Le Freak!

This award-winning absurdist circus might have a style that’s influenced by the 1970s but its messages are very much 2020s.

At this year’s Fringe there is a lot of circus masquerading as burlesque that pulls its stockings onto the legs of cabaret, but there’s nothing else with the satirical bite of Le Freak! It does more than poke fun at the hypocrisies of capitalism – pink-washing, government agencies, corporate control – it even has a dig at the festivals that host the group.

The queer disability-led group have plenty of sideshow stunts that they perform front and centre on the main stage, most of which you will not see in the slick yet sanitised homogeneity of other similarly genred shows. The acts here are jaw-dropping for their danger and outrageousness, and their particular brand of shock-and-awe is linked by a narrative sustained by hilarious images and video on a screen to one side.

And the crowd love it. It’s loud, raucous, cheeky, generous and inclusive for everyone: it’s terrific fun and mouths will either be open wide in amazement, or adorned with an unstoppable grin.

The cast includes the award-winning Themme Fatale, Elle Diablo, Bella de Jac, Sarah Birdgirl – and Bubbles the Ferret, and all bring such revolutionary joy to the late-night crowd.

The show is truly accessible for all (adults!), with subtitles on the screen for every act – and some shows are audio-described, Auslan interpreted, mask-compulsory, or with pre-show tactile tours.

Review by Mark Wickett

Photographers: William Hamilton Coates (top image) and Alexis DLea.

To check out our round-up of Adelaide Fringe reviews, click here.