International circus and cabaret artistry par excellence is the treat that awaits you in the risqué 18+ show La Ronde. To a decidedly up-tempo beat, seven fine exponents of their craft strut their stuff on and around a small, circular, mirrored stage. Being theatre in the round, everything is up close and personal.
It starts and ends with a ginormous disco ball hovering above the podium, before it is initially removed to the strains of Stayin’ Alive. To vibrant, pulsating sounds, the artists on show are strong, powerful, nimble and saucy.
New Zealander Zoe Kelly hangs by the hair, twirling at speed and doing the splits. Heavy metal music accompanies Swedish agent provocateur David Eriksson. Specialising in guerilla comedy, he uses simple items such as tiny balls, balloons, darts, toothbrushes and a toilet plunger in ways I dare say their inventors never envisaged. In short, he is bold and belligerent.
All display brilliance, but none is better than Danik Abishev from the Gold Coast, who comes from a lineage of Russian circus performers. The pocket dynamo is all muscle as he one-handedly stabilises on a five-tier hand balancing stand before jumping seamlessly, legs in the air, between pegs. Simply extraordinary. But he is not done, as he pulls on stage a member of the audience on whom he performs a handstand.
With his distinct burlesque look, Sydneysider Adam Malone is sensationally acrobatic with his dextrous use of one, two and up to six silver hula hoops. David Eriksson returns with a good-natured audience member in tow, not to forget an axe, a see-through mask that would be at home in the water, and those tiny balls. The patron, whom he names Junior, knows he is in for it and Eriksson doesn’t disappoint.
The mellifluous vocals of Cuban-Spanish Dorival Junco are a mainstay of this production and he is certainly a crowd favourite. Taking us up to the break is Ukraine-born aerialist Diana Bondarenko, whose work on the pyramid trapeze is something special.
Twenty-minute interval over and Junco is back to serenade us, before Eriksson pulls another audience member up on stage. This time, Eriksson is all about seeing apples thrown at him while donning a spiked helmet and spiked codpiece. Hilarious. Adam Malone’s headstands on the aerial trapeze are ridiculously difficult and yet he makes them look easy. All power to him.
Danik Abishev ensures that a six rung, free-standing ladder is his plaything in a confined space, extending the limits of what is possible. As if that isn’t enough, another ladder is brought out, this one on fire. Like Diana Bondarekno, Sergiy Odessa was born in the Ukraine. His mastery of the free-moving aerial pole is next level. He and the pole are as one. Then, it is only fitting that Dorival Junco closes out La Ronde with a performance atop the supersize disco ball.
Conceived and directed by Scott Maidment, with slick choreography by Melanie Hawkins, lighting by Harry O’Meara and music curation by Maidment are important ingredients. La Ronde is anything but your run of the mill circus performance or cabaret show. Rather, it is about pushing the limits and having no shortage of fun along the way. It is edgy, bold, brassy and captivating, and has patrons in raptures and fits of laughter.
La Ronde is on at Melbourne Spiegel Haus until 31st January, 2027.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett (Meat Market) – cabaret review
- Circus Oz: Here, There and Everywhere!, at Melbourne Town Hall – circus review
- Shaun The Sheep’s Circus Show (Circa) – theatre review
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.