The Spectacular La Ronde
- neighbourhoodmedia
- Oct 29
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 1
Strut & Fret present another mind-blowing spectacular, La Ronde, featuring a stunning troupe of international stars.
By Rita Bratovich
If you have never seen a Strut & Fret show, then you have never seen just how magnificent humans can be. This company brings together acts from around the world, artists who are at the pinnacle of their craft, performers who can make you gasp, cheer, laugh and even cry.
When creators, Scott Maidment and Sarah Stewart, met some 25 years ago, it was like a collision of two meteors exploding into a supernova (okay, probably not scientifically correct but you get the picture). Combining their talent, energy and limitless imagination, Maidment and Stewart developed conceptual shows melding circus, cabaret, burlesque, comedy and fabulousness, resulting in a unique audience experience.
Strut & Fret have produced shows all over the world, in spiegeltents, theatres, big tops, little tops, festivals — basically anywhere with enough room to swing a gigantic mirror ball.
In 2023, Strut & Fret took up residence in the newly refurbished The Grand Electric theatre in Surry Hills. Once the HQ for the Australian Railway Union, the building had been repurposed several times as a theatre before sitting abandoned and alone on Cleveland Street for several years.
But Scott Maidment saw its potential and rebuilt it in his image…that is, if his personality was a theatre it would be The Grand Electric: bold, flashy, elegant yet wild. The interior summons the spirit and design of a classic spiegeltent. The courtyard entry features vintage-themed murals by preeminent artist, Max Elbourne.
The Grand Electric’s grand opening introduced Strut & Fret to a new, appreciative audience with the incredible Blanc de Blanc. The show was so successful it had repeated extended seasons. With follow-ups including Blanc de Blanc: Encore, Limbo, and the irreverent, Titanique, Strut & Fret has gathered a fanbase and reputation for delivering supreme entertainment.
Enter, La Ronde.
A varied troupe of extraordinary artists from Australia and across the globe gather onto “the round”, the circular stage in the centre of the room. Here they sing, they swing, they defy gravity and etiquette. La Ronde captures the essence of Blanc de Blanc and Limbo and distills it into a more refined, parred back, show concentrated onto a central platform.
As in previous shows, La Ronde is about individual fetes of wonder, but also about the synergetic group dynamic that invites the entire audience into a circle of magic and fun.
It is sexy, raunchy, amazing, ostentatious, hilarious and spellbinding.
[see our review for more details on the show.
La Ronde
📍 The Grand Electric
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