Presented by La Soirée Australia
@ Idolize Spiegeltent – The Garden of Unearthly Delights
SATURDAY 17 March
Roll up! Roll up! The circus is in town! Well, sort of. La Soirée is circus meets burlesque and everything in between. Featuring the stars of La Clique in a pick ‘n mix fashion you can never be sure what to expect. La Soirée is ever changing from night to night but always brilliant. Performed the world over, the show has been given the renowned Idolize Spiegeltent for the Adelaide Fringe and I can’t imagine seeing it anywhere else. On the last Saturday of the Fringe the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations raged outside The Garden of Unearthly Delights and so, decked out in green I pushed past them and through the gates to join the line snaking out next to the tent. From this point onwards I knew La Soirée was going to be a good show.
La Soirée is an extremely attractive performance, cast, staff and tent all included. With crushed velvet jackets and smiles from the doorman, Lachy, we were given a helping hand to find seats by a lovely lady in fifties style black attire. Ushered in a few rows back from the stage I peered around to see a packed room, the walls covered in mirrors and intricate framework, while in the centre rested a small and circular red stage. The lights dimmed, the William Tell Overture began to play and onto the sage our host for the night burst forth! Dramatic music? Check. Pin Stripe suit? Check. Megaphone voice? Check. It looked like we were set for our nostalgic trip into a time lost to previous generations, as we were asked to “MAKE SOME NOISE!”. From the depths of the shadows emerged Le Gateau Chocolat singing soft baritones building around the dramatic music. Le Gateau Chocolat moved onto the stage to reveal an outfit unparalleled by any other; golden frills consuming the space on stage and the night of entertainment officially began.
A tough act to follow, one would think, but it soon became apparent that each act was just as difficult to follow as the next. In showers of glitter and splashes of water the acts performed in quick succession to an almost constant sound of applause. Somewhere between gasping at the acrobatic skills of The English Gents and covering my mouth with my hand in shock at the flexibility of Captain Frodo I began having to hold back on yelling out.
The show was not all trained acrobatics, however, with modern music and comedic acts such a Mario, Queen of the Circus and Canadian born Mooky. Moving away from the more traditional circus skills Mooky and Mario had the audience almost crying with laughter. However a word of warning for this show; although there were younger faces in the crowd, swearing and some nudity flitted in and out, intermingled with audience participation from the first few rows that gave new meaning to the term ‘personal boundaries’.
Eventually, after the short intermission, my notes became almost incomprehensible as I feared to take my eyes away from the stage. For our host to say it was “Not a sit back and fold your arms show!”, was rather an understatement and in the end received a standing ovation from all members of the audience as well as a charming rendition of We are the champions by Queen. The Fringe may have ended for this year but La Soirée certainly hasn’t, taking out the Bank SA Pick of the Fringe Award this year. We can only hope they will return next year and who knows what new and brilliant acts they will have picked up by then‽ La Soirée is shocking, inspiring and encourages you to follow even your wildest dreams! So be sure to look out for one if not all of the acts next year and witness the spectacle that is, La Soirée!
