Category: Adelaide Fringe 2021

Aerial Artists Adelaide are a local company teaching a variety of aerial skills to people of all ages. Their 2021 showcase Aerialicious featured a variety of performers showing off their impressive strength and skills, high up in the air, to a well selected collection of music, smoke, and lights.

The skill level was incredible, with some artists who were a little newer among seasoned performers. It was fantastic to see all the local talent, and the price was appropriate for the various levels within the performances.

The venue was very welcoming and well spaced, with an enthusiastic crowd and happy vibes all around.

There were some lighting issues in this particular show, but they were always quick to get it back on track. We missed the fantastic singers from last year that helped tie together all of the acts, and the Effie Trinket styled hostess didn’t quite tie into the showcase style production, but the costumes were impressively styled and fun to observe.

The partnered acts were a thrilling highlight, with the enthusiasm between the pairs bouncing around the stage, with fantastic music, light shows, and unique costumes. Special mention to the highly skilled Peri, the Amelia’s and the cast also working behind the scenes on the ropes with Craig (head man at AAA) seamlessly keeping the performers safe in the air.

This show it suitable for absolutely everyone, young or old! Entertainment for the whole family. I look forward to seeing what they come up with for next year.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Official Website: https://www.aerialartistsadelaide.com

Performance Reviewed: Apollo Theatre (The Big Slapple at the Adelaide Convention Centre) Sat 13 Mar 2021 5.00pm

Winner of Best Circus for Fringe 2020, Rouge is back in Adelaide and sexier than ever! With jaw-dropping acrobatics, sensual partner routines and bombastic vocal performances, there is never a dull moment in this hybrid cabaret/circus show.

Rouge uses a series of circus acts as an anthology, each individual performance positioned as a snapshot into a character and their experience of their sexuality. It was certainly a breath of fresh air watching a show that is overall designed to titillate separating itself from the straight male gaze, showcasing vulnerable moments between men, queer relationships, and well as solo female sexuality.

The strong, cohesive theme strings together and provides context for the physical prowess demonstrated by all performers in their acrobatics and aerial acts.

Situated in the Peacock, a gorgeous venue up the back of Gluttony, even at restricted capacity the audience was large and raucous. The performers were eating up the energy and fed it back to the punters, making the show feel much more intimate and personal than the large venue would imply. They never take themselves too seriously, with some seriously side-splitting comedy moments interspersed without.

The cast of Rouge are inimitable professionals, each showcasing multiple circus skills across the show. They make flying through the air or spinning in a wheel seem effortless, flirting with the audience throughout. Vocalist Michaela Burger, Adelaide’s own, stands out amongst the sea of cabaret singers who descend upon the city in February, and is setting the new standard for vocal energy.

Leaving the tent, the audience were still buzzing about the double aerial straps act. The raw athleticism of the acrobatics juxtaposed against the vulnerable and intimate relationship between the two male performers will stay with you long after the show has ended.

Rouge is definitely circus for adults, suitable for 18+ audiences who are comfortable with nudity.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Tickets: https://gluttony.net.au/shows/show/416/rouge

Official Website: https://www.rougeshow.com

Content Warning: R18+

Performance Reviewed: 24th Feb 2021, at the Peacock in Gluttony

Presented by: Gluttony & Highwire Entertainment

Ticket was provided to the reviewer free of charge by Gluttony organisers, however all opinions here are reviewer’s own.

Bubble Show for Adults Only takes the audience on a wild ride from start to finish. Multiple times throughout the show I found myself turning to my friend with wide eyes thinking ‘what have we gotten ourselves into?’ But the pure joy and hilarity of the performance – and most importantly, the bubbles – constantly drew us back in.

If you’re looking for a show that goes beyond usual Fringe level of weirdness, this is the show for you. The quirkiness of the two characters on stage, matched with the astonishing ability to control such a fragile medium as bubbles, made for a very engaging performance.

For opening weekend, the artists did a wonderful job. There were some minor technical issues on the night but they easily breezed through these to continue on with the show. I’d recommend sitting towards the front of the stage or as close as possible, as a side view does expose some of the magic of the performance.

As the name of the show suggests, this is for adults only. Now if you’re not keen on the weird and wonderful side of Fringe, the artists were quick to inform us post-show that they also perform a family friendly version. Which I’m sure will be just as fun and quirky as it’s adult interpretation.

All in all, if you’re down for a wild ride through abstract concepts using bubbles in a way you never thought humanly possible, then this is the show for you.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Tickets: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/bubble-show-for-adults-only-af2021

Content Warning: R18+

Performance Reviewed: Saturday 19th Feb 10.15pm, The Octagon at Gluttony

Presented by: Bubble Laboratory