World-leading live entertainment company Underbelly is bringing its internationally acclaimed circus, comedy and cabaret show to the rooftop of Depot Mayfield in Manchester this May. After years of pop-up success on London’s Southbank and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, La Clique is heading to our city for its very first North of England residency.
Born in the UK’s comedy capital of Edinburgh, Underbelly Festival launched in London’s Southbank in 2009 and ran for 10 years on the banks of the Thames. It has also run pop up events in Leicester Square, Cavendish Square and Earls Court.
The Depot Mayfield show will take place in a 1920s Spiegeltent – a traditional Belgian circus tent made from wood and canvas and decorated with mirrors and stained glass.
The initial line up of cabaret and circus acts for La Clique in Manchester include aerial artist LJ Marles who uses his own invention called Tension Straps to perform impressive vertiginous visual performances, glitzy burlesque singer and performer Chastity Belt, aerial contortion artist Miranda Menzies who specialises in the ancient art of Hair Suspension (ouch!) and unicycle stunt performer Sam Goodburn.
The Spiegeltent at La Clique Manchester offers multiple seating options, all with an “excellent” view of the central, circle stage. Private booths for up to eight adults are also available and each table comes with a bottle of Prosecco.
Alongside the circus tent entertainment, Underbelly will bring its own bar and local food traders to keep audiences fed and watered.
Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood, Co-Directors of Underbelly, said: “We’re beyond thrilled to finally bring Underbelly to Manchester this Summer, and we can’t think of a show more perfect than La Clique.
“La Clique is all about audiences having the most incredible time in the majestic Spiegeltent, being entertained by the world’s best circus, cabaret and comedy performers – your jaw will be on the floor one minute, and your stomach in pains from laughing the next.”
David Bates, Creative Director and Originating Producer of La Clique, said: “La Clique has been described as: ‘Over the Head, Under the Skin and Below the Belt…’ – it is the original circus cabaret that has taken the world by storm from Paris to New York, and everywhere in between. It’s sexy, it’s funny, it’s dangerous… Manchester, strap yourself in, it’s your turn now to feel the thrill and we couldn’t be more excited!”
Laura Percy, Development Director for Depot Mayfield, said: “Manchester’s cultural credentials are second to none and we are thrilled and excited to welcome the pioneering and eclectic brilliance of La Clique to Mayfield this summer…. We’ve re-imagined the iconic Depot as an ever-evolving and atmospheric cultural space fit for world-class artists like La Clique. Huge credit to our partners at Broadwick for their passion and creativity in bringing outstanding new shows like this here.”
La Clique Manchester will run for just six weeks from Thursday 25 May 2023. Performances show every evening from Tuesday to Sunday. Starting times vary between 7pm and 9.45pm. Running time for the show is 100 minutes including an interval.
Tickets start at £19.50 but to celebrate its opening, La Clique is offering limited early bird tickets for the first two weeks where stalls tickets are reduced to £25 per person.
