Overview
For years, Strut & Fret has turned Brisbane's performance venues into its playground, with shows such as Blanc de Blanc, FUN HOUSE, THE PARTY, LIFE — The Show, Fear & Delight and more popping up around town. The events and production company next has a date with the River City at 2024's Brisbane Festival, a trip to the Sunshine State that's almost as reliable as clockwork; however, when it unveils LIMBO — THE RETURN, it'll unleash the circus-cabaret show in Strut & Fret's very own site.
From late August, The West End Electric will become Brisbane's new 400-plus-seat theatre and entertainment space, making 125 Boundary Street its home. The venue is launching with LIMBO — THE RETURN's opening, then sticking around. That'll make two Strut & Fret locations around the country, adding a sibling to The Grand Electric in Sydney.
"We have been blown away by The Grand Electric's success since it opened in Sydney last year. It's quickly established itself as both a smashing venue for our own shows, and a venue for other players like Michael Cassel (Titanique) and Sydney Comedy Festival," said Scott Maidment, who is both Strut & Fret's Creative Director and the director of LIMBO — THE RETURN.
"We staged our first Brisbane Festival production over 25 years ago in 1998, so it feels very fitting to launch The West End Electric with this year's festival."
Both Maidment and Sarah Stewart, who co-founded Strut & Fret together, are from Brisbane — and it was in the Queensland capital in 1997 that they gave rise to the company. Accordingly, The West End Electric is a homecoming in a way, not that the outfit's productions are ever absent from Brissie for long.
LIMBO — THE RETURN revamps a show that's been touring the world for over a decade, taking audiences to a netherworld scored by live tunes composed by Sxip Shirey, and filled with cabaret and circus alongside eye-popping acrobatic feats. Both it and The West End Electric will kick off in Brisbane on Thursday, August 29, in a space that designer James Browne is decking out with a nod to West End's London counterpart.
"It will be chic and luxurious but with the essence of historical vaudeville, bohemian hedonism and abandonment. The space itself will be immersive, full of surprising elements that are unforgettable," said Browne.
The Grand Electric, Nick Jones
The Grand Electric, Lexy Potts
The Grand Electric, Lexy Potts
The Grand Electric, Lexy Potts
The Grand Electric, Lexy Potts
Find The West End Electric at 125 Boundary Street, West End, from Thursday, August 29, 2024, opening with LIMBO — THE RETURN at Brisbane Festival — head to the venue's website for further details.
LIMBO — THE RETURN images: Damien Bredburg.