Chat Noir!
The Lost Estate, London W14 9PL
Nearest stations: West Kensington and Earl’s Court.
BOOKING until July 31st
There are theatre experiences, and then there are worlds you fall into.
Chat Noir is firmly the latter.
From the moment you cross the threshold, reality slips away and suddenly, it is 1890s Paris. The air feels heavier with intrigue, candlelight flickers against velvet shadows, and somewhere between the music and the unmistakable scent of champagne and scandal, you realise you are no longer in London at all.
You are French.
Of course you are.
Chat Noir takes the entire immersive experience back to 1896 in the artists area of Montmartre, Paris. An evening of art, absinthe and anarchy and to quote the owner Rodolphe Salis (the creator of the modern Cabaret) “if Jesus died for our sins – let’s make it worth his while.”
The performers are French. The customs are French. The room itself feels lifted from the smoky heart of Montmartre, where decadence reigns and the night belongs to artists. If at any point you think you hear English, well… you’re simply exceptionally fluent. Ooh là là.
As guests we are welcomed into the legendary cabaret club by Rodolphe Salis, (played by Joe Morrow). Morrow commands the room effortlessly, walking the delicious line between host, provocateur, and ringmaster of chaos. His Salis is seductive, sharp, and gloriously unpredictable.
The whole experience of The Lost Estate in West Kensington is a brilliant concept of all the best bits of a night out including the dining experience, a three course meal, the fantastic staff, attentive to your every need, the show, which happens all around you and sometimes includes you, the moments when you are caught in the lights or lock a stare with a performer as well as the entire audience keen to dress up and become part of 1896 french cabaret, a sort of momentary, mad mash-up between Rocky Horror, the Ivy and the West End.
If sometimes, when you visit a proscenium arch theatre, you feel that it’s not quite real, this show, Chat Noir, leaps over that boundary, that fourth wall, and grabs you round the neck to make you believe in the people, the time and the ludicrous emperor of Montmartre!
The Cast
Issy Wroe Wright’s The Singer, inspired by Yvette Guilbert, is mesmerising, with an operatic voice and presence that powers through the heavy air.
Coco Belle channels the muse Cléo de Mérode dancing with exquisite poise and sensuality, bringing movement that feels less like dance and more like a hypnotic spell.
Mime (Alexander Luttley) is a revelation as Paul Legrand, haunting, hilarious, and deeply expressive without saying a word. Every glance and gesture lands with precision, proving once again that silence can be the loudest performance of all.
Adding another layer of wonder is Neil Kelso as magician Joseph Buatier, whose managed to fool us all even though he has no hiding place!
The live musicians are extraordinary, elevating the entire production. Guy Button’s violin sings through the room, Peteris Sokolovskis’ cello adds a richness, while Alex Ullman’s piano anchors the evening with elegance and mischief in equal measure. Will Fry’s percussion is the heartbeat of the club itself, and Áine McLoughlin’s accordion is pure Parisian soul and completes the bohemian vibe.
There is something deliciously rebellious about Chat Noir. It refuses to let you sit passively. It seduces you into gentle participation, into becoming part of the show itself.
Make sure you immerse yourself before it closes in June!
Book yourself a seat in Chat Noir and prepare for a 3 and a half hour experience which includes wine, magic, mime, absinthe, opera, burlesque, dance, fine food……oh and of course chaos.
★★★★★ Artspod
A sumptuous, seductive triumph of immersive cabaret.
BOOK TICKETS
THE EXPERIENCE – Each ticket includes a 3-course Parisian banquet and 3+ hours of pure immersion in the CHAT NOIR! 1890s cabaret experience – a fantasy reimagining of the legendary Parisian night-club Le Chat Noir.
