Be blown away by the circus shenanigans of new Fringe production ‘Lassù Cosmic Cabaret’

Don’t be quick to judge when you see promotional material for the new Fringe show Lassù Cosmic Cabaret. While it may look like an average Vegas-style production is being advertised – complete with women in diamante-ed bikinis on the poster art – this show is far, far, far from ordinary. In fact, just when I thought I’d seen it all at Fringe festivals, this awesome, awe-inspiring, eye-opening extravaganza comes along.

The show opens with a bit of singing and dancing, with vocals courtesy of Roxie Rodeo (aka: Maddison Ashton), a casual musical intro that makes way for an array of amazing festival feats.

There’s acrobat and aerialist Merrik Ashton – the brainchild behind the show (more on him later), who plays Flex, a well-fit acrobat who delivers cunning moves on the thinnest of trapeze wire. Then there’s his mate, Ace (aka: Ian Richardson), one of Australia’s premier hand-balancing performers, who will have you at the edge of your seat as he balances precariously on short stilts while platformed several metres in the air.

There’s also Pyra (aka: Clara Fable), a stunning flame-thrower and fire-swallower who heats the show up – as if 40-degree temperatures in Perth weren’t enough! Kudos to this performer for braving the flames.

Between the aerial stunts and pyrotechnic tricks, and to give the performers a bit of breathing time between stints, the audience is entertained by rodeo clown, Rusty, a character who looks like he’s been rejected by the main troupe and is desperate to get back into the other players’ good books. It’s a laugh to watch Rusty suck up to the more serious players in the show and, for a down-in-the-dumps clown, he’s actually very funny.

But the performer that takes the cake in this production is the steampunk-looking dude with a giant mo who puts all average balloonists to shame. While I’m having a hard time tracking his name down online, for the sake of brevity, let’s call him Punky Balloonster.

Punky starts off by using an everyday balloon pump to fill his key prop with air… and it gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until he is able to – wait for it – fit his head inside the nozzle, eventually actually making his full way into the giant balloon. The insanity of it is so difficult to describe that I have video-ed it for you. Suffice to say, this stunt is hilarious and one of the most outrageous things I’ve ever seen on a Fringe stage:

A welcome addition to the Fringe scene, Lassù Cosmic Cabaret is the brainchild of the aforementioned Merrik Ashton, a seventh-generation circus performer who was born into Australia’s renowned Ashton Family Circus. With performing arts quite literally in his blood, Merrik’s life has been defined by the thrill of travel and the spotlight. Heck, he first appeared on the circus stage aged just two!

Merrik’s production is very different to that of his ancestors though, with Lassù a refined combination of traditional circus, contemporary stunts, modern burlesque, slapstick comedy, theatre, and live music. Yes, that is a lot of performance genres in the one show, and if you want all bases covered for your next Fringe outing, be sure to book this show.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Antonino Tati

‘Lassù Cosmic Cabaret’ is on until February 16, 2025, at the Chapiteau Big Tent in Victoria Park. Tickets starting from $75.00 are available through fringeworld.com.au or lassutheshow.com.au.