Review: SILVANO JO: TOUTES LES FEMMES DE MA VIE

After successful summer season from July 7th to July 30th at the Chapeau Rouge in Avignon, Silvano Jo gives us his one-man show All the Women in Life at his personal workshop venue in Paris. For the greatest pleasure of his international audience, Jo takes us on a journey through the world and history of Caf' Conc' and Music-hall of the early 20th century. A seasoned singer and actor, in his one-man show mostly in drag, sometimes without the wig, Silvano portrays a series of flamboyant characters such as the religious Marie-Catherine, channeling the Singing Nun (Soeur sourire), the mischievous Mistigri, delivering us "Don't Tell Mama", from the musical Cabaret in French, Eva and her 80s 45rpm, the irresistible Mamie Bigoudis in her hair curlers getting one of the raunchiest songs, "Le Zizi" by Pierre Perret, and one of the most emotional moments with Michel Legrand's "Amour" from the movie Peau d'âne, after Chloé, fantasizing about the boys in the locker room, and Jackie, delivering the famous Serge Gainsbourg song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" ("Wax Doll, Rag Doll") and the lesser-known but unbelievably risqué "Ouvre la bouche, ferme les yeux" ("Open Your Mouth, Close Your Eyes"), recorded by the nightclub icon singer Régine.

With his last two characters, Queen and Diva, Jo again channels the legendary Régine in "Pourquoi un pyjama?" ("Why Pajamas?") and her trademark song "La Grande Zoa" ("The Great Zoa"). But the funniest of all was the song "Le Trou de mon quai" ("The Hole in My Subway Platform"), introduced by Dranem in 1928.

After the closing bows, Jo pays an encore tribute to a lesser-known chanteuse Suzy Delair with "Du t'ca, du t'ca", with a Mickey Mouse head on her crotch! Throughout the evening, Jo interacts with his audience, distributing lyrics for sing-alongs, and his multitalented musical director Mathieu Serradell, MD for Cabaret at Théâtre Marigny and the ill-fate Phantom of the Opéra at Mogador, not only accompanies him more than perfectly on the piano and the accordion but also graces us with some climatic instrumentals, notably to "La Complainte de la Butte", heard in the movie Moulin Rouge! Jo's intimate cabaret, impeccably staged by Nadine Malo, has several dates scheduled around Christmas and beyond. Don't miss it at any cost, especially if you want an education in the naughtiest, wittiest, and most enjoyable side of the history of chansons francaises.

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