A tribute to Lee Alexander McQueen at the Royal Festival Hall brings together music that inspired the late designer, performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra alongside guest artists. The show, created by McQueen's former musical director John Gosling and conductor Robert Ames, features film scores and classical pieces mixed with rock and electronic tracks, but the result is more safe than subversive.
The programme includes works from The Hours, The Piano, and John Williams, alongside Dido's Lament and Barber's Adagio for Strings. While the harmonies are conventional, the friction comes from juxtapositions: dancers in nude body stockings with hooves for hands perform before the formally attired orchestra. A blend of Handel with the Rolling Stones feels like a teacher trying to be cool, though Armand Van Helden's Witch Doktor provides genuine unease.
Cabaret singer Le Gateau Chocolat brings presence and striking costumes, but the performance seems under-rehearsed. Choreography by Holly Blakey for two dancers adds layers that exaggerate the messy world, leaving the tone ambiguous. The show wrestles with sincerity and provocation, often falling into superficiality.
Highlights include a film segment choreographed by McQueen's friend Michael Clark, featuring dancer Jules Cunningham in an Isabella Blow-style hat and Simon Williams performing to Barber's Adagio. Clark's stark, angular movements cut through the familiarity, offering a glimpse of the punk spirit and classical craft that defined McQueen. Yet overall, the contradictions leave the show feeling middle of the road.
