Review by Markus Hamence – La Ronde – Performance date: Wednesday 18 February 2026. Garden Of Unearthly Delights, Adelaide, South Australia
Presented by Strut & Fret, La Ronde slides back into Adelaide Fringe like a midnight secret – part circus, part cabaret, part after-dark fever dream – and from the second you step inside the Spiegeltent, you know you’re in for something deliciously dangerous. The Strut & Fret team, know the business and because of this they never disappoint. Let’s delve…
It is most certainly NOT a polite sit-back-and-clap kind of show. It’s bodies flying overhead, heels stomping with attitude, hair flicks, muscles flexing under dramatic light and an audience that quickly realises they’re not just watching disconnected in theirs seats – they’re part of the electricity in the room.
The cast move with that effortless ”watch this’ confidence that only comes from serious skill. One moment you’re holding your breath as an aerialist suspends themselves in a shape that seems to defy anatomy, the next you’re laughing at a cheeky moment of cabaret mischief, and then suddenly the music hits and the whole tent pulses like a late-night club.
“It knows exactly how far to push before pulling you back in with a wink…”
– Markus Hamence
Making La Ronde land so well is its rhythm. Big jaw-dropping feats never overstay their welcome. It moves slickly and the show is tight. Comedy arrives at just the right moment (By the performer who is ‘pink on the inside’). The sensual edge is playful rather than try-hard. And having no nudity, just sexy bodies, is kind of a nice break to be honest. It knows exactly how far to push before pulling you back in with a wink.
Ping Pong Balls, Flames, Darts, Ladders, Toilet Plungers, a huge Mirror Ball, Ropes, Sexy Costumes, they all make an appearance, but, not in that order, and, how the exceptionally entertaining cast bring these items into the show? Well you’ll need to get along to find out for yourself 😉
Visually, it’s all shimmer, sweat and spotlight. The set-list was killer, It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World, I’m Coming Out, Turn Me On – Mostly all sung live. Bodies carved in light. Velvet shadows. Sound that wraps around you. It feels decadent in the way Fringe nights should – slightly naughty, wildly alive and impossible to scroll past in your memory the next day.
“There’s no heavy storyline tying it all together – and it doesn’t need one. The performers are the story…”
– Markus Hamence
There’s no heavy storyline tying it all together – and it doesn’t need one. The performers are the story. Their charisma, precision and fearless presence create a sequence of moments that feel immediate and intimate, even in a packed tent.
The crowd response says it all: gasps, laughter, whoops and that low buzz of people leaving knowing they’ve just shared something electric.
La Ronde isn’t just a show you see…
It’s a show you surrender to.
La Ronde
Friday 13 February – Sunday 22 March 2026
The Spiegeltent at The Garden of Unearthly Delights
Tickets
