Legendary Limbo show coming in hot at Spiegeltent in Newcastle

The teasing preview acts at a media call on Tuesday morning featured fire-breathing performer Clara Fable and a music routine featuring the whole cast led by creative composer and musician Sxip Shirey.

Limbo The Return comes to Newcastle for a run of 32 shows, through May 5, off the back of runs in Germany and Adelaide.

Scott Maidment, director of Strut & Fret, conceived and directed the show. Maidment created the original Limbo show along with composer Sxip Shirey, with its first run in front an audience in London in 2004. Limbo, Limbo Unhinged and now Limbo The Return have toured the world.

Limbo The Return runs for 75 minutes with no intermission.

All of the music is live, but there are no spoken words (or lyrics) in the entire show. Rather, there is a wide array of instruments, including Australian musician Mick Stuart's own invention, The Polymba), and Melbourne muso Grant Arthur on a very funky sousaphone.

Sxip Shirey leads the way, creating an explosive blend of sounds mixing blues, sound, klezmer and jazz with numerous instruments.

"I like hooks, beautiful melodies and surprising sounds, like a really sexy, slinky, dirty beat, that's what I like in music," Shirey said.

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There are also acrobats, dancing, sway poles and fire breathing.

Maidment doesn't blink when he predicts a successful run in Newcastle.

"People will go out and see shows if there is good stuff happening," he said. "Tonnes of people went to see Taylor Swift and Fred Again has been selling tickets all over the place.

"Actually, we've got one of the of the strongest ticket sales we've had in Newcastle so far, at this point of the season.

"People say, bad cost of living, but this is living, seeing shows, enjoying life and getting together with people is living. It just depends on what kind of living you want."

Maidment predicted Limbo The Return would sell 10,000 to 15,000 tickets in Newcastle.

Strut & Fret was in Newcastle twice in 2023, bringing Blanc de Blanc Encore for a five-week Spiegeltent run from September 22 during the New Annual festival, and running The Party through April-May.

The run kicks off on Wednesday night, April 3, at Spiegeltent in Civic Park.

Anybody who has been to a Spiegeltent show knows the crowd has to be alert - you could be teased, squirted, stripped or drawn on stage at any moment.

Limbo is a little different. But it has some unique features all the same.

The sway pole routine with acrobats swinging right over the crowd means you could find your glasses or hats lifted by a performer, according to Sienna Dillon, the company's stage manager for Limbo.

The fire-breathing routine means air conditioning turned off, all doors shut, stage hands on standby with wet towels, she said.