La Clique

I must confess, I didn't understand what all the fuss was about when I first saw 'La Clique' last year. It was fine, fun even, but the lovingly ragtag procession of circus, cabaret, burlesque and magic didn't really live up to the superlative praise that had been heaped upon it since its Spiegeltent debut at the 2004 Edinburgh Fringe. To me, it felt like a Royal Variety Performance for Hoxtonites. But now it's back with a new line-up at a new venue, I'm happy to report that this time, I got it.

Out goes the crusty faux-decadence of the Hippodrome and in comes the big top-style flair of the Roundhouse, a venue with more than its fair share of acoustic issues but one which, aesthetically at least, fits the roughly-drawn spectacle of 'La Clique' like a well-worn velvet glove. Gerry Connolly opens the proceedings with the nudge-nudge wink-wink comedy of a genuinely alternative Queen's Speech before the evening launches into a dazzling array of new acts: there are the Wau Wau Sisters, whose fag-smoking, beer-guzzling trapeze act will put some hairs on your chest; Nick Kamen lookalike Sam Alvarez writhing seductively in aerial chains; the bootylicious hoop-spinning hoopla of Marawa the Amazing, an afroed Amazonian who's part Beyonce, part Betty Boop; and my favourite act of the evening, the Skating Willers, an ex-husband and wife duo whose death defying rollerskating act maintained its spectacular veneer, despite Lady Willers's bleeding forearm.

Sadly, one of the best acts of yore, contortionist Captain Frodo, has been replaced by fellow Scandinavian Carl-Einar Hackner. A magician of Tommy Cooper-esque incompetence, his recurring appearance tires towards the end, but its a small grumble about what I now agree is one of the best big nights out in town.