Review: Club D’Amour: Encore at The Ice Cream Factory

Review by Tatum Stafford

Sultry, seductive and downright salacious, Club D’amour’s grand and highly anticipated return to FRINGE WORLD Perth was welcomed with riotous applause from a sold-out audience on its opening night on Friday. 

Taking its rightful place in the 700-seat warehouse at The Ice Cream Factory, Club D’Amour features some of Perth’s best cabaret, drag and circus performers, all of whom strut, dance, lip-sync and perform with electric energy and commitment that is a true thrill to see up close in a Fringe venue.

MC Fay Rocious does a fabulous job at hosting the evening’s proceedings, and also lends plenty of talent and personality to numbers (special mention goes to a certain pair of pants that had the show’s debut audience in quite a frenzy…if you know you know). This year’s show is accompanied by Christine Ibrahim’s incredible vocals. Christine’s operatic talent in particular is a highlight, and includes a cheeky twist that audiences lapped up.

Nat Oakes’ fire-breathing was an absolute showstopper, and included things I had certainly never seen onstage before, including a moment with fellow performer Melina Mall - who herself offers up an incredible performance on a floating pole.

Sassy Limbs dazzles with her aerial work (and her particularly hilarious facials during a lip sync number that stole the song for me), and the phenomenal Matthew Pope is as fierce and talented as ever. Wade Ryder’s dancing and physicality is magnetic, and the grand finale, Tom McKinnon’s cloud swing is a feat that truly must be seen to be believed. 

On a personal note, it’s so fantastic to see this show’s evolution after catching it in a Pleasure Garden tent just a few years ago. The Perth-based production company Tone and Cheek are absolutely killing it, and it’s so gratifying to see them get their well-deserved flowers and raves. I can’t wait to see what they do next, they continue to level up and keep audiences guessing and enthralled. Whatever it is, I’ll be there!

Image Supplied