KEY POINTS:
Whether it is being showered by the wake of buff German trapezist Bath Boy or nearly having your head taken off by the numerous hula-hoops that Ukrainian Yulia Pikhtina nimbly spins from every limb, you take your life into your hands when you sit at the front at La Clique.
"It was important from the outset that it is played on a small stage, which is a real point of difference between it and any other kind of circus-cabaret," says La Clique co-founder, producer and MC Brent Haylock. He also takes tickets at the door of the classic Leicester Square theatre The Hippodrome, where it is based while its original home, The Famous Spiegeltent, tours Down Under.
"It's an old-fashioned idea of a house manager," he adds. "It's a point of difference from other shows and there is certainly no other venue in London where somebody's going to tip the trilby to you at the door."
Haylock personally selects audience members for those first few seats.
"The intimacy of La Clique is instrumental in igniting the energy of the show and the front row plays an important role so we effectively need to cast it," he says. "As people are coming in, I'm looking for the right people who have a sparkle in their eye as what everyone else sees is framed by them."
With Swedish contortionist Captain Frodo dislocating his shoulder as he somehow squeezes his impossibly skinny frame through two tennis rackets and bawdy sword-swallower Miss Behave stubbing a cigar out on her tongue, some audience members will watch much of the show from behind their hands. "Frodo gets his fair share of fainters."
Ursula Martinez's magical striptease leaves nothing to the imagination although Haylock insists that the Croydon-born Spaniard's risque dance, which has garnered a loyal YouTube following, is all in good taste.
"A lot of people have seen it performed on the internet but it's nothing like seeing it live in front of you. It's an incredibly powerful statement for a female performer to make," says Haylock.
"Like a lot of La Clique's acts, it has adult content but it's not gratuitous. Your grandmother could see it and I've not met anybody yet who was offended by the material."
The South Australian impresario established the cult cabaret with The Famous Spiegeltent's owner, David Bates, whom he first met nine years ago when the old Belgian mirrored pavilion visited the Adelaide Fringe Festival. "I said that I was going to run away to join the circus, which I did," he recalls.
"Neither of us have any qualifications and have certainly done no degree course in cabaret. It's all learned on the job."
La Clique was first staged at the 2004 Edinburgh Festival, garnering five-star reviews and selling out within days of opening.
"We'd been touring around international arts festivals and on our travels we'd seen some incredible artists, who were at the top of their game but didn't have a home," says Haylock.
"Most of them came from the fringes of society and the performing arts communities. We knew we had a great little show but we never ever could have anticipated the response we got. We were catapulted into the international arena and from there we've never stopped touring. It's been an amazing rollercoaster ride."
As demonstrated by the hilariously camp Mario Queen of the Circus, who juggles and performs unicycle tricks while accompanied by Freddy Mercury numbers, La Clique essentially provides a contemporary spin on an age-old idea.
"It's been called a variety show on acid," says Haylock. "What La Clique has pioneered is taking that format and making it relevant for an entirely new generation. It sped up the pace and humour is very important. It doesn't take itself too seriously and has a cheeky, irreverent spirit."
La Clique first visited New Zealand for the 2007 Auckland Festival. "We had a wonderful time," says Haylock. "It's a small festival with a really big heart."
Haylock is unsure what members of La Clique's ever-changing ensemble cast will be present when the Spiegeltent goes up in Aotea Square, although homegrown performers will once again be involved. "La Clique has never been a star vehicle for anyone and it's always been greater than the sum of its parts. The artists we use adapt their work specifically for the La Clique format but they're all highly skilled and have got a kind of subversive edge.
"It's also important that we engage with the local community and we always invite along local guest artists, which is how most of our current artists started out. Two years ago in Auckland, we had some amazing local artists, whom we'll pick up with again and use in a greater capacity when we return."
Auckland festival
What: La Clique
Where and when: The Famous Spiegeltent, March 5-21
