Review: Lassu at Lassu Chapiteau
Lassu at Lassu Chapiteau
Friday, January 17, 2025
New South Welsh troupe Ashton Legacy Productions brought their world-premiere show, Lassu, an evening of circus, themed in a Western saloon bar, to Perth for Fringe World 2025. Taking residence in the stand-alone venue Lassu Chapiteau, a lovely big top-style tent on Victoria Park’s riverfront, Lassu was a wonderful amalgam of skills, both acrobatic and comedic.
Merrik Ashton, as the character Flex, gave several stunning routines, the highlight of which was arguably his tightrope walking, where so much equipment was thrown up to the rope that it seemed the only piece left on the ground was the kitchen sink. A ladder, a unicycle, juggling hoops and clubs all went up, and more importantly, stayed up, as Flex gave more flair and style five feet in the air, upside down and backwards, than most others do at ground level.
Ian Richardson as Ace was also fabulous, especially with his performance on the hand-balance stand, often only a solo point of contact between the ground and his body weight while steadily rotating 360 degrees—the audience gasped audibly each time he switched hands, with seemingly half a second of weightlessness before gravity took over.
When Ace and Flex combined in one of the acts, with no props, no equipment, just two shirtless men and a whole lot of muscle—less two abdominal six-packs, more an entire bottle store—this was circus at its most primal, and it was so, so very good.
Skye (Emilia Dawiec) absolutely dazzled as a human disco ball, spinning through a hair suspension act scored to Chic’s Le Freak, while Pyra (Clara Fable) brought fire, whips, a torrid tinge of burlesque, and a whole bucket of sass to Kylie Minogue’s Slow.
Lassu also included knife-throwing, line-dancing, powerhouse live singing, and rodeo clowns. The sound and lighting designs were immersive, the costumes fantastic, and the music choices for each performance ranged from strong to inspired.
A wonderful show, full of moments that were either jaw-dropping, laugh-out-loud, or sensually sizzling—at some points, all three at once—Lassu is a superb introduction to modern circus. Strong performances from every artist on stage make this a delightful addition to this year’s Fringe World program.
PAUL MEEK