Some shows arrive with so much noise behind them that you start planning your night around them before the doors even open. La Ronde is one of those. After a long run of five star reviews around the country, the circus cabaret sensation from Strut & Fret, the team behind Blanc de Blanc Encore and Late Night Vice, is making its Melbourne debut this October. I have been looking forward to this one for a while.
La Ronde first made its name at Adelaide Fringe in 2025, where it collected 11 five star reviews in its debut season. It then moved to an extended 260 show residency in Sydney, where it has picked up more than 1600 five star audience reviews. That is a serious run, and it explains why Melbourne has been waiting with some impatience.
The critics have not held back either. The Advertiser called it saucy, sensational and undeniably sexy. Time Out told Adelaide Fringe audiences that if they only saw one show, this should be it. Other reviewers have talked about glitz, glamour and performers so skilled it is easy to forget they are mere mortals. That is a lot of confidence from a lot of different voices.
La Ronde brings together an international ensemble of elite circus performers, and the lineup reads like a dream bill:
Adam Malone (Australia): acrobat and cabaret artist
Danik Abishe (Australia): the fire loving provocateur
David Erikson (Sweden): a guerilla comedy artist, which promises plenty of mischief
Diana Bondarenko (Ukraine): pyramid trapeze aerialist
Dorival Junco (Cuba): singer and dancer
Sergiy Mishchurenko (Ukraine): flying pole virtuoso
Zoe Kelly (New Zealand): the hair hanging sensation, an act that sounds as daring as it is unforgettable
Expect breathtaking aerial work, feats of strength, acrobatics, comedy and live music, all folded into one whirlwind night.
The name tells you a lot. La Ronde means “the round,” and the action unfolds on and around a central stage inside a velvet draped Spiegeltent. That setup means the performers are never far from you. Producer Jess Copas describes the show as pushing the boundaries of what the human body can do, mixing technique with humour, sensuality, danger and what she calls a healthy dose of irreverence.
That closeness is what I am most excited about. Watching a trapeze act or a feat of strength from a few metres away is a completely different experience to watching it from the back of a big theatre. You can see the effort, hear the breath and feel the risk.
Spiegel Haus Melbourne Creative Director Chris Mitchell promises something unlike anything audiences have experienced at the venue before, calling the show bold, glamorous, cheeky, surprising and incredibly skilful. I am ready to be surprised.
Spiegel Haus Melbourne
217 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD
21 October 2026 to 31 January 2027
Duration: 90 minutes including interval
Tickets: From $69 plus booking fee at spiegelhausmelb.com
Age: Strictly 18+. The show contains mild nudity, strobe lighting and theatrical haze, so it is worth knowing before you book.
I have not seen La Ronde yet, so I will save my verdict for after I do. But a show that has charmed Adelaide and Sydney and kept audiences coming back for hundreds of performances has earned my full attention. With a season running right through summer, it also makes a great excuse for a night out in the city, whether that is a date night, a birthday or a group of friends who want something far from the usual dinner and drinks.
If you book, I would suggest doing it early. Shows like this tend to fill fast once the word spreads. Melbourne, get ready to surrender to the spectacular.
