It’s time to dust off that schoolboy French and put on your dancing shoes because Blanc de Blanc has come to the Adelaide Fringe. The beautiful Magic Mirror Spiegeltent is the perfect setting for this show. A wrought iron staircase leading to a balcony overlooks the main stage and the audience is seated in the round.
Blanc de Blanc opens with a riot of colour and movement as the whole cast put on a spectacular ode to champagne. This show is going to be exciting, French and saucy. After more dancing, some singing, some je ne c’est que a hotel luggage trolley is wheeled out. A performer climbs in and it is hoisted into the air. She twirls and contorts, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she is spinning high above the crowd.
This is a fast paced, funny and engaging show. At times it’s hard to know where to look, small surprises appear from everywhere. The performers are chic, beautiful and daring. There are laughs. There are gasps as we watch feats of strength from both the male and female performers. One act after another we are cheering and clapping. Not many acts could meld seamlessly from a classic French ode into a driving techno beat.
Of course with any show like this, there is audience participation, which is as cheeky as the rest of the show. It’s all good natured, but slightly risqué fun. In fact there is some nudity on stage which rather than being crass or crude, has the audience in stitches of laughter.
The variety of acts is impressive, there are hula hoops, a giant inflatable ball and a spa bath among many props. A duet between a man and a woman begins in the spa and ends with them contorting unbelievably high above the crowd. There are no safety nets in this show, it is pure adrenaline.
All too soon we reach the climax, where once again the audience is invited to toast to champagne and rejoice in the laughter and fun that the French bring. When you have bar staff singing and laughing along, when you have the audience skipping and dancing out of the show at the end of the night, you know that Blanc de Blanc has hit the right formula. A definite must see for a great night of entertainment.
Blanc de Blanc plays in the Garden of the Unearthly Delights until March 19th. For more information head here. The reviewer attended the performance on March 5th.
———-
