FOLLOWING a sold-out debut in Kiama, a group of Illawarra performers will take their mix of European humour, circus, live music and comic burlesque to Sydney's prestigious Fringe Festival.
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At the helm of the show will be a Kiama duo with plenty of experience in the European style of performance.
Kabaret La Blasé is a 75-minute show appearing at The Sydney Fringe from September 3-5 at The Seymour Centre.
After the sell-out Kabari Kabaret in May, they decided to take on the Sydney Fringe.
La Blasé is the brainchild of Kiama's KISS Arts Festival creators, Dave Evans and Tamara Campbell of Kiama, and Port Kembla's Vault Cabaret founder Anne-Louise Rentell.
Evans said the Fringe show would be a slightly shorter version of the one performed at Kiama, featuring the same cast.
Under the watchful eye of hosts Kiki and Pascal (Campbell and Evans), the line-up includes ABC Illawarra's musical boffin and breakfast radio personality Nick Rheinberger, Merrigong Theatre's The Governess, "pin-up boy" Drew Fairly and Bulli's Mistress of whips and mayhem, Heidi Hillier.
"It's a very European style of comedy," Evans said. "Lots of outrageous stuff, crazy stuff, a little risque stuff."
Veterans of the European comedy/circus/theatre outdoor festival circuit, Campbell and Evans relocated from London to Kiama about nine years ago.
The pair tour Europe every year, usually for three-month stints. This year however they did a six-week run, which took in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, the latter including the Glastonbury Festival.
"Years ago we used to live in London, and we'd do the European circuit; we used to spend nine months on the road," London-born Evans said.
"Now, we have two kids and it got harder and harder to do ... We got more settled in Australia, got more work here and the kids started school.
"So we flipped it around, and now it's about three months a year over there. The kids absolutely adore it over there; they love visiting other countries and speaking different languages."
Evans said the festival circuit was rapidly growing in Australia, even "catching up with the European one".
"You see more and more of that type of performance artists coming over from Europe to perform here."
He also believed the European style of humour translated well to Australian audiences.
"The English background of Australian audiences, they get it. It's irreverent, knockabout, it doesn't take itself too seriously."
The Sydney Fringe Festival, the largest independent arts festival in NSW, presents more than 300 productions in more than 50 venues every September.
For La Blasé bookings, phone 9351 7940 or visit seymourcentre.com.
