La Ronde

La Ronde
Adelaide Fringe. Garden of Unearthly Delights. 14 February-23 March 2025

There are few Fringe venues that inspire before the act commences: the world-famous Spiegeltent is one of them: a magnificent wooden skeleton bound with canvas and filled with stained glass and mirrors (its name means ‘mirror tent’ in Dutch). They were originally built in the late 19th and early 20th century, and this installation, the Victoria from Belgium, is filled with an anticipating crowd, seated around the small circular stage (La Ronde = the round), struggling to talk over the loud, thumping music.

Singer Gigi McFarlane opens the show, strutting the stage with spectacular afro hair, but it’s her voice that stuns. The crowd warmed up, the other acts take their turns to display their talents: Polina’s hair holds her aloft in her aerial work; Felipe uses his mouth to hang; Diana bends impressively around a pyramid trapeze, and Adam’s talents include playing shamelessly to the appreciate crowd; and Sam Goodburn is both talented on the unicycle and a brilliant comedy performer: a white bobble-hat sometimes his only clothing whilst he eats biscuits atop his single wheel. Goodburn is the comic relief between the danger and tension from the others’ acts, and he is hilarious. The last act – Ukraine’s Sergiy Mishchurenko is incredible: holding a pole spinning over the stage and defying gravity.

There are fewer variety / cabaret / burlesque shows than there used to be at Adelaide Fringe, and the ones that survive re-invent themselves with even more impressive acts and slicker production values. Strut & Fret have been presenting at Adelaide for a long time, and they know what their audiences demand – La Ronde delivers. Skimpy costumes, sure, but it’s suggestive rather than erotic. And whilst others create a theme and a narrative around the acts, La Ronde focuses on the talents of its seven performers. Supported by great sounding music and professional lighting, it’s a great choice for a late-night show.   

Review by Mark Wickett

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