Review: La Ronde

Intimate yet spectacular, La Ronde Is brimming with talent and charisma

By Rita Bratovich

Scott Maidment and the Strut & Fret team have curated a beautiful selection of theatrical sweets and presented them as delicacies on a plate that is La Ronde. This production feels more intimate and pure in the way it allows the performers to be the central focus. 

The La Ronde performers have enough personality to fill the spacious theatre tenfold. Expertise, sexiness, humour, and charm are paramount and present in spades. 

The mood is set with red-hued lighting and a giant mirror ball on stage. Then the spotlight hits powerhouse singer, Geniris (Dominican Republic) who enters like royalty, with a majestic voice to match. The troupe join her on stage, introducing us to the inspired choreography of Melanie Hawkins. 

The crowd is now warmed up but there is a breathless silence when Zoë Marshall (Australia/UK) walks on stage, her hair in a very tight bun held by a bejewelled band with a large ring protruding from the top. When she clips this ring to a cable hanging from the roof, the audience gasps. Slowly, she is lifted into the air, spinning and posing as the audience “ooows” and cheers. 

Comedian, Sam Goodburn (UK), eases the tension with his slapstick antics. Looking like Wally (as in Where’s..) he teases the audience playfully, even awkwardly losing his pants at one point. Danik Abishev (Australia) is cheeky and audacious, stripteasing for the crowd before awing us with his incredible upper body strength and balance. 

Charismatic and camp, Adam Malone (Australia) struts on stage in red silk shorts and feather boa, then drops it all to reveal an immodest red glitter jock strap. Proving skill beyond sass, Malone then spins and balances one, two, three hula hoops, gradually adding more towards a spectacular climax. 

The cable descends from the ceiling again, this time for Diana Bondarenko (Ukraine/Germany), who attaches her pyramid trapeze and proceeds to perform aerial gymnastics and manic spins and manoeuvres that cause glasses of champagne around the room to be spilled. 

Sergiy Mishchurenko (Ukraine) performs his magic on a suspended vertical pole, demonstrating strength, flexibility and fearlessness as he spins around, clings on with his legs, slides, climbs and rips off his pants. 

Each act performs twice or more, with comic interludes and songs breaking up the heart-stopping action. An exciting and classy show that you’ll want to see with a bunch of friends. 

On now until December 21, 2025.

⚡ The Grand Electric

📍 199 Cleveland St, Surry Hills

🌐 https://larondetheshow.com