GORGEOIS & MISTLETOE

Critically acclaimed alternative cabaret act Bourgeois and Maurice have been setting the cabaret scene alight of late, with sell out shows at the Edinburgh festival and the Soho Theatre. The siblings’ unique mix of musical comedy, satire and fashion returns to the Soho Theatre, this month, for a special Christmas and New Year’s Eve show. They describe their act as, “part-cabaret, part-theatre and part-catwalk freakshow”. With that in mind, we sent our very own urbane drag bangle, Jason Reid, along to investigate…

Jason: Lovely to meet you both. So, exciting times ahead as your next run at the Soho theatre draws closer. What do you have in store with this new Christmas show?

Bourgeois: We’ve got our brand new band line-up with us, so it is going to be LOUD. It’ll be a rock-gig-cum-cabaret-cum-tenuously-linked-slightly-Christmasy-blast-of-dark-joy. Plus, a spectacular finale using a standard household appliance. You’ll have to see it to believe it!

For people that have never seen or heard of you, how would you sum up your act in five words?

Maurice: Musical satire for filthy perverts.

You write your own songs. How does the songwriting process work and where do the ideas originate from?

B: It’s a joint effort with absolutely no structure or method. Ideas just happen at strange times, often in the shower, and slowly evolve.
M: The main aim is to make the other one laugh, feel sick and be musically roused all at the same time. If that happens we know we’re on to a winner

Fashion plays a big part of what you guys are all about. Who makes the costumes, for the shows, and where does the inspiration come from?

B: Most of our outfits are made by the amazing Julian J Smith and we also love Fanny & Jessy. We like ideas that should never go together – strange combinations like fetish wear in pink polka dot rather than latex, and bat-winged baby grows made from oversized sequins.

Personally, do you both prefer designer or high street fashion?

M: A bit of both. High street tends to be more washing machine friendly, and we do build up a bit of sweat on stage. Although it’s quite avant-garde-performance-art to have a smell-o-vision element to our shows, particularly when Bourgeois is climbing over audience members.

As it’s a ‘Christmas show’ do you like mainstream Christmas music in general and do you have any favourite festive tunes? 

M: No. Apart from Little Donkey.

What would your Christmas message be to your fans and the world, Queen Lizzy style, going into 2012?

B: Taking a leaf from GaGa’s book, we’ve decided to brand our fans with a collective name, possibly Heart Murmers or Little Cunts.
M: And to them we say, thanks for sticking with us, if we all survive the 2012 Armageddon then drinks are on us this time next year.

What are the best and worst things about being Bourgeois and Maurice?

B: The best is we get to spout our opinions and people seem to pay for it.

M: The worst is we get to spout our opinions and people seem to pay for it.

Do you have any favourite cabaret acts yourself? Who do you make a point to go and see?

B: There are so many we love. Scottee, David Hoyle, Jonny Woo and East End Cabaret are great. And over that filthy pond we have major crushes on Justin Bond and Dina Martina.

You have had great success in the last few years. World domination in 2012? 

M: Well, fingers crossed the reptilian-illuminati will finally let us join their gang, and then we can just sit back and soak up the power.

 

• Bourgeois & Maurice: Fa La La La La sashays into Soho Theatre (21 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 3NE) on Wednesday 14th December and runs until Saturday 7th January. See www.sohotheatre.com to book tickets and www.bourgeoisandmaurice.co.uk to find out more about the deliciously twisted siblings. 

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