Limbo has been a favourite at the Adelaide Fringe Festival over the years. Director Scott Maidment has presented an acclaimed collection of shows such as Le Gateau Chocolat, The Purple Rabbit, The Party, Blanc de Blanc and of course the original Limbo. Having made its debut at the Adelaide Fringe in 2013, the show has toured and developed across the years and across the globe, from Amsterdam to Bogota.

Now Limbo the Return is set to be the talk of the Fringe. Brooklyn based composer Sxip Shirey is the musical brains behind the soundscape. With his wild mane of curly white hair and his trademark sunglasses, he creates a sound environment that is wild and exuberant. All the music is created live and often just using the breath to develop sounds such as storms and otherworldly effects.

Some of the unique sounds that define Limbo come from unusual instruments. The harmonica and bullhorn are present in the opening act, a marble and glass bowl create almost Tibetan monk sounds and the Minimoog adds an element of old-school circus. Drummer and guitarist Mick Stuart has developed his own instrument, the Polymba, which is like a series of metal tines connected together. Grant Arthur on the sousaphone also adds that old-style circus feel to the musical troupe.

Choreographer and dancer Hilton Dennis, notable for his theatre roles in Show Boat, Oliver! and the Australian tour of West Side Story as well as appearances on So You Think You Can Dance Australia, has given him a perfect background to what makes a performance sparkle. Dancers Clara Fable and Maria Moncheva are fabulously erotic and raunchy, on stage and in the air, complete with silk, feathers, whips, chains, fire and ice.

The men are strong and athletic and perform as much in the air as on the ground. The action is fast paced, yet not frantic, the energy levels stay consistently high throughout the show, with splashes of humour liberally sprinkled across the performance. Being in the round inside the charming Spiegeltent, the view from anywhere in the audience is good. The performance spills out from the stage, so you are just as likely to have an actor running down the aisle beside you, or swinging over your head above you. Matched with Philip Gladwell‘s lighting and set design, the show packs a punch for the whole 75 minutes.

Limbo the Return  is everything that a circus show should be. Fun, entertaining, amazing, sexy, it has it all.