Boy George was commissioned to write an original theme song for the show’s final number, which splices together a litany of pop hits. “I was delighted to be asked,” says the multihyphenate artist. “I remember when the film first came out. It was fun to go back and rewatch it and try to come up with a song that summed up the whole story as succinctly as possible”, he added.
The spellbindingly sadistic storyline tells the tale of a dramatic love triangle narrated by the restaurant’s omniscient waiters that unfolds between a ruthless restaurant owner, his wife and her lover. “I had a field day writing this song,” shares George. “I enjoy being given a narrative to play with and a set of ideas. I had the chance to really sink my teeth into the story and figure out how to depict all the characters.”
“I call the chorus the ‘Bowie Mambo’,” he laughs, referring to David Bowie (one of his chief musical influences also known for his theatrical flair) and the track’s Latin rhythm. The tune has a markedly tango beat, an intended homage to Faena’s Argentine owner, Alan Faena. “I wanted it to be as dramatic as possible to go with the setting of the show,” he added.
Blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, the boundary-pushing production keeps viewers on the edge of their seats until George’s song closes out the performance in a showstopping crescendo. “People will leave feeling emotionally and mentally stimulated,” he says, and without a doubt, humming the smash song’s catchy chorus for days to come.
