Melbourne Fringe is back, packed to the brim with the finest talent our marvellous arts and culture community have to offer. One such act is YUCK Circus. The female-led circus group set up their tent at Prahran’s Grattan Gardens for their show NAUGHTIES, a glorious throwback to the bygone era of Y2K.
Pumping a mix of certified classics from groups like Bare Naked Ladies, Eiffel65, and Vengaboys, the tent is full of excited millennials and a couple of stray Gen-Z’s, waiting for the show to begin. The lights dim, Darude’s ’Sandstorm’ blasts out of the darkness, and the troupe’s performers file out into the centre of the tent, twirling giant fans made to look like So Fresh CDs.
As they dance and hype up the crowd, the MC comes teetering out of the wings in a sparkling pink two-piece with fluffy pink heels and a boatload of spunk. It’s a lot to take in all at once, and it’s the perfect way to set the tone for the evening. As the MC so aptly states, “Tonight is about the vibes”.
NAUGHTIES is broken up into seven distinct circus acts designed to show off the troupe’s range of skills and tongue-in-cheek attitude. The first act went straight to the heart of the aughts, with an ode to the boy bands that made us – *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, B2K and 5ive – and some incredibly on-point choreography that looked like it was copied directly from a grainy MTV music video. More than just goofy dancers, the Boy Band pulled off some impressive acrobatics, showing off their incredible strength, balance and agility.
Following the brilliant Boy Band, the crowd was wowed with an impressive solo trapeze to Missy Elliott’s hit ‘Get Ya Freak On’ and a hilarious nod to every girl’s favourite toy – the beautiful and somewhat dangerous Sky Dancer that combined some bizarrely aggressive ribbon dancing with roller skates, elevated slings and handheld Sky Dancer wings.
Each act was perforated with audience participation as the MC would trot back into the arena to discuss text acronyms through a fast-paced trivia game in which yours truly was the only one who knew what ‘bae’ was short for (humble brag) and a look into the all-knowing crystal ball that was the Dolly Magazine sealed section. An undeniable personality, the YUCK Circus MC was just as enjoyable to watch as the rest of the troupe, helping to set the tone and generate the necessary excitement for each performance.
While all the acts were equally impressive, there were two in particular that stood out not just for their hilarity, but for their absolutely captivating visuals. Tapping into their inner emo and scene kids, the audience was treated to an unbelievably incredible display of strength and skill in the aerial silks to Evanescence’s ‘Bring Me to Life’ and a hypnotic hoops routine that incorporated neon lights and a ton of stripes to The Presets’ ‘My People’.
Now if all of the above sounds like some kind of fever dream, you’re not entirely wrong. But don’t worry, if you’re having trouble picturing it, it’ll all make sense once you see it yourself; with the combination of physics-defying skills and head-bopping 2000s hits, the NAUGHTIES show is truly the most fun you can ever have in a tent. Finishing out with a whole group acrobatic routine to a Pitbull medley, complete with beanies as bald caps and Mr Worldwide’s signature sunglasses, the YUCK Circus crew had everyone in the crowd clapping, cheering, and laughing from beginning to end.
After two sold out shows, don’t miss your chance to see YUCK Circus perform NAUGHTIES at Melbourne Fringe this weekend! Book your tickets online and enjoy the trip down memory lane with these absolute gems of local comedy.
YUCK Circus is currently performing NAUGHTIES at The Ukiyo as part of 2024 Melbourne Fringe until October 20th.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/yuck-circus-naughties
https://yuckcircus.com
https://www.instagram.com/YUCK_circus
https://www.facebook.com/YUCKcircus