La Clique in the Famous Spiegeltent in Civic Square is Entertainment with a capital E

La Clique is Entertainment with a capital E. E for Exciting. E for Electrifying and E for Enticing. If you are a fan of circus, cabaret, burlesque and magic, then La Clique will thrill you with its death-defying aerial acts, entrance you with its risque, sexy and tantalising suspense and delight you with the sheer strength, stamina and skill of La Clique's international troupe of artists.

Inside the Famous Spiegeltent, in front of the Canberra Theatre Centre, you enter into an era, reminiscent of Victorian age variety, a world of artistes, who ply the art of those who have gone before. There is the graceful Fan Dancer, Vicky Butterfly, who opens the show with an iridescent LED butterfly dance and later teases with a display of floating feathers, mirroring the graceful art of burlesque queen, Gypsy Rose Lee. Dancers Chris Myland and Felice Aguilar fuse strength, agility and grace in a contemporary, athletic dance duet harking back to the time of Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. Prince look-alike aerialist Omar Cortes flies above the stage before diving into a bathtub of water and joyfully splashing the plastic protected front row to the band's roaring arrangement of Purple Rain. Muscles tighten and sinews strengthen as the pole acrobat, Remi Martin, slides perilously close to the stage to the gasps of anxious spectators.

A captivated audience squints through the intermittent glare of the hot lights to catch every suspenseful and heart-stopping moment of feats of agility and steely control. On the small Spiegeltent stage and within metres of the audience seated on wooden chairs on the floor or at the safer retreat of the booths that surround the Spiegeltent with its mirrored walls, the performers know only too well the dangers of the risks they take. The MC relieves the tension of his fire-eating act with a mischievous touch of comedy, as does the quirky comedienne, Sophie Zucchini, who progressively removes all to reveal there is nowhere to hide the magically disappearing red handkerchief. It is probably a good idea to leave young children at home. After all, they wouldn't want to be hit by the MC's whirling pint of beer.

In an 80-minute show packed full of highlights, it is the arrival of our gracious Queen before an obediently standing audience that lends this production a regal flair. Gerry Connelly has long been gracing Australian stages with an impersonation, spicy with wit, and with sharp satirical swipes that would make Dame Edna blush. Reading from a script that appears to have been penned in haste to include the most local and relevant topics, the Queen shoves decorum up the kibosh in the most hysterically funny segment of the show.

Backed by a band with turbo-charged blast and a powerhouse chanteuse, Kelly Wolfgramm, who could belt out Light My Fire during the MC Paul Zenon's fire-eating act and later poignantly sing a soulful solo rendition of Nina Simone's I Put A Spell on You, La Clique will put a spell on you. It will have you tapping along with the band, holding your breath at the acrobatic daring, delighting in the moments of comedy and leaving the Spiegeltent humming the popular melodies.

There was no program so I can't acknowledge all artists and members of the five-piece band by name. Instead I can only echo the final words of the MC. "Viva La Clique!"