Brisbane’s newest theatre venue is The West End Electric and quite honestly, electrifying is one of the best words we could use to describe Limbo—The Return, the show that’s currently wowing audiences in the space.
The venue is a bespoke space, created to house the wild and immersie parties that are productions by Strut & Fret. The West End Electric has been fashioned with London’s famous West End theatre district in mind.
The vibes are chic and luxurious, while at the same time bawdy and vaudvillian. It’s a unique space that is perfectly tailored to the mind-bending movements, sizzling stunts and captivating caberet style of performance that Strut & Fret does so well.
Limbo—The Return well and truly makes the most of the immersive space, with acts performed in front of, around and even above the audience. The atmosphere is intimate and exhilarating. There also isn’t a bad seat in the house, with audience members all getting something slightly different depending on where they’re sitting but no one missing out on any of the heart-stopping action.
Located in Brisbane’s bohemian heart of West End, the West End Electric features a main bar as well as a mezzanine bar (and even a Moet piccolo vending machine!).
The venue launched as part of the Brisbane Festival but will be entertaining audiences long after the curtains on the Festival come down. Strut & Fret’s director and founder Scott Maidment, says it was a perfect match to launch The West End Electric with the Brisbane Festival—he and partner Sarah Stewart staged their very first production for BrisFest more than 25 years ago.
We were lucky enough to attend Limbo in the venue’s third week of operation and it already feels like they’ve been performing there forever. The venue and show are both as polished as each other, and the audiences whooped and cheered through the whole dazzling show the night we were there.
Strut & Fret’s smash-hit circus-cabaret spectacle, Limbo—The Return really is the ideal show to christen the dynamic space. First performed at the Adelaide Fringe in 2013, the original Limbo has toured 17 countries and wowed audiences from Brussels to Bogota. It’s is an intoxicating mix of cabaret, circus, acrobatics, and heart-pounding live music.
The West End Electric, 25 Boundary St, West End QLD. Current show Limbo—The Return runs til November. See more info here.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
