Have you ever attended a show or event where someone, generally sitting front row or in a VIP section, is a little more overly excited and animated than the rest?
You can only assume…
- They’ve arrived early and hit the bar hard prior to the show;
- They need to be drug tested;
- It’s a form of rent a crowd, whereby parts of the performance are being filmed and they’ve been paid to play the part;
- They are related to a performer/promotor/director;
- It’s their natural infectious decorum, which generally leads to your… ‘I’ll have what she or he’s having’ moment.
Last night though, for opening night of LA SOIRÉE at The Ice Cream Factory here in Perth it wasn’t just one person in the crowd having more than a good time, it was the entire room. Drunk (figuratively speaking – some literally by the end of the boozy night) on love for world-class acts that were being dished up to them on one almighty platter. The high calibre of the acts demanded it.
LA SOIRÉE
After three sellout Fringe World seasons, the multi-award-winning smash hit LA SOIRÉE returns to Perth with a brand new show! The trailblazing show that broke all the rules, captured the world’s imagination and redefined contemporary cabaret takes up residence this summer at the iconic Ice Cream Factory, until March 3.
LA SOIRÉE 2019 features a roll call of international artists in an astonishing and wildly entertaining line-up…
CABARET DÉCADANSE – sassy and hilarious puppeteers from Montreal
MALLAKHAMB INDIA – spectacular Indian pole duo from Mumbai
WILL MEAGER – debuting the huge Cyr Wheel on the little round red stage
FRATELLI ROSSI – brothers Alejandro and Ricardo Rossi with unique Icarian Games act
LUCKY HELL – high glamour Perth-born superstar sword swallower
BEN LEWIS – sexy aerial straps
LILY MARTINEZ with her infamous red hanky act
CARLA LIPPIS – fierce singer with her own brand of rock ’n’ roll swagger
WILL UNDERWOOD – stunning and powerful Chinese pole routine
IRINA BESSONOVA & VLADIMIR TODORASHKO – dynamic Ukrainian circus duo skilled in trapeze, high wire walking and a unique hand-to-hand performance
And there’s more to come with Charlie Caper an award-winning acclaimed magician from Sweden (winner of Sweden’s Got Talent) joining the show from Feb 4!
It’s hard to play favourites with this line-up or even head to the other end of the scale… least favourites. Even with me having issues with knives (let alone swallowing swords then bending over and dancing while doing so), I found Perth’s very own Lucky Hell’s evocative sword swallowing performance equally nauseating as it was breathtakingly beautiful and impressive.
If opening night is anything to go by, LA SOIRÉE 2019 is guaranteed to be the most spectacular season so far. The night certainly went off without a hitch with, as far as I could tell, just the one tiny mishap on stage from the Rossi brothers, who recovered so brilliantly that it left you questioning if it was a mishap at all or simply part of their finely tuned performance. And what a performance, that had the audience whipped into a frenzy from start to finish.
My only real grievance was the super annoying music playing loudly prior to the show starting. As I was coming from another show at The Pleasure Gardens, I arrived with only ten-ish minutes to spare, so I’m not sure how long the music actually looped for but ten minutes was already too much for me. If I was heading in for pre-show drinks an hour before the show, I’d hope the music would be more in keeping with the rest of the show, more cabaret and along the lines of what was being served up from the delicious CARLA LIPPIS throughout the evening rather than full-blown circus.
If you’re only going to see one show this Fringe then it really should be LA SOIRÉE but with so much else on offer, I would hope this is just the start, or a very small part, of your Fringe journey. I know I’ll be back for seconds before their season closes March 3. There’s also a special post-fireworks Australia Day show this Saturday at 9:30 pm which might be worth casing.
Planning on heading in to see the show, grab your tickets early before they sell out. Also, there are four seating options… general, standing, group and posh. All with great vantage points with general pretty much first in, best seated.
My preference, given this is a two hour show, would be to arrive early and soak up the ambience of the venue, with more than a little casing the cocktail action at the on-sight bar in POSH, which is a reserved table with drinks service to your table before and during the show, with an almost ringside, slightly elevated view of all the action.
The Ice Cream Factory
Running until March 3
Tickets from $30
