Reviewed by: See Do Eat Review
Review by Shane Berketa | 18 February 2024
One of the biggest offerings you’ll find at this year’s Fringe, and easily one of the best, Infamous: The Show is here to make its mark. On a quiet little spot on West Terrace, The huge Spiegel Big Top is home to an exhilarating two-hour circus blockbuster. Fringe doesn’t get bigger than this; from the spacious venue with an open bar to the lavish stage production inside, the audience is treated to an impressive arena-like viewing experience where the action is front and centre. The standout is the opening number, the Wheel of Death. A gigantic apparatus that would test even the most daring of aerial performers, it’s nail-biting fun as each acrobat takes their turn jumping and somersaulting within the metal rotating behemoth. More than once I held my breath not knowing how the performers would be able to scale such gigantic machinery without falling. The show has everything it promises on the poster: sultry cabaret musical numbers and floor work, deliciously naughty physical theater and death-defying acrobatics. Every performer brings a pedigree of stage presence, swagger and skill without a second wasted. The feats of strength and flexibility of the resident acrobats should not be underestimated; the level of muscular control and fluidity they present is nothing short of incredible. The dancing is perfectly timed and titillating, the gags are cheeky, raunchy and unapologetic, and the crowd work is second to none. The transitions between acts is remarkably smooth. The entire arena is a stage, and there’s no telling where the next act will start. Not once does a moment drag or feel wasted. Apparatic structures are seamlessly erected and dismantled as the dancers and acrobats filter onto the stage for the next course of entertainment. The audience is never left wanting for action. The fact that a giant metallic spinning wheel can be dismantled and wheeled off stage in less than ten minutes sounds ludicrous, and yet you barely notice as the performers keep the energy high at all times. Infamous is a pure vaudeville experience with impossibly polished levels of production. Anyone with a delicate constitution should leave their sensibilities at the door; this show is here to thrill you and keep the pulse running high. A fierce show with something to say: it’s loud, proud, in your face and here to impress. FIVE STARS *****