Blanc de Blanc Encore holds a unique space in the Sydney entertainment scene. It is part-cabaret, part-circus stunts and part-comedy show. It is a fun production which targets the late-night adults only market, tapping into a market looking for a night of excitement and delight. And indeed, the production did make for a fun night out, even if it was a little ‘rough around the edges’ at times. 

The venue for the evening was The Grand Electric in Surry Hills. While the venue is charming once inside, the courtyard did not quite fit the number of audience members attending the near sold-out show, resulting in an uncomfortable bottleneck to enter. While this might not be a significant problem for a short period, the show was delayed by nearly an hour (due to the earlier show running over time), which created a difficult situation for everyone involved. 

When everyone was eventually ushered to their seats and the show began, the energy in the audience was palpable and raring to go. The hosts, Felix Pouliot and Danny Collins, set the scene well, bringing humour from the first moments. Pouliot in particular commanded the stage and entertained the audience through thoughtful participation and quick-witted retorts. 

The acrobatics in the show were of the highest order. Charles-Eric Bouchard’s act at the start of the show was sublime as was Caitlin Marion Tomson-Moylan’s work at the end of the show. The audience absolutely loved all the theatrics of the acrobatics as well, with the incredible stunts receiving rapturous applause. The pillow fight at the end of the first act was also very fun and entertaining for all of the audience.

While the acrobatics were superb, some of the other elements of the show needed further development. While the script was humorous initially, it quickly became quite repetitive with the same gags being repeated over and over again throughout the show. Some of the acts had very little pay-off, which was part of the humour but did leave the audience feeling a little short-changed at times. The singing elements of the show did not reach the same heights as the acrobatics and the dancing, which meant that it stood out to some extent. However, the biggest issue was that structurally, the show lacked a certain degree of cohesion which meant that some connection with the audience was lost. While the audience certainly enjoyed the show for all its strong elements, some of the energy from the start of the show was lost as it progressed. 

Overall, Blanc de Blanc Encore is a great concept for a show and provided a fun night out for all. With some more development, especially in some of the writing and in its structural cohesion, this show would really nail down the unique space it holds in the Sydney entertainment scene and provide an incredible night out for its audiences. 

Rating: ★★★

Blanc de Blanc Encore plays at The Grand Electric until 30^th July. For more information, click here.