Strut & Fret was born in Brisbane and now this exciting production house is coming home and not just to visit. Yes, we do see a bit of them particularly around Brisbane Festival time but now local boy made good Scott Maidment and his team are opening a permanent new 400+ seat theatre in Brisbane’s West End, The West End Electric.
This is a full circle moment for Maidment, creative director of Strut & Fret, who grew up as a rugby league loving lad on Brisbane’s Northside. He then went on to take on the world with a hairdo that has grown to resemble Yahoo Serious more and more over the years.
Strut & Fret’s circus cabaret shows are exciting and push the envelope. They manage to get away with all sorts of naughtiness but that’s part of the allure.
Their hit show LIMBO is one of their best along with Blanc de Blanc and The Party, so now we have LIMBO – THE RETURN for Brisbane Festival from August 29 at The West End Electric. The show is directed by Scott Maidment.
Following the unprecedented success of their Sydney theatre, The Grand Electric, the globally prolific company has done the only logical thing possible by starting a permanent venue back where it all started.
LIMBO – THE RETURN is a spectacle of otherworldly proportions featuring an international cast of circus performers and the music of New York avant-garde maestro Sxip Shirey.
This jaw-dropping spectacular reimagines the original LIMBO which toured to no less than 17 countries, wowing audiences from Brussels to Bogota with its stunning fire-breathing and gravity-defying stunts. Madonna loved LIMBO so much when she saw it in London, that not only did she see it twice, she later invited Scott to direct highlights of her Rebel Heart World Tour.
“We have been blown away by The Grand Electric’s success since it opened in Sydney last year,” Scott Maidment says. “It has 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.
“Brisbane is where Sarah Stewart and I founded Strut & Fret in 1997. It’s also our home city, where we grew up and where I still have a home. Since then, we’ve become a major producer of live entertainment, touring to 38 countries and creating hugely popular festival event hubs like The Garden of Unearthly Delights in Adelaide and New Zealand’s Bread & Circus.
“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 Brisbane Festival.”
Multi-talented designer, James Browne, will bring The West End Electric to life with uniqueness and flair.
“You can expect a stylistic nod to London’s famous West End theatre district,” Browne says. “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.”
Scott Maidment says audiences will “literally see sparks fly!”
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“Expect a cracking cocktail list and the kind of experiences that have you on the edge of your seat – starting with LIMBO – THE RETURN.”
“This is a high-powered extravaganza that will leave you gasping for air and begging for more. Chances are you’ll want to see it twice, too.”
But honestly, you can go as often as you like.
LIMBO – THE RETURN is on from August 29 at The West End Electric, 125 Boundary St, West End. Tickets from $59
thewestendelectric.com
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