Marcel Lucont’s Cabaret Fantastique @ Gold Digger (for Fringe)
Thursday, February 15, 2018
You’ll be left asking “Is he even French?” for days after seeing late-night cabaret act Cabaret Fantastique hosted by Marcel Lucont.
Delivering an ever changing line-up of magic, circus, cabaret, musical and experimental acts, our host presents wearing a turtle neck jumper and tailored suit. His jokes are also well cut and rely heavily on the French dandy trope with just the right amount of arrogant snarl.
“This show is not about you. No. It’s about me,” Lucont states at the top, giving away his raison d’être. He masterfully bounces his routine off hecklers and, at one stage, pokes fun at the long-held French tradition of poetry with a gloriously dirty, erotic poem that leaves the audience in shock yet impressed with awe.
Throughout this particular 90-minute installment, Lucont presented four acts: Butt Kapinski, a private eye with a penchant for dramatic soliloquy and a murder case that never completely gets cracked; Gretal Kileen and The Gretsky’s, a musical comedy act; Jess Love who simultaneously works nine hula hoops delivering a shocking full frontal (in heels); and, Javier Jaarquin, the card ninja who impressively works the crowd using cards like shurikens.
With an understated yet outrageous comedic wit, the devilishly debonair Lucont enthralls with an immensely blasé attitude and glass of pinot in hand. His humour is dryer still, and magically satirical. At one stage he says of his acts: “If you don’t like what you see – you are wrong.” No one could argue with that but, make no mistake, our host is most definitely the star of the show.
At the end of the evening, one just can’t help but think ‘Lucont’ is a play on words – a rhyme voiced in a French accent combining ‘Le’ (meaning ‘The’ en Francais) and ‘cunt’. How does he do that accent so well?
JO CAMPBELL
Marcel Lucont’s Cabaret Fantastique runs from February 22-24 at the Gold Digger at Fringe Central. For tickets and more information, visit the event page here.
