By Victoria Gancheva
I first encountered Strut & Fret during their last visit to the Auckland Arts Festival back in 2023 with Blanc de Blanc Encore, a fizzing extravaganza packed with cheeky immersive sequences and sumptuous design that instantly made me a fan. Now the Australian company is back with its latest circus-cabaret, La Ronde, also conceived and directed by Scott Maident. Packaged in moments of drag, disco, fringe, striptease, and, of course, spandex, this is a more stripped back offering that’s still daring, a touch bawdier, and dazzling on the strength of its performers’ skill.
An international cast of seven performers (introduced by an enthusiastic disembodied Aussie voice) each take turns delighting you with their talents to the tune of various pop covers (Diana Ross, Kiss and James Brown, to name a few). It’s a raunchy, scantily clad circus smorgasbord that features—among other things—balancing, hoops, and a delicious, surprising assortment of aerial arts, though notably not the pole act advertised. The numbers are satisfyingly crafted to the music, teasing you with a coy look here and a suggestive twirl of the finger there, before sweeping you away with spins, contortions and whatever else, and building to a dizzying climax. The evening is punctuated by live songs (performed by singer Geniris) and clowning segments (Nate Cooper, excellently navigating a variety of unstable footwear while embroiling the front row in the chaos). The performers’ command of their respective crafts is genuinely impressive, and several show off multiple acts across the show.
La Ronde is housed in the Spiegeltent, a travelling wooden structure that resides in Aotea Square until the Auckland Arts Festival’s end on the 22nd of March. This traditional European circus tent is a wonderfully intimate space—with the audience surrounding the central circular platform, there is practically no bad view in the house. Harry O'Meara’s lighting did well to heighten the mood of each act, punching to the beat or bathing the room in colour. Using the giant disco ball as a dreamy, halo-like backdrop was a nice touch.
The fire of the show is not always roaring evenly. It lulls between each performer, with utilitarian, rather empty transitions, though the show did warm up after the interval (and in a particular aerial act, quite literally!). The few group numbers interspersed throughout the evening often felt loosely structured; certain striking interactions between performers made me want more. The show’s main visual calling card—the disco ball—hangs enticingly as you enter the space, but it is cast aside for much of the show before its grand return at the end. The show shines brightest when it pairs its awe-inspiring athleticism with a willingness to bring in the audience as its co-conspirator and hype man. Highlights for me were Adam Malone (hoops, aerials) and Felipe Reyes (handstand canes, aerials), who excelled at bringing the audience onside with delightfully twinkling deliveries of their sets.
La Ronde may not reach the same heights of some of Strut & Fret’s other creations. However, if there’s one thing this company knows how to do, it’s assemble a cast of incredibly talented, incredibly attractive people to make you gasp, giggle and blush while blasting a dramatic movie trailer-esque Destiny’s Child cover. With the show clocking in at 90 minutes including the interval, a visit to the Spiegeltent would make for a fun evening out, great for a date or girls night. And, who knows, you might even end up onstage…
About Victoria Gancheva
Victoria is an observant and curious young creative with a wide range of experiences and expertise. With a Masters in Architecture, she works part time as a researcher while training with The Actor's Programme here in Tāmaki. She is an alumni of the Pop-up Globe's and Auckland
