By Nick Dent
While the West End in London is renowned for its theatres, Brisbane’s West End has had other claims to fame. Until now.
A disused brick building on Boundary Street has been brought back to life as a 400-seat cabaret club just in time for Brisbane Festival.
The West End Electric has taken over the former Hi-Fi Bar in Boundary Street.Credit: Billie Wilson Coffey
The West End Electric is the glamorous venue for Brisbane-based theatre company Strut and Fret, which is staging its internationally acclaimed show Limbo – The Return for the grand opening.
Strut and Fret creative director Scott Maidment said the venue’s opening consolidated West End-South Bank as Brisbane’s main theatre district.
“Now you can literally walk to eight theatres within 400 metres, from QPAC to the Bille Brown Studio to Metro Arts next door,” Maidment said.
“We’ve had an overwhelming response from West End residents, and restaurants are doing pre-show dinner menus.”
As the second permanent venue for the company, which opened the Grand Electric in Sydney in 2023, the West End Electric evokes a sense of bohemian opulence.
Fire-eater Clara Fable is one of the stars of Limbo – The Return at the West End Electric.Credit: Glen Scarborough
The venue has two bars, a round thrust stage, decorative carousel horses and lavish velvet draping.
Bentwood chairs surround the stage and a small Ferris wheel rotates while an upmarket vending machine dispenses Moet & Chandon piccolo bottles for $35 a pop.
Designer James Browne said the design was inspired by Piccadilly Circus in London.
The venue is inspired by European cabaret clubs and features a round thrust stage.Credit: Billie Wilson Coffey
“The audience arrives through a white tunnel, which is reminiscent of the London Underground,” he said.
“We wanted it to be classy and sophisticated, but fun, laid-back and festive.”
The brick building next to the Boundary Hotel has sat empty for years, having been office space and music venues Max Watt’s and The Hi-Fi.
“Someone came in yesterday delivering some drinks and said ‘I saw Prince in here’,” Maidment said.
Maidment said the refit had taken a year and involved the removal of about 12 tonnes of concrete.
Limbo – The Return is a revised version of the company’s 2013 circus-cabaret production Limbo, which has toured to 17 countries. After seeing it in London, superstar Madonna tapped Maidment to direct a song on her Rebel Heart world tour.
The show’s international cast includes fire-eater Clara Fable, slack rope acrobat David Marco Pintado, aerial chains performer Maria Moncheva, tap dancer Hilton Dennis and circus star Ben Loader.
Music is by New York mouth organist and Jank composer Sxip Shirey.
Limbo – The Return runs from August 29 at the West End Electric and tickets are from $59.