“There’s a reason LIMBO has long maintained global sensation status.”
WELCOME TO A CIRCUS SPECTACLE OF OTHER WORLDLY PROPORTIONS.
The original award-winning LIMBO, which wowed audiences from Brussels
to Bogota, is back, reimagined and more jaw-dropping than ever before.
An intoxicating mix of cabaret, circus, acrobatics and ecstatic
heart-pounding live music, LIMBO – The Return is set to
seduce audiences worldwide again.
ORIGINAL CAST
The first season of LIMBO – The Return premiered at
The Garden of Unearthly Delights at Adelaide Fringe Festival 2024.
BEN LOADER• CLARA FABLE • DAVID MARCO PINTADO • GRANT ARTHUR
HILTON DENIS • MARIA MONCHEVA • MICK STUART • MIKAEL BRES • SXIP SHIRLEY
SHOW PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAMIEN BREDBERG
Scott’s work combines unconventional entertainment, high-flying spectacle, nu-circus, extreme theatre, and dynamic music experiences.
Scott’s work combines unconventional entertainment, high-flying spectacle, nu-circus, extreme theatre, and dynamic music experiences.
Creative Director of Strut & Fret, his directorial credits include LIMBO, Blanc de Blanc, Blanc de Blanc Encore, Showtime at the Pink Flamingo, Boom Boom in the House of Casa Blah Blah, Fun House, The Secret Death of Salvador Dali, Tom Tom Crew, Dream Menagerie, Feasting on Flesh, Cantina and The Happy Sideshow.
Scott is one of the creative forces behind The Garden of Unearthly Delights, an annual spectacle at the Adelaide Fringe that last year celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Scott’s high-profile clients include Madonna, for whom Scott directed birthday parties in the Hamptons and Morocco following his artistic direction of the Rebel Heart World Tour in 2015.
Visionary, producer, sound artist, and sonic pioneer, Sxip Shirey, composed the music for LIMBO, LIMBO UNHINGED and LIMBO – The Return.
Carving a unique niche in the musical landscape from his base in Brooklyn, New York, Shirey crafts evocative music spanning opera, theatre, film, dance, and circus.
Shirey’s sonic and innovative palette often features modified and reimagined acoustic instruments alongside electronic elements. Industrial flutes, prepared guitars, mutant harmonicas, glass bowls, and marbles become conduits for his creative expression.
Collaborating closely with his wife and creative partner, Coco Karol, Shirey has orchestrated large-scale immersive choral events at iconic venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Rockefeller Center, and NYU Abu Dhabi.
As the composer for LIMBO, LIMBO UNHINGED and now LIMBO – The Return, Skip Shirey has showcased the boundless possibilities within the realm of sound.
Lighting and Set Designer Philip works predominantly in theatre.
He has worked on productions including: The World of Extreme Happiness, Love The Sinner (National Theatre); The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas, No Quarter, Oxford Street, Before The Party (Almeida); The King and I (UK Tour); Frauleine Julie (Schaubühne, Berlin); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bristol Old Vic/USA); Further than the Furthest Thing (Dundee Rep, Winner CATS Best Design) The Boy Who Fell into a Book, Overspill, HOTBOI, Tape (Soho); Ciara, (Traverse/Fringe 1st Edinburgh) I’m With The Band, and The Arthur Conan Doyle Appreciation Society (Traverse).
Philip’s opera and ballet credits include: Rigoletto and La Wally (Opera Holland Park); Cosi Fan Tutte (WNO); II Tabarro and Falstaff (Grange Park Opera).Park Opera).
South African born, New Zealand raised and now residing in Australia for the last 10 years, Hilton has worked with many of Australia’s leading choreographers with stage credits including; Le Grand Cirque, Dolly Teen Choice Awards, Dream Ball, Billabong – Girls Get Out There Tour and Yeosu Expo.
Hilton is also a regular dancer for Timomatic and has performed in concerts for Janet Jackson, Salt-N-Pepa, David Guetta and Flo Rider, amongst others. Hilton’s theatre credits include Show Boat, Oliver! and the Australian tour of West Side Story while his TV credits include the premiere series of So You Think You Can Dance Australia.
Other acting credits include Farscape and performances on Australia’s Next Top Model, MTV Video Music Awards, The Helpmann Awards, and in the 2005 film King Kong. nge Park Opera).
THE
ORIGINAL
LIMBO
Directed by Scott Maidment (AUS) and with an original score composed by Sxip Shirey, the original LIMBO premiered at the Garden of Unearthly Delights (Adelaide Fringe) in 2013. From there it went on to tour 17 countries over the next four years.
Fun fact: This show was so hot that Madonna came to see it – twice!
Directed by Scott Maidment (AUS) and with an original score composed by Sxip Shirey, the original LIMBO premiered at the Garden of Unearthly Delights (Adelaide Fringe) in 2013. From there it went on to tour 17 countries over the next four years.
Fun fact: This show was so hot that Madonna came to see it – twice!
ADELAIDE 2013/14/15
LONDON 2013/14
EDINBURGH 2013
SYDNEY 2014/15
BOGOTA 2014
AALBORG 2014
BRISBANE 2014
MUNICH 2014
AUCKLAND 2015
BRUSSELS 2015
EDINBURGH 2015
MELBOURNE 2015
HOBART 2016
LETNÍ LETNÁ 2016
PERTH 2016/17
AMSTERDAM 2017
Montreal 2017
Antwerp 2017
Wollongong 2018
Netherlands 2018
Romania 2018
Darwin 2018
Christchurch 2019
Geelong 2019
Hawkes Bay &
auranga 2019
“Rave review after rave
review could not prepare
me for what was to come.”
ISOLATED NATION
“Sexy and sensational…
You can’t take your
eyes off it.”
SUNDAY EXPRESS (UK)
“Transcends expectation
and imagination”
ARTSHUB (AU)
LIMBO
UNHINGED
Again, directed by Scott Maidment (AUS) and with costumes by James Browne (AUS), LIMBO Unhinged took the show to a wildly hypnotic level! Featuring favourite LIMBO characters alongside a host of new, world-renowned circus performers, this version of the show imbued all the sexiness and sizzle of LIMBO, only grittier than ever!
“Awe inspiring… Don’t miss this exotic, mesmerising experience.”
This Is Adelaide
“There is something truly magical about LIMBO Unhinged”
The Adelaidian
“This is an 11 out of 10 performance, and is a show that cannot be put into words”
Weekend Notes
THE UNIQUE SOUND
OF LIMBO
The music in the three iterations of LIMBO will constantly surprise you. The score – and the sounds are never an afterthought, they are the seed of every moment in the show.
The eclectic array of instruments featured include mutant harmonicas, Ukranian jaw harps, siren whistles, megaphones, an industrial flute, resophonic guitar, foley sound effects, electric guitars, drums, moog, polymba and more.
Harmonicas and
bullhorn
Composer, Sxip Shirey, loves combining modified and reimagined electro-acoustic and electronic instruments. The harmonicas in LIMBO are a perfect example of how this comes to life. A combination of six harmonicas are played during the show, extending their sound with electronic effects including an octaver and pitch-shifters.
The harmonicas are tuned to minor keys and different keys are stacked to create chords. To create many of the spooky sound effects so distinctive to the show, reverbs and even reverse-reverbs are used.
The harmonica is paired with the distinctive sound of a bullhorn siren during the show.
Marble and
glass bowl
The spinning marble in the bowl sounds like a cross between a Tibetan singing bowl and an alarm clock. Combined with the sound of amplified breath, an immersive sound world is created from the centre of the stage.
Minimoog
Shirey loves combining technologies from different eras to create something present and new. The Minimoog is a classic synthesizer which he combines with a DJ scratch fader to make it funky, an over-drive pedal to make it dirty and a shimmer reverb to make it otherworldly!
Polymba
Drummer and guitarist Mick Stuart, plays an instrument of his own creation, the Polymba, which comprises 11 kalimbas with hum-bucker guitar pickets – imagine it to feel like putting your fingers on the tines of an electric piano! In the case of the Polymba, the struck portion of the “fork” is actually a piece of stiff steel, making it an incredibly tactile instrument with a unique, beautiful sound.
Sousaphone
Grant Arthur commands centre stage with the Sousaphone, playing this giant horn with an added electronically produced
sub-tone that shakes the room.
Grant also sings and plays banjo in LIMBO – The Return.
love and energy
“Strap yourself in and enjoy the heart-stopping,
jaw-dropping carnival ride of epic proportions.”
SEE DO EAT REVIEW
“An original award-winning sensation reimagined
and transformed into a spellbinding spectacle that
will leave you breathless!”
UPSIDE ADELAIDE
“LIMBO – The Return is nothing short of
a gripping circus spectacle.”
HIFI WAY
“Limbo - The Return is sexy, engaging, enchanting fun.”
Matilda Marseillaise
“Exhilarating and seductive.”
THE ADVERTISER
