Head First Acrobats bring the Crème de la crème of cabaret to Fringe World 2025
Fringe favourites Head First Acrobats are returning to Perth Fringe World with another show stopping production for 2025, promising their signature world-class acrobatics, physical comedy, hilarious skits with new surprises and special guests. Crème de la crème Cabaret hits Ice Cream Factory from Friday, January 17 until Sunday, February 14, with tickets on sale now. BEC WELDON caught up with co-founder, breakdancer and internationally acclaimed acrobat, Thomas Gorham to talk all things Crème de la crème Cabaret.
Hi Thomas, thank you for taking the time to talk to us! Head First Acrobats are returning to the Fringe World Festival for 2025! How are you feeling about returning this year?
I’m excited! Fringe World is my favourite festival for the year. I love coming to Perth, and I love the atmosphere and excitement of the Fringe World Festival. I’m pumped to bring our shows to Perth once more.
You’re bringing two shows this year, one being the deliciously titled Crème de la crème Cabaret. Tell us about the show!
Crème de la crème Cabaret is exactly what it says in the title. This is the best of the best cabaret performers, all in the one show.
It’s a line-up-style variety show, where each performer showcases their special talents and unique skills. It’s been a huge hit for us over the past couple of seasons, so we are giving it a whole season instead of just Friday and Saturday nights.
Crème de la crème Cabaret is the perfect show for a date night, as there is an abundance of sexy cabaret performers doing amazing things, so the atmosphere is electric. It’s also great for people who want a little bit of everything, as there is such a variety in styles being performed, so if you can’t choose a show, then this is the best show for you because you see the best of every style.
You’re promising more jaw-dropping acrobats, gravity-defying stunts, chiselled abs, and racy humour that have made your other shows so successful, but what can returning audiences expect from this new showstopper?
That’s right. Crème de la crème Cabaret is bigger and better than ever. Return customers will see one or two acts that they might remember from last year, but the cast has changed since the last few years and the majority of the acts are all new.
We have knife throwing, trapeze, magic, cyr wheel, acrobatics, and more, plus lots of nudity (laughs).
Anyone who has seen the Head First Acrobats in action knows how fit and talented the troupe is. What kind of preparation goes into a show like Crème de la crème Cabaret?
We train a lot! It takes a lot of upkeep to stay in shape for the show, and you know the saying, “If you don’t move it, you lose it.” That saying applies to technical tricks as well. We all train 15-20 hours plus a week so that we can stay at the top of our game and smash the tricks on stage.
So, you’ve done cowboys and westerns, you’ve done gods from antiquity, you’ve done Neanderthals, and now sweet treats! How do you find inspiration in the world around you for show ideas?
For Crème de la crème Cabaret, we like to just get in a room and chat. The floor is always open to ideas, and no ideas are considered bad. We like to try and see if every idea or joke will work and give it some time on the floor to see if it works out.
We like to work in stages, blocking things out by moving around the room and feeling the timing and writing jokes as a group, sitting down and not moving. You have to do both, or else it never works.
From the first suggestion to the stage, how do you bring shows like Crème de la crème Cabaret to life, both as the co-founder and as a collective company? Can you talk us through the process of bringing a show to the stage?
For us, we break it down into stages; there is the pre-planning before we are in the rehearsal room. This is where we decide on a concept, and often at this stage we have to do some photoshoots to create a look that is sellable.
After that we write down potential scripts and through lines, then it’s time to hit the floor. We spend the first part of the creation creating the tricks and routines that will be in the show and setting things to music. We try to give equal time to storyboarding and making sure the show is cohesive, and the process can take months from first rehearsal to last.
Finally it’s time to do the show, and we make sure the final pieces are done, like the lighting design and all the costumes.
Head First Acrobats are a fan favourite of the Fringe World Festival. What is it about the company that keeps audiences entertained and coming back for more?
Honestly, at this stage I feel we are very lucky. We are just so lucky that Fringe crowds have taken such a liking to our shows. It’s often not easy being a performer, and somehow we just keep managing to be “that show” that sets the Fringe alight.
I wish I could tell you we have a secret sauce, but I think it’s half luck (laughs).
Do you, or any of the other cast members, have any pre-show rituals, non-negotiable routines, or performance superstitions you do before a show?
We always do a special handshake. When you come to the show, I’ll bring you backstage and show you!
As a performer yourself, do you have a favourite stunt, trick, or apparatus that you try to put in your shows?
My background prior to becoming a circus performer was in breakdancing, so for me I have to send a wicked headspin in most routines. It gets the most bang for the buck out of any tricks in my arsenal.
You’ve performed your shows around the country and the world! Do you have a favourite or most notable performance memory?
(Laughs) Yes, I once fell off the stage in Spain in front of 2,500 people. It was hilarious, and after that moment I had the easiest show of my life, because it literally couldn’t get any worse, so I had the most fun with my redemption arc.
There are so many exciting Fringe World shows in this year’s season. What would you say to Perth audiences to encourage them to see Crème de la crème Cabaret?
If you like circus, comedy, burlesque, or cabaret, then this is the show for you. If you don’t like any of that, then give this show a crack because there is serious high-skilled variety in there, and you are bound to find something to love.
Crème de la crème Cabaret hits Ice Cream Factory from Friday, January 17 until Sunday, February 14, 2025. Tickets are on sale now from fringeworld.com.au