Coinciding with the Melbourne Fringe Festival, head to Fed Square and check out the inaugural Wonderland Spiegeltent. The 19th Century Belgian circus pop-up will host rides, adult and family shows plus plenty more for people of all ages. To save you some time, we’ve dug deep to uncover eight events you can’t miss.
Railed
Expect sweaty bare-chested acrobatic men twirling through the air in this western-themed circus spectacular. The creators who brought us Elixir and winner of Best Circus and Physical Theatre at Adelaide Fringe 2018, are back with Railed and it’s sure to be heart stopping. Expect strobe lights, fire and plenty of surprises in this theatrical circus production. This is a 15+ age show so leave the young ones at home and get ready for a night of sweat, chiselled bodies and comical spectacles. The show runs from Thursday September 12 to Wednesday September 25.
Society
Circus meets cabaret in this adults-only evening inspired by the French Quarter of New Orleans. It’s set to be one wild Mardi Gras party and heads up, there will be full frontal nudity. Audience interaction is encouraged, but you can keep your clothes on. Expect some dirty south hip hop and romping jazz numbers as Creole voodoo, breathtaking acrobatics and French exuberance keep you entertained for the whole show. Society runs between Tuesday September 17 and Sunday September 29.
YUMMY UP LATE
Multi award-winning drag and burlesque ensemble, YUMMY is bringing an outrageous new act to its home city after touring the globe. The costumes, hair and makeup alone are worth checking out but the show has much more to offer. Expect spectacular singing performances, dancers in killer high heels and sparkly hula hoops. You’ll be laughing, singing and cheering along and you won’t know what to expect next. There are only two shows on Friday September 20 and Saturday September 21, so get in quick.
The Listies Make you LOL!
The Listies are a dynamic duo, armed with toilet paper guns, who are here to entertain the kids. Rich Higgins and Matt Kelly are a much sought-after comedy act who’ve performed at Edinburgh Fringe to rave reviews. Their first show More fun than a Wii! was the first and only kids show ever to be nominated for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Barry Award. Check them out between Saturday September 21 and Thursday September 26.
Dreamboogie
Blues band Dreamboogie named themselves after the poem Dream Boogie by American blues writer Langston Hughes and are a regular on the Australian blues scene. Vocalist Rebecca Davey is influenced by the great female blues vocalists of the 1920s and ‘30s, such as Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey. They have represented Melbourne twice at the International Blues Challenge held in Memphis, USA and their last appearance saw them advance to the semi-finals. Be sure not to miss them when they perform on Friday September 13 and Saturday September 14.
A Day In The Life Of You
A Day In The Life Of You follows Yella, Blueno and Reddy as they navigate their way through childhood. Colourful and fun, the show features bursts of song, dance and storytelling and tackles all the big issues in a little person’s daily life. Join the Sprouts on a musical adventure which will introduce you to catchy songs that will stay in your head long after the show has finished. This one’s on from Friday September 27 to Sunday September 29.
Circus-Cision
This is the ultimate late-night variety show. Hosted by the dynamic Headfirst Acrobats (creators of smash hits, Elixir and Railed) expect absolute chaos as a mash-up of Spiegeltent legends, homegrown favourites as well as the freshest and hottest circus talent descend on the Spiegeltent. Everything goes at Circus-Cision – full frontal nudity, energetic acrobatics and all the cunning humour that circus is famous for. Arriving on Friday September 13 and Saturday September 14, 21 and 28.
Mahua Improv Night
Melding spoken word, dynamic performance and expression, Mahua Improv Night will see China’s most famous improv group arrive in Melbourne. Mahua Improv are renowned all over the world for their unending enthusiasm and talent. The group takes keywords from the audience to create scenes, characters and plots on the spot. This is a show that is not to be missed. Going down Saturday September 14 and Sunday September 15 and 22.
The Wonderland Spiegeltent Festival comes to Fed Square from Thursday September 12 to Sunday October 20 and will coincide with Melbourne Fringe which goes down from Thursday September 12 to Sunday September 29. Grab your tickets to the above shows via the Fringe website.
