LE GATEAU CHOCOLAT

Meet Le Gateau Chocolat: the beautiful, brown, big-breasted baritone who aims to set souls soaring. Complete with wig, makeup and enough colourful lycra to teach Lady Gaga a thing or two, Gateau returns to Sydney Opera House to entertain, inspire and humour a diverse audience.

“The heart of what I do is storytelling and making connections with people. The drag – sure, people find it visually interesting – but for those who just want to close their eyes and go with the music, that’s very much what I like.”

Gateau said his transition into performance occurred very organically. He cites a wide range of influences and artists he covers, from Radiohead to Sinead O’Connor and Frank Sinatra. But the eccentric performer goes well and beyond simply entertaining, hoping to inspire his audience through his theatrics to not judge.

“Writing the show, I was adamant that – regardless of the fact that I’m gay and Nigerian and have a law degree – I wanted to show that those things don’t matter. There are so many things that connect us – we want to wake up with someone, we want to fall in love, we want to have butterflies. These are the things that are important to me.”

When asked how he would describe a typical show, Gateau simply said: “Honest. Fiercely so.”

Sep 15-23, The Playhouse, Sydney Opera House, Macquarie St, Sydney, $37-40, 9560 9167, 2012.sydneyfringe.com