Inside Brisbane’s Sparkling World of ‘Blanc de Blanc Encore’

Want to see what happens when a bottle of French champagne explodes into a glittery, high-octane fever dream of circus, cabaret and full-tilt party chaos? Blanc de Blanc Encore is your answer.

Returning to Brisbane at the stunning West End Electric, this circus-cabaret hybrid is less “sit down and be quiet” and more “strap in for a rollercoaster ride”. Think raunchy burlesque, flawless acrobatics, sultry show tunes and sequinned debauchery, all soaked in vintage glamour and a splash of Dom Pérignon.

Among the cast of dazzling deviants is Ethan Harris-Cross, an emerging Australian circus artist bringing bold queer energy to the stage — hula hoops, sexy maid outfit and all.

“So Blanc de Blanc Encore is a champagne cabaret full of wet glamour comedy,” Ethan explains. “It’s a bit raunchy. It’s got a mix of performance styles, singing, dancing, it’s got circus, comedy; it’s just a good time to come along, have some drinks and party.”

With up to eight performers rotating through the high-octane show, it doesn’t just blur the line between audience and artist, it high-kicks straight over it. 

“That’s sort of a big draw point,” says Ethan. “I always tell people that are going to come watch, I say get ready to be involved. We want the audience to be participating and scream back at us. We’re jumping off stage all the time, coming into your face and trying to include you in the fun, but always in good fashion.”

That cheeky, inclusive spirit is baked into every glitter-drenched second of the production. But for Ethan, it’s more than just sequins and sass, it’s a personal journey of queer expression and finding safety in performance.

Growing up in Wollongong, better known for its steelworks than its sequins, Ethan didn’t exactly find queer representation on every corner. But a local circus school, Circus Monoxide, offered something different: acceptance.

“I just found this community that didn’t question who you were, what you wanted to do with your life, or who you wanted to be, and that was just the simple click in my head of, ‘okay, I don’t even need to question that’,” he says. 

“Whereas in town or in school, sometimes it was a lot harder. Even at home, I grew up in a house as the youngest of four boys, so it was quite a masculine-centric household,” he continues. “Circus became a safe space for me to embrace my queerness.”

After a stint in Canberra, Ethan landed a spot at Melbourne’s prestigious National Institute of Circus Arts, where he graduated in 2023. His journey since then has led him to Blanc de Blanc Encore, which gave him his first major stage to shine as his authentic self. 

Unlike many traditional performances, there’s no rigid narrative here. But that doesn’t mean it’s without meaning. The show holds queer space in an exuberant, organic way, through playful subversion, gender fluidity, and raw celebration.

“There are the interactions that we’re having on stage, the dynamics that we share between us, and this sort of open world that we create about having fun and just embracing it,” Ethan says. “It starts out as this very sophisticated show, and then sort of gets a bit raunchy here and there, and breaks into more of a party, which is always surprising and fun for the audience.”

And don’t be fooled by the word ‘circus’ — there are no elephants or sad clowns here. 

“The second you say circus, people imagine a big top with lions… but circus is so much more than that,” Ethan insists. “And [Blanc de Blanc Encore] is a great example. Circus is in your face. It’s fun, it’s dynamic, it’s exciting. We just make it into one amazing package and a fun time for everyone to come along to.”

In a world that too often still asks queer people to shrink, Blanc de Blanc Encore invites them to strut. To shimmy. To shout. And to sip (or throw around) some bubbly at the same time.

Blanc de Blanc Encore is now playing at The West End Electric in Brisbane.