddie Mercury. Yulia Pykhtina lends an enticing eroticism to hula-hooping, while Ursula Martinez's blend of striptease and magic act is a total hoot. Witnessing the slapstick contortions of the double-jointed Norwegian goof Captain Frodo as he squeezes himself through two tennis rackets is a painful pleasure.

In complete contrast is David O'Mer, a hunk in wet jeans, whose aerial ballet above a bathtub is a lip-smacking sensation.

The choice of venue for LA CLIQUE'S London run is apt, given the Hippodrome's varied history as an entertainment site from 1900.

One of its earliest incarnations was as a water circus featuring elephants, polar bears and sea lions frolicking in an enormous pool. The legendary escape artist Harry Houdini later visited the stage. By the 1960s it had been converted into the dinner-dance venue Talk of the Town, with Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey among the headliners pulling in the crowds. In the early Eighties it became a nightclub, reverting once more to its original name. More recently it has been used for private events.

Now the Hippodrome's glory days seem to have passed. But LA CLIQUE could change all that if the London season catches fire as it has in Scotland, for it all adds up to a great night out.

Edinburgh box office: 0131-667 8940; London box office: 020 7907 7097. http://www.lacliquelondon.com