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Pretty hard because I think some of them didn’t know about the depression when that started. The show is entirely autobiographical so I wonder what it is like for the performer to be so vulnerable on stage, especially with his loved ones in the audience. I ask what he hopes it will add to the conversation?įor me I think one of the purposes of the show that I hope it achieves is a political statement in that I hope that someone who is experiencing depression, or has had difficulty in talking about it, finds the courage to talk about it or to recognise that there are other people like them. Le Gateau Chocolat’s own experience with depression is an important part of Black. The reality of it is that before he is a musician, before I do drag, before I am an opera singer, we are all human beings and I think people forget that. For anyone in the entertainment industry there is the added shame or remorse of ‘I can’t actually be seen to be depressed because by every standard I am successful’. There’s a real kind of link to toxic masculinity where men are encouraged to not be able to cry or not be able to be emotional or to feel because that’s defined as weakness. I think it is also complicated by being a black man. We talk about the stigma of mental health, particularly within the black community.
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He then lists famous figures who have been vocal about mental health recently, such as Stormzy. Le Gateau Chocolat, Theatre Royal Stratford East (c) Robbins Photographic
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I’m not saying that the only route is a medical one but if something isn’t quite right then talking to someone and sharing it does alleviate some of the burden. In the same way that if you had a cold or the flu or a chest infection or you broke your arm you would go and see a doctor. I think the more we talk about it the more we recognise that it isn’t something to be afraid of or ashamed of. It is still a taboo in our society until we keep breaking down the stigma. It’s still difficult but what it does encourage is me to not only eulogise my friends who unfortunately have committed suicide in the past five years, but it also encourages me to engage with my depression and not deny that it is there. Has there been a relief that comes with telling his story? The subtitle of the show is the Maya Angelou quotation, ‘there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you’. From black colour to black music to black and blue to black sheep to black comedy.įor anyone in the entertainment industry there is the added shame or remorse of ‘I can’t be seen to be depressed because by every standard I am successful’. That’s not just black by colour, that’s all the things surrounding it and that’s what we deal with in the show. The concept of ‘black’ manifests itself throughout the performance. He is also keen to expand on the meaning behind the show’s title. All the blurb surrounding the show is linked to talking about depression so it’s really interesting that despite our best efforts people still come with what they traditionally expect a drag show to be and that’s not what this show is. The drag is the vehicle to deliver a reality that not only I experience but that many across the globe do. If you come having watched RuPaul’s Drag Race or with your preconception of what drag is, I’m not sure that’s not what you’re going to get here. Describe the show for someone who doesn’t know what to expect. The former Law student tells Afridiziak why the entertaining yet emotionally stirring show is as unconventional as his route into show business.īlack is more than a drag performance. The show chronicles his life from his childhood in Nigeria to the present day, complete with a live orchestra. Le Gateau Chocolat stars in the autobiographical ‘Black’ at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. E Gateau Chocolat, Theatre Royal Stratford East (c) Robbins Photographic Le Gateau Chocolat – interview