Cab Suave | Sparkle Society

Of all the theatres in all the suburbs of Meanjin, I had to walk into theirs; The Cabaret Suave.

The year was 2022 and COVID was on its 20th comeback tour. Instead of being free and easy as we’d hope, we’d started the year locked down and listless like the previous two.

Word had spread though that there was a new gig in town to offer some respite, a certain Cab Suave. Apparently four skilled dames of the circus and cabaret world had created a place where the rest of us average joes could escape our troubles and the threat of lockdown, at least for a night. Run by the tough, no-nonsense Mal (Latonya Wigginton) and backed by her three fellow entertainers and lovers, Trance (Laney Mejias), Ember (Winter Chapman) and Baby (Abby Kelso), their show was guaranteed to break us out of our routines, at least for a short while. Just as long as they could withstand an investigation by the cocky P.I., Dick Johnson (Jack Wilde), whose client was just looking for a reason shut it down for good.

And so I just had to check it out.

Cab Suave is an ode to film noir movies of yesteryear and the debut production by circus collective, Sparkle Society. Two years in the making, the show mixes the typical circus cabaret with all the best style and cliches of film noir, without any of the misogyny of the genre. It’s all topped with a vintage aesthetic and good sprinkling of queer fun.

The film noir theme provided for two of my favourite parts of the show. Instead of having a typical M.C., Cab Suave utilises Dick Johnson as the narrator of the show, film noir style. Wilde charms as Johnson, our somewhat unreliable narrator, who introduces us to the world of Cab Suave and its performers.  With such a meaty role, the show could falter in lesser hands, but Wilde was already playing with the audience and the delivery at opening night and had us giggling throughout. I can only imagine how much further he’ll be able to take his performance over the life of the show.

As well as this, the creative team used the simple yet inspired decision to have the cast remain on stage for most of the show, watching each act from within the setting of the club. The group supports and flirts with each other and respond to each act, without ever taking attention away from the main performer. This brought an extra energy to the show and helped to immerse me further into the world of Cab Suave.

The talented cast are all multiskilled performers and each one was given a chance to shine throughout the night. Wilde plays Dick Johnson as the charming fool, whose narration carries the show and who dazzles us with his juggling and ladder acts. Wigginton’s Mal is the tough boss of the girl gang and performs a gorgeous single point trapeze routine that was one of the highlights of the show. Chapman’s Ember is the strong silent type, and impresses in a graceful and introspective routine on the roue cyr and hypnotises with her fire work. Kelso’s Baby is fun and flirty, which carries through into their tissue and duo hoops routine with Wigginton. And Mejias’ Trance is fierce and feisty and her gorgeous bluesy vocals are the perfect compliment to many of the acts.

While there were a few opening night jitters, and a few of the acts dipped occasionally into typical circus fare, the charm and energy of the cast and the aesthetic of the show kept me engaged and the audience applauding throughout the night. The skills and chemistry of the cast was perfectly encapsulated in the final high energy act that really brought the house down.

Cab Suave is both a fresh and flirty take on circus cabarets and well needed reimagining of film noir for the modern era. Packed with all the circus you could need, a script full of zingers, and whole lot of charm, it’s the perfect piece of escapism for the virus that shall not be named. Don’t miss the scandalous dames of the Cab Suave, and their token straight boy, when they hit a gin-joint near you.

Cab Suave hits Melbourne and Adelaide for the first half of 2022. Check out their website for full details of the tour.

P.S. It was great to see the Ron Hurley Theatre in Seven Hills utilised to its full extent for Cab Suave. As a theatre with both high ceilings and rigging points that’s around 15 minutes or so from the CBD, it could be the unicorn venue in Meanjin that up-and-coming circus companies have been looking for. You can find out more about the venue and how to hire it here.