Limbo has been coming to the Adelaide Fringe under many iterations over the years. But the last time we saw them at The Garden of Unearthly Delights was eight years ago. This time, they’re returning with a brand new, spectacular show. This reviewer has never seen a Limbo show before, but after watching this performance, you can be sure that I’ll be coming back again and again and again!
Limbo is often referred to as the place between heaven and hell, and the costumes, aesthetics and music in this show all play an integral part of creating a throughline of a story. It’s one of those performances though, that if you don’t get it don’t worry, just strap yourself in and enjoy the heart-stopping, jaw-dropping carnival ride of epic proportions. To me, it often looked like a post-apocalyptic entertainment experience that you’d find in movies such as Mad Max, Escape from New York or Blade Runner. The clash of musical styles, amazing athleticism and hellscape scenarios resembling a clash of cultures from all over the world coming together in a cacophony of chaos.
Limbo the Return is literally a ride to hell and back, and I loved to see how many different art forms they managed to pack into the whirlwind seventy-minute show. Aerialists on ropes, chains and slacklines. Check. Tap dancing with audience participation. Check. Comedy skits with a hint of naughtiness. Check. Fire displays that will leave you squirming in your seat. Check. Bouncy stick thingies, which I have never seen before, that come with the feathers of angel wings falling from the sky. Check. And this is only half of what you’ll witness in this otherworldly show.
Apart from all the amazing acts on stage, I cannot finish this review without discussing how great it was to hear live music being played in this show in all its forms. A bit of hillbilly rock, classical French, 60s jazz, and even some beatboxing thrown in for good measure, added to my enjoyment of Limbo the Return. Sxip, Mick, Mikael and Grant are musical geniuses, and with Clara Fable’s gorgeous voice, created musical stylings that I’d never heard before. Limbo the Return has to be my favourite show of the Fringe so far!
FIVE STARS *****
Reviewed by Shane Berketa