You know how embarrassing it is when you are caught with your fly open? You zip it up straight away, right? Not so for Felix Pouliot, a talented circus artist from Montreal. This star and co-host of Strut & Fret’s rebooted Blanc de Blanc Encore wanders around with his fly open for possibly a bit too long at the beginning of this show, before tucking in his bits. Yes, you heard right, his bits.
You will see various bits in this show, which is rated 18+ for good reasons. Sauciness and flashes of nudity are part of the deal. This show sold out the Sydney Opera House and has now come home to The West End Electric, Strut & Fret’s cool new venue in West End.
I say “come home” because the brains behind the company and these shows is impresario Scott Maidment, a Brisbane boy. Usually, the company sets up shop in a spiegeltent at Brisbane Festival, but now it has its own venue through which it will revolve its shows and feature other fare.
There’s still a spiegeltent vibe here, with a couple of bars. And while it has capacity, it still feels intimate, which is nice, unless you’re sitting down the front. That’s dangerous because there is audience participation and Maidment does warn that the show happens on stage, around and above you. At times right in your face! We were sitting safely on a raised platform beyond reach, luckily.
I didn’t want to see whatever Pouliot was displaying that close up. (By the way, he also shares MC duties with his pal Remi Martin from Berlin.)
This version of a show that has been a huge success is running until February 22. It’s much of the same, if you are a veteran of Strut & Fret’s shows. Nothing wrong with that. Still, there are some new elements and surprises.
Maidment and his team are masters of creating shows that mix cabaret, music, circus and burlesque. Some of the shows are relatively family friendly (depending on your family), but this one is for adults only. This becomes clear during that opening gambit when Pouliot wanders around with some private parts sticking out of his trousers. His parents must be so proud.
Pouliot and Martin duck on and off the stage, steering the show along with dancing, acrobatics and a bit of striptease and singing from the amazing South African Sasha-Lee Saunders, who recently finished touring with Marcia Hines in Velvet Rewired. Maidment usually has an exceptional singer at the heart of his pieces and Saunders is a very classy addition.
The show is choreographed by Kevin Maher (he has worked with Justin Bieber, Britney Spears and Madonna) with costumes by James Brown (Cabaret, Ghost and Xanadu) with a thumping soundtrack from Danish electronic artist Kenneth Bager. The star-studded international cast includes Cirque du Soleil alumni and world-class performers who have worked alongside the likes of Dua Lipa, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Tones and I, gracing stages on many continents.
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Pouliot and Martin are joined by award-winning American aerialist and multiloops creator Caitlin Tomson-Moylan, Sydney prolific dancer Jackie Chambers and incredible hula hooper Jess Mews. Add vocalist Saunders, Ukrainian hip-hop, popping and “bone-breaking” artist Misha (his contortions will make you squirm!) and Canadian aerialist Spencer Craig and you have quite a crew. Craig and Tomson-Moylan do an amazing aerial hoop act together.
The overarching theme is champagne and partying, which isn’t quite up my alley. I am teetotal and eschew parties, but I could see everyone else quaffing bubbles and partying like it was 1999. At one stage the champagne is served by one of the acrobats, swinging above the audience
Admittedly, it’s a show that will attract young people who want a good night out, but the demographic is pretty all-encompassing. There were quite a few seniors there on opening night. It seems to have worked for them, too.
The professionalism of Strut & Fret is top notch. Maidment collects the best acts from all over the world. I think it’s terrific that he has come home to establish The West End Electric, which is proving to be an immensely popular venue. Following the Brisbane season, this show heads to London’s West End, so catch it before it goes.