[Circus/Cabaret; QLD, SA Premiere]

Zirque La La
The Pink Flamingo Spiegel Club, Sat 16 Mar, 2024

From the outset it was clear that Zirque La La is a descendant of the Folies Bergere from the Paris of the 1890’s. Beautifully coloured costumes on gorgeous young bodies flaunting suggestive dance moves. It’s designed to entertain, distract and titillate. Ringmaster Jerome welcomed us all with a few lame sleazy jokes that would do Benny Hill proud.

This kind of scantily clad dance numbers were a recurring routine throughout the show – one had a cowboy theme, another a whipmaster with a bevy of sexy tigers. Four good sports from the audience were chosen to take part in a dance competition that was lots of fun, and the perennially sad clown scored a few laughs with his inappropriate behaviour in amongst the glamour.

The highlights were undoubtedly the acrobats spinning and twirling high above the audience in an astounding display of strength and grace. There were some moments of pure artistry and memorable beauty as these superb human specimens appeared as silhouettes through the haze and coloured lights.

A segment that had the performers wandering through the audience taking selfies (some even had their own selfie-sticks) satisfied the modern audience’s desire to be part of the show. These selfies immediately appeared in projected mirrors at the back of the stage. Use of the back wall featuring projected images to suit the act of the moment was really well done and added another element to what was already a visual feast.

There was smoke and mirrors, a nod to social media, and a lot of noise. An urgent soundtrack kept the vibe loud and upbeat. Indeed part circus, part cabaret and part burlesque, Zirque La La is a big bucks production that looks magnificent and is full of fun distractions. The crowd lapped it up. I had a few moments when I wondered if I was in Las Vegas and when it became clear that they really were going to get the crowd singing along to Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline I knew I was!

It’s great to see new interstate acts come to the Adelaide Fringe. However, given the recent discussions about the changing nature of the Fringe and whether it now features too many big productions aimed at a more commercial audience, and whether it has lost its connection with its original goal of promoting small artists on the creative fringe, then it may be that Zirque La La is not what the Fringe needs.

But everyone had a great time!