Jean Paul Gaultier is widely known for his work as a designer at the head of the eponymous brand, which he left in 2020, and his time at other haute couture brands such as Hermès, of which he was creative director between 2004 and 2010. He has been most of her life behind the scenes, in the back rooms of big fashion shows, and now she has decided to jump on stage. Because even if he doesn’t act, Fashion Freak Show is the story of Gaultier and his way of seeing the world. “Fashion is spectacle,” he says, and the show that premiered yesterday at the Coliseum theater, where it will remain until April 21, promises to put on a good show, a very scoundrel, libertarian and fun one, as well as vindictive.
“Le freak c’est chic”, cries the French designer. Through his designs he always tried to fight against pre-established codes regarding fashion and gender, in his desire to empower women and free men from the clichés of masculinity. In his show he follows that line but in a big way, with a performance halfway between cabaret, fashion catwalk and circus show, in which he reviews his experiences and influences, reviews the world of fashion and some current phenomena ( with criticism included of the excesses of cosmetic surgery and social networks) and vindicates his way of living life.
From his childhood to his early career, from his biggest fashion shows to the craziest nights, Gaultier shares his diary of the time and pays tribute to those who have inspired him in cinema, such as Pedro Almodóvar or Luc Besson, music , Madonna or Kylie Minogue, or dance, Régine Chopinot or Angelin Prejlocaj, among others.
With a style typical of musical comedy, fifteen artists fuse the disciplines of circus, dance, theater and music in a production of which Gaultier himself is director and scriptwriter – in addition to, obviously, costume designer – and which has an eccentric set, its own soundtrack, new exclusive dresses and the cameo of stars such as the Spanish Rossy de Palma or the French Catherine Deneuve, who make special appearances through the large video screen that serves as a backdrop. background of all actions.
In the musical field, Fasion Freak Show aims to be an “ode to diversity”, which translates into melodies from a wide range of genres ranging from funk to disco, including pop, rock, new wave and punk, which, like everything here, is a list of the musical hits that have inspired the designer throughout his life.
After conquering the Folies Bergère in Paris and the Roundhouse in London, the work will be in Barcelona for three weeks and is the result of the work of the actress, screenwriter and director Tonie Marshall, who is co-director, the choreographer Marion Motin, the advisor artistic Simon Phillips and other professionals in the sector. Everything to turn this show into Gaultier’s big party.
