Tone & Cheek make a dazzling Fringe World comeback with Club D’Amour: Encore
After a two-year hiatus, Tone & Cheek—the creative forces behind some of Perth’s most tantalising nights out—return to Fringe World 2026 with a brand-new production and the third instalment of their award-winning series, Club D’Amour: Encore. Having set the bar for high-octane, high-quality Fringe entertainment, the team returns this summer with a fresh show and a new cast, blending crowd-favourite acts with dazzling new content. Club D’Amour: Encore plays at Ice Cream Factory from Wednesday, January 21, to Sunday, February 1, with tickets on sale now. BEC WELDON sat down with Club D’Amour newcomer, vocalist Christine Ibrahim, The Cirque Songstress, to talk about this new year for the show.
Hey Christine, thanks so much for joining me to talk about the show! As a brand new chapter in the successful series, what can audiences expect from Club D’Amour: Encore?
Audiences should come prepared for anything. This show is deliciously sexy and wonderfully silly; definitely leave your inhibitions at the door and expect some truly incredible spectacle from the cast.
You’re joining the team as the vocalist this year. How did you get involved with the Club D’Amour team?
They slid into my DMs, babyyy! But genuinely, we’ve known each other’s work for some time. We were both recently in Townsville for shows, and they’d seen Wonderfully Terrible Things when I presented it in Perth last year. They liked the work and invited me to be part of the cast via my Instagram, @cirquesongstress.
Can you give us some insight into the creative process and rehearsal process behind the show?
The Tone & Cheek team put in an enormous amount of work to bring this show together, building sets, sourcing costumes, and being deeply attuned to each character’s needs. It’s different for every cast member, but they run all our choreography rehearsals and MC sessions with Fay Rocious and still leave plenty of room for us to play and develop our roles.
My role is primarily vocalist, so I’ve been learning the music and then layering in choreography to the extent you can while singing live with a microphone. A big part of my process is creating a character backstory, because that informs how she moves through the space and interacts with everyone onstage.
Her name is Svetlana. She’s the receptionist; she works with Fay, so she is my work wife. My character is constantly in and out, changing sheets and taking bookings. Her feet hurt. She’s worked in the club for seven years. She’d rather be at home watching The Office. But she still has a cheeky side… and a favourite customer. Every now and then, she steps outside her role to have a little fun.
This year’s cast features some of Perth’s biggest cabaret talent, as well as some new faces. Can you give us a sneak peek into the team?
Matthew Pope, Perth burlesque royalty and one of the most annoyingly wonderful aerialists I know. Tom McKinnon (aka Tomato Sauce), seeing Cloud Swing live is such a treat. It’s a huge circus act, and not every venue can accommodate it, so watching him fly in this space is really special. Sassy Limbs is shockingly talented, hilarious, and an incredible character actress. It’s genuinely hard to concentrate when she’s onstage. Wade Ryder, so much charisma, with a beautiful physicality and style. Melina Mall, my onstage crush and an absolutely phenomenal dancer. She has legs for days… mine just go for seconds. Nat Oakes, delivering a show-stopping fire act so hot it could turn Pauline Hanson, while also casually being one of the producers. Could she be any more boss? No. And of course, the hostess with the mostest and Perth drag royalty, Faye Rocious.
You’re no stranger to the salacious and sultry, having just finished an international tour with Rogue as well as your own show Wonderfully Terrible Things. Why do you think audiences keep coming back for shows like these, and why are they an important part of Fringe festivals?
Audiences keep coming back to these shows because they’re little slices of permission, permission to embrace sexuality in a fun, non-obtrusive way. We’re still in the middle of a sexual revolution, and people are feeling braver about stepping outside of rigid, heterosexual, monogamous, and religiously informed models of what sexuality is meant to look like.
These shows allow people to play with authenticity, whether they’re exploring something new or already living outside the mainstream. For those in queer or poly relationships, or anyone who may not be fully accepted or represented, this kind of work offers a feeling of inclusion. These shows are saying, “One of us.” And I think that representation is incredibly important, whether you don’t fit in… or you do but don’t want to. It’s pretty telling how many quite conservative couples love these shows, and I think they have a place because they get to hear ‘it’s OK’ to not be quite so… down the straight and narrow.
Live vocals are such a critical part of the intensity and thorough spectacle of the Club D’Amour shows, with the previous two being jam-packed with electrifying, high-energy bangers. What do you have in store for the final chapter?
As you can probably tell from my Instagram, I’m classically trained; my very first gig was singing Ave Maria in a church, so obviously I’m going to sneak a little Mozart into the club. With a twist, of course, so it sits perfectly within the world of the show. Don’t worry though; it’s still packed with camp anthems, high-energy bangers, and a respectful nod to Lady Gaga.
Another critical element is the clear effort that goes into the costuming of the shows, encompassing all elements of the sexual spectrum from soft and sensual to the more hardcore, kinky, and alternative. What is the costuming process behind the show, and what looks are you excited about this year?
Bring. Me. Neon. I’m very excited to be wearing a fur coat in the Perth heat—anything for Club D’Amour.
Likewise, the choreography adds another wow factor to the show. How does the show’s vision transform into those high-intensity dance moments, and how was getting to be a part of those?
Look, I’m no dancer, but I try my best! Once I’ve learned it, the dancing is pure joy. My choreography is definitely toned down compared to what the actual dancers are doing, and it’s still hard for me, but it all adds to the show. This production has more choreography than anything I’ve done recently, so it’s been a real challenge, and a really rewarding one.
Thanks so much for chatting with me today! For a final question, I’d love to know what your favourite element of the show is and what you’re most excited to share with Perth audiences in this final ‘climax’ of the series?
My favourite element of the show… it’s hard to say without giving anything away. But I love how camp and over-the-top this production is. Tone and Cheek obviously had so much fun creating this, and it’s a joy to be a part of. The audience is in for a treat!
Club D’Amour: Encore hits Ice Cream Factory from Wednesday, January 21, to Sunday, February 1, 2026. Tickets are on sale now from fringeworld.com.au