The comedic timing in Chuckle Troupers is impeccable and it’s a living testament to the fact that you don’t need to heavily feature electro-swing in a circus showcase in order to have a recipe for success.
Front row seats to this high-energy show will transport you to a place where all your troubles melt away. Follow the smell of popcorn from the foyer and let it lead you to where the good times are, where you can forget about your troubles and your strife.
Don’t let the young age of this cast fool you either – they are highly and broadly skilled. The pacing flowed with professional ease, transitions were fun and flawless – the stunts are bound to leave you impressed. The presentation was slick, effervescent and the chuckles were contagious – Chuckle Troupers was flipping fun for all ages.
Chuckle Troupers: big questions
Chuckle Troupers was unafraid of asking the big hard hitting questions like: ‘What do you think of the current state of funding opportunities for the arts?’ and ‘What does access to participating in circus arts have on your quality of life?’ All delivered in good humour and eliciting roaring laughter from the audience.
Sadly, by the time you’re reading this, you have missed the run for this Melbourne Fringe 2025 season but you should be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next instalment. Chuckle Troupers features delightful juggling skills, breathtaking tumbling, artistic acro-balancing, unforgettable Chinese Pole, energetic hoops, steal your heart lyra and astonishing skipping. You’re guaranteed to have an infectious smile on your face along the wayt during every single beat of this stunning journey.
As well as astounding circus stunts the audience are given a rare glimpse of insight straight from the troupe’s own mouths about what circus means to them in their own words. These little satirical talk show style segues are masterful and beautifully showcase the casts multidisciplinary talents. Chuckle Troupers are circus performers that are not scared of a microphone. Striking a skilled balance between entertaining spectacle and circus community advocacy.
Chuckle Troupers: supporting the youth
Supporting Chuckle Troopers in future not only gains you entry to an excellent show but supports Circus Nexus in continuing to run their ages 11–18 years performance troupe amongst other highly beneficial social circus initiatives. Recent studies have demonstrated the benefits of access to circus arts training including promotion of good mental health and social cohesion.
Every super star cast in Chuckle Troupers is given their chance to shine in this heartwarming, groundbreaking cabaret directed by Sharon Gruenert, Gabriel Walker, and Charlie Cheng, Chuckle Troupers has been devised and developed from the training, creativity, and ensemble skills of the Circus Nexus Performance Troupe.
Circus Nexus is a not-for-profit organisation that creates inclusive and artistically vibrant circus opportunities for Victorians across generations. The Preston hub where Nexus Studio is situated connects a diverse range of communities who come together to learn, create, and perform circus and physical theatre on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung land – they are proudly supported by the City of Darebin’s Community Grants Program and the Cybec Foundation.
Bums on seats at Nexus’s fringe offerings for 2025 means that Nexus can continue to engage with and support the local circus community whilst doing more outreach and community building which will only improve their representation and diversity in their showcases and on their own stages.
Chuckle Troupers was performed as part of this year’s Melbourne Fringe.
This review was written as part of Circus.txt, a professional development program designed and delivered by Oozing Future to engage arts writers with contemporary circus and physical theatre practice, and increase the visibility of critical dialogue within the sector. This project was funded by Creative Australia through their Victorian Circus and Physical Theatre grant round.
