A NIGHT AT LE BASILIC!!!

2015 has started and Pink In Our Lives has already been busy these last two months with exploring and loving the Pink life in our LGBT community. I got an invitation to see a magical show with dinner in a special place in Bruxelles/Belgium in the beginning of January. It is a Cathedral in Koekelberg and called Le Basilic.

From outside it is a beautiful impressive historic Church called Le Basilique, where people can pray and go to masses. Who knew that we were gonna see a magical dragqueen show in such a holy place LOL……My boyfriend and I arrived with friends Davy and Bruno at the front door and we got greeted immediately by artistic director Peter Fargo and his husband Christopher. They accompanied us inside where we were taken under the Basilique to a restaurant with a stage, where the magic would happen this Saturday night.

It isn’t a very big place, but it had plenty of space to sit, dance, eat and to enjoy the night. The venue felt very welcome and warm-hearted. As you may know, Brussels is mostly a French spoken part of Belgium and we were a bit afraid that not everybody could understand or enjoy the evening if you don’t know the language. This could be no further of the truth….. The show has no language barrier and you definitely will be entertained.

I was actually not good prepared like normal, because mostly I do some research before I go somewhere. But as I know Peter and Showqueen Joan Jullian many years, I just went with the flow and my entourage and I weren’t disappointed at all. We got seated and immediately ordered some fancy drinks off course. Other friends like male dancer Cliff and Showqueens Miss Farah and Selina Pearl came in to see the show as well. For ordering our food we could choose for entree and main courses out of three choices each time and they sounded all very tasty. And honeys…. It was yummy yummy, love in the tummy. There could have been a little bit more on the plate, but only because the stomach asked for more of the great food.

After all the dinner courses the show started and the opening was done by the owner of the place Daniel Verhoeft. He welcomed us by singing a song. He also talks the evening and show together. The first show number is a tribute medley to Freddie Mercury of Queen and sets immediately the tone of the night. Entertaining, interesting and creative with artists like Peter Fargo, Joan Jullian, Jade Malone, Eva Malone and Claudi Bertrand performing on stage. The owner is not really an artist and the show would be better without him trying to sing and talk, but he is (still) the boss. Unfortunately he likes to be in the spotlight himself.

From Magic tricks, laughter, live performances, beautiful creations till impersonations , this show had it all and showed it with class. They lipsynced for their life and they all would have passed Rupaul’s approval. Shantay….You All Stay!!! We saw fantastic performances of Liza Minelli, Dalida, Whitney Houston and a good look-a-like Tina Turner, if she was here herself. Funny and unbelievable tricks from Peter Fargo, who also showed that he can sing live every song he would like on that stage.

These people are professionals, so let me give an introduction to you:
Peter Fargo and Joan Jullian are the duo Black & White Illusion for more than 15 years already with lots of magic and illusions, but trying to give an all-round performance on stage. That brought them all over the world, popping up in many television shows and they came third in 2005 as illusionists of the year!!! They have met each other in Geneva, where they also became romantically involved for some years. Both were born to perform on stage and that is how Black & White Illusion got created. Together they have on stage a magical chemistry, but also performing solo they have achieved a lot of things.

The big start of artist Joan jullian became when she not only won in 2007 the very first Showqueen Award in Belgium but took another 6 of the 8 awards home that same night. From there the sky was the limit. She became in 2009 in London “Queen of Nations”, did many acte de présences, won in 2014 Best Lipsync Artist of the Benelux organized by OutTv, and performed in many clubs like Red & Blue, Studio 54, La Garconniere in Geneva/Switzerland. In July 2014 she became in Lyon the winner of Miss Continental Europe, which brought here last September in Chicago/USA to compete for the 35 years existing pageant system Miss Continental. Out of 30 candidates she became second, but in 2016 she definitely wants to take home the crown. She stayed there for 20 months to work the clubs and crowds and got to perform with lots of Rupaul’s Drag Race Stars like Roxy Andrews and Willam Belli. The last three years she worked with Peter in La Garconniere, an exclusive cabaret-discotheque in Geneva and now in Le Basilic.

Peter Fargo started at the young age of fourteen in Antwerp’s first child circus as an illusionist. After that he toured for 18 years with drag queen formation “Antwerp Follies” around as an illusionist, but he also did the choreography and music for this group. After that he did so many wonderful things over the whole world like working in an erotic revue company, becoming artists of the year 1985 in The Netherlands with “Sauvage”, performing in videoclips and working on tv-shows with Corona, Salt ‘n Pepa and Culture Beat. With performing with Revue Company “The New Sensations” in Restaurant-Cabaret The Loft in Geneva/Switzerland he met Joan Jullian. Together they decide to work together as Black & White Illusion for more than 15 years. Besides that they also worked solo on many projects and Peter has been through the years many times artistic director like in 2007 and 2008 for Mummy’s Theatre, also in 2008 for Studio 54 Sport Palace in Antwerp and now at Le Basilic. Besides Joan is his husband Christopher his other right man, who helps him at every show project with the technical parts. Christopher knows every move, light and sound that belongs to their fabulous acts.

Daniel Verhoeft is owner of Le Basilic for one year now and was previous owner of Brasil Tropical in Brussels. Unfortunately that is all the artistic part that I can tell about him……But who needs more, if you are surrounded by great performers who steal the show. ;o)

Jade and Eva Malone are already working professionally for 26 and 30 years (!!!). They started successfully each off course on their own, but stumbled into each other after many years and decided together to start a group of transformists . Many Belgian and Foreign cabarets are on their resumé like Les Coccinelles, Le Pharaon, Chez Flo, L’ Ibiz, Richard Coeur De Lion, La Venhac, Fakkeltheater, Arenberg Schouwburg, Le Loft Geneve and now they can add performing artists in Le Basilic.

Claudi Bertrand was a regular artist with Chez Flo, worked 5 years in The Grand Café in Brussels and Charleroi. Three years in Le Pharaon and did different shows in Germany and Italy. You could have seen her also on French television stations RTBF, RTL and TF1 in many TV shows. Claudi performs already for more than 37 years on many stages and is one of the few performers in this genre with a live repertoire.

Check out their website http://restospectacle.be/ and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/restospectacle?fref=ts and reserve an evening for your friends or family to see the show in this special environment. Call +32 24250905 or email Daniel@restospectacle.be and you get a lot for your money worth. Thank you Peter, Joan, Eva, Jade and Claudi for the invitation and giving us a fantastic evening. We really enjoyed it!!!