Roll up for A Circus Sized Game Show

Roll-up, Roll-up! Fringe World regular Morgan James returns this summer with his acclaimed one-man-show A Circus Sized Game Show. Boasting over five hours of circus tricks and tomfoolery, audiences take the lead in this award-winning children’s show to play games, and choose the acts they want to see—from Friday, January 19 to Saturday, February 17 in the Lotterywest De Parel Spiegeltent at The Pleasure Garden. BEC WELDON spoke to Morgan James himself, Ricochet Circus director and star of the show, to hear all about this year’s extravaganza.

You’re a Fringe World regular, and your show is a staple among the children’s events at the festival. How are you feeling about returning to the stage in 2024?

It’s been an incredible journey performing at Fringe World since 2011 and witnessing the festival’s growth. Last year, I embraced the challenge of creating the largest show in the smallest venue, and it was a blast! This year, I’m thrilled to be in the prestigious De Parel Spiegel Tent, presenting the most extravagant, wildest show filled with the craziest ideas that have been brewing in my mind for years. I can’t wait to share this spectacle with the world!

What new and exciting things have happened in the world of Morgan James since we last saw him and the show?

Following the success of A Pocket-Sized Circus in 2023, Ricochet Circus embarked on an extensive tour of regional WA and then took the entire show to the Sydney Fringe. It’s been one of our busiest years, with 65 locations, 75 shows, and 150 circus workshops!

A ‘Circus Sized Game Show’ sounds like an excellently chaotic blend! How would you describe the show to people who haven’t seen it?

“Chaotic blend” is a perfect way to characterise it! The entire show is like a choose-your-own-adventure game show. The audience plays hilarious carnival-like games to determine the next act, even deciding how I perform it. To add an extra layer of chaos, I’ve created the “Pick-A-Trick-Randomiser 5000” machine, which can sound an alarm at any moment, prompting me to perform a randomly selected circus trick. It’s a fusion of high-skill circus, my unique larrikin clown style, and an unprecedented grand finale!

Kids can often be the toughest of critics! What memorable moments or interactions come to mind from previous shows?

One of my favourite moments is when kids claim, “My dad can juggle 16 balls!” It always brings a smile to my face, considering that’s two more than the current world record. Perhaps their dad can teach me a thing or two!

The first thing you notice on your spectacular show poster is the sheer amount of accolades that Ricochet Circus has won, stretching as far back as 2018. What makes your shows so successful and exciting?

I think it’s because my show isn’t a typical ‘kid’s show’. I like to say that it’s a show that kids can take their parents too, because my main focus is to entertain the adults just as much as the kids because, hey, who’s paying for those tickets really? I’ve trained in the art of vaudeville, which, in essence, is something that appeals to everyone. I have probably over five hours of acts and tricks that I’ve performed over the years, and I have to somehow cram that all into a 60-minute show, so having the audience decide what they want to see makes it all the more fun!

It’s great to see Western Australian organisations like Ricochet Circus producing shows at the Fringe World festival and getting recognised for it. What’s the story behind Ricochet Circus?

A little-known secret is that Western Australia boasts some of the world’s best circus performers, and due to Perth’s isolation, we’ve become a close-knit family. Despite touring independently, we rarely get a chance to create and perform together. Hence, I decided to establish a second branch of my One Man Circus, uniting everyone under WA’s very own circus.

A fun story about the name: my circus nickname is Scooby, and I think more people know me by that name than Morgan James, so my first ever solo company was called ‘Scooby Circus’ which I performed with for a few years. Until I was booked to perform at a festival doing my circus show, I was setting up backstage, and the MC found me and, in an alarmed and confused state, asked, “Where’s your costume? The dog costume? You’re the Scooby Doo show, right?!” The MC hadn’t received the information I sent through about my show and just decided that I was THE Scooby Doo show and had been telling the audience all day about it.

There were even little kids in the audience wearing Scooby Doo shirts, and they had little Scooby Doo flags waiting to see their favourite dog! We all still had a super fun time with the circus show, but not wanting that confusion again, I decided to change the name to Ricochet, which was taken from a review I had that said “he ricocheted all over the stage with such energy.” It’s still an obscure word that people don’t really know, so a lot of the time I get called “Rocket Circus.” (laughs)

What other exciting projects lie ahead for Ricochet Circus and Morgan James in 2024?

This promises to be one of Ricochet Circus’ biggest years! We curate entertainment for large-scale festivals and perform in theatres across Australia. I have always had the dream of being in a Big Top circus right here in Perth, and that dream has now become a reality—in Perth’s very own circus tent!

This gives us the opportunity to showcase Western Australia’s incredible talent. We’re in the planning stages for various festival grounds, offering circus workshops, massive shows, and additional entertainment during school holiday seasons. Before all that, my focus for the next two months is delivering my biggest and best solo show to date. I’m eager to share A Circus Sized Game Show with everyone—where everybody wins the prize of THE CIRCUS!