Cab Suave – Sparkle Society Arts

About The Show

Step inside Cabaret Suave and be transported back in time to the golden age of film noir. Narrated by smooth talking Private Investigator, Dick Johnson, the show seamlessly melds spectacular circus stunts, live music, and theatre into a rip-roaring and spirited story.

Can Dick Johnson dig up the dirt on Cabaret Suave and send them packing? Or will these fierce and fabulous personalities live to dazzle another day?

Bringing everything you love about vintage aesthetics without those pesky vintage values. Come join the queer cuties of Cabaret Suave as they fight for their place in the spotlight for what may be their last hurrah – after all, a little party never killed nobody!

Bank SA Pick of the Fringe
Weekly Award Winner,
Adelaide Fringe 2022

Best Circus
Weekly Award Winner
Adelaide Fringe 2023

Touring History

January 2022: Ron Hurley Theatre Brisbane

February 2022: Gasworks Arts Park, Midsumma Festival, Melbourne

February – March 2022: Gluttony, Adelaide Fringe Festival

April 2022: Reunion Park, Melbourne International Comedy Festival

April 2022: The Judith Wright Centre, CIRCFest Meanjin, Brisbane

February – March 2023: Gluttony, Adelaide Fringe Festival

April 2023: Canberra Circus Festival

September – October 2023: Regional Victorian tour to six rural towns finishing with a Melbourne Fringe season for Stonnington Councils So Soiree Fringe Garden

Reviews

Sultry, stylish and slick, Cab Suave is a clever meld of circus and cabaret presented in a shadowy film noir world.

The Advertiser

A win for queer visibility and a triumph for theatre

Sitchu

I’m not going to think of some fancy way to say it because I just fell in love with the show from the very first minute.

Hi Fi Way

Super-skilled, stylish, sexy artists of acrobatic cabaret display a deep love of craft, inter-dependent camaraderie and evidently genuine joy.

Arts Garden

Cab Suave is seen to be corrupting the “good people” of society, a fresh and engaging metaphor for conservative and homophobic views of the LGBTQIA+ community.

In Daily

Cast and Creatives

Baby - Ambrose Kelso

Director and performer (They/Them)

Ambrose is a non-binary artist who brings nothing but absolute joy to every performance. Circus has changed Ambrose's life, and given them the strength and confidence to be unapologetically themselves.

They are passionate about representation of LGBTQIA+ performers and making art accessible for all. They have extensive experience in regional touring, working with companies such as Flipside Circus and Experience Rova.

Mal - Latonya Wigginton

Director and performer (She/Her)

Latonya is a graduate of the Beijing International Arts School and The National Institute of Circus Arts, Melbourne. Latonya loves breaking gender stereotypes as female acrobatic base and aims to foster gender equality in her work. She has toured nationally and internationally with Erth Physical Theatre and One Fell Swoop Circus.

Growing up in the rural QLD town of Boonah, Latonya felt the lack of LGBTQIA+ representation available in her teenage years. Now she works hard to bring diverse works to rural areas.

Private Investigator, Dick Johnson
Jack Wilde

MC and Circus Artist (He/Him)

Jack is a Melbourne based Circus artist who has been living proudly in Stonnington for close to 10 years, and during his time there, has performed in and produced many shows around central & greater Melbourne; and has a passion for fostering as much live theatre in Victoria as possible.

Jack has attained a Bachelor’s Degree in Circus arts, leading to a professional performing career throughout almost every Australian state and the United Kingdom, with much loved shows such as Dinosaur Time Machine by Highwire Entertainment and Arr We There Yet by Head First Acrobats.

Ember - Winter Cyan

Lighting Designer and Performer (She/They)

Winter's love of the creative arts and the stage have led her to work as an acrobat, a multi-instrumentalist, a sound engineer, and composer. She is particularly interested in interdisciplinary art, and the Arts’ capacity for expression and connection. As a transwoman Winter wants to put more role models on stage for gender diverse people and hopes to inspire queer youth to find confidence in themselves.

Trance - Laney Mejias

Singer (She/her)

Originally from the USA, Laney has been creating in Melbourne for the past 5 years. She has a long history as a vocalist, both in choirs and solo work. More recently she's undertaken creative work in Australia, as a circus performer presenting skills in juggling, clowning, and acrobatics; most notably touring with Hyperion Entertainment's ‘Big Glittery Shitshow’ around multiple Australian states as the principal vocalist.

Pretty Boy Floyd
Ellie Grow

Performer (She/her)

Ellie trained in both gymnastics and sports acrobatics before falling in love with circus in her teens. Upon graduating high school she moved to China to train at Beijing International Arts School where she focused on handstands, partner acrobatics and aerials. She is passionate about circus and is constantly amazed by the way it enables performers to connect with audiences, to challenge and inspire. Ellen now wants to channel her energy into transforming her acrobatics into a tool for creation, exploration, and to ignite passion and expression through art and entertainment.