Review of La Clique, Fringe 2024

Seasoned La Clique veteran Birdy headed to Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows, where she and a friend enjoyed a mesmerising show from the circus cabaret pros.

Circus is always an integral part of my Fringe experience, and if La Clique is there, you can bet your sweet bippy I will be, too. It’s not my first time reviewing La Clique at the Fringe (previous review here), but c’mon, they’ve been running for 20 years now and actually this is where they started.

I’d recommended this show to the friend I was with tonight, who happened to be a La Clique virgin, so it was an extra bonus getting to see some of her reactions to the acts.

The format

La Clique is not your standard circus show. It’s a bit of raunchy burlesque, a bit of comedy silliness, some danger, and a bit of utterly mesmerising talent, all thrown into one for a show you wouldn’t want to miss.

The acts vary between acrobats, comedians, magicians, burlesque dancers, tap dancers, variety acts, and even a fire eater/sword swallower!

The vibe

The vibe here is Fringe fabulousness. A sparkling, shiny, showcase of talent – but one where you might want to sit a few rows back if you don’t want to get splashed with water, butter, or cream!

Along with the charming, the unbelievable, and the stunning, there’s also some very silly comedy moments, with some full-on nudity (with cream).

The show itself

If you’ve never been to a La Clique show before, you’re in for a very slick and professional performance from start to finish. It never disappoints, so be prepared to whoop, clap, gasp and be utterly gagged by some of the jaw-dropping stunts in store for you.

There’s also some moments that might make you uncomfortable – particularly Heather Holliday’s sword-swallowing act, which just seems more and more like tempting fate at it goes on. This act and a couple of others were not new from last year, but these were interspersed with some fresher performances.

I’m not sure if it’s mainly because I’d seen some of the acts before – and for some reason I can’t quite place my finger on, I was underwhelmed by the umbrellas act this time around – but I didn’t enjoy this year’s performance as much as I have previously.

There were a couple of acts that felt a little more flat than I’m used to expecting at a La Clique show, but that’s not saying too much, because the standard they’ve set over the years is top tier. The first aerial act with the water, and LJ Marles doing his captivating thing for the finale, were worth the ticket price alone.

My friend left the tent feeling completely awestruck by the whole thing, having been unprepared for some of the spectacles she witnessed – so, I’m not going to let the overall rating suffer too much. It’s still an utterly fabulous show.

Overall

I’ll always recommend La Clique to friends, and it’s probably a show I’ll always go and see myself when it’s on at the Fringe. So many great memories, and you always know you’re going to get your money’s worth with an incredibly smooth, slick and enchanting show.

This year, I felt very slightly underwhelmed by a couple of the acts, and there were some repeats, but overall this is still a show you won’t want to miss if you love a bit of circus and cheeky cabaret.