Showing @ The Famous Spiegeltent, Edinburgh until Sun 25 Aug @ 22:00
It’s been ten years since the birth of La Clique, the Famous Spiegeltent‘s infamous cabaret night which has itself gone on to spawn dozens of stars and countless imitators. The acts may have changed, but the ambience remains as decadent as ever and the quality is still reliably high.
The one change that earlier audiences may notice is that one or two of the performers here (most notably Piff the Magic Dragon), although new to La Clique, are already established in their own right. Consequently the frisson excitement that comes with the sense of discovering a star in the making is somewhat diminished.
However there is plenty to get one’s teeth into here, and true to La Clique form, no dead weight. Adie Delaney‘s adorably retro and breathtakingly skilled trapeze act, Sophie Zucchini‘s sizzling striptease and the deadpan comedy magician Piff are all highlights, though the star turn of the night is the return of the legendary Skating Willers who have the front rows ducking in fear and the entire audience awestruck. The whole thing is tied together by house band the Shuffle Club. Followed by late night revel The Famous Club Spiegel, La Clique is still one of the safest Fringe investments.