If you only make it to one performance for the 2024 Adelaide Fringe season, make it ‘Infamous, The Show’. Held in the purpose-built Main Stage at Infamous Theatre in Ellis Park, ‘Infamous’ lifts the bar for what makes a successful show to new heights, both literally and figuratively.

Billed as a Circus/Cabaret act, you might expect daring stunts and sensual dance numbers, but ‘Infamous’ delivers well beyond what’s written on the label. From audacious acrobatics to outstanding vocals and everything in between, there’s something to entertain every audience, though its R18+ rating means this one is for adults, so leave your inhibitions at home.

The show ignites with a bang with the aptly named Wheel of Death, brandishing dizzying aerobatics that immediately delight. Despite starting on such a high, ‘Infamous’ consistently finds a way to up the ante while moving skilfully between fast-paced action and sensual artistic expression. The way that details in costuming, set design, music and choreography work in tandem to provide such a symphony of skill sets ‘Infamous’ apart as exceptional. 

These are performers at their prime. You’ll be gripping your seat in anticipation as they take on the most amazing feats, then grinning with joy as they hit the mark again and again. Their passion is infectious, and the satisfaction that shines through at each successfully executed stunt provides a rarely-seen hint at how much work is really behind the glamour. Rather than taking you out of the moment, this celebration pulls you in alongside the performers, leaving you cheering for your favourites with each new effort they bring to the stage.

If I had to nit-pick, the one criticism I would offer of ‘Infamous’ would be a thematic one. When I compare it to past Fringe shows of a similar ilk, the narrative thread that brings all the potentially chaotic elements together isn’t quite as strong as it could be. To be fair, this lack of emphasis on playing a character is part of what allows the performers to connect with the audience as well as they do. It’s humanising, with the end result feeling more realistic than escapist fiction, but because of this the title doesn’t seem to quite match the outcome. Nonetheless, the outstanding execution from the cast means that they’re still able to take the audience along with them from the surreal and beautiful to the grounded and heartfelt. It speaks volumes that while some of the grander stunts may be what first catches the audience’s attention, it’s the raw emotion and vulnerability of some of the ‘slower’ routines that seemed to linger with me for longer. In this way, ‘Infamous’ ultimately brings together everything that makes the Arts so enjoyable. For that alone, it delivers value well beyond the price of admission. Not only should you make sure you see it, you should make sure to tell everyone you know to do the same.