Gasha
Ice Cream Factory
Wednesday, February 4 2026
Marking their debut performance in Perth, Japanese production team Cirquework brought an international cast full of talent, vigour, and occasional delicacy to Fringe World 2026 with GASHA. Taking the early evening slot at the Ice Cream Factory’s warehouse for the entire festival season, this was an intriguing piece of theatre with a high degree of ambition.
The opening routine cast a kimono-clad artist against the rising sun in spectacular silhouette before being attached directly by their hair to the rigging. Hauled high into the air by the support crew, the ensuing suspension combined acrobatics, gymnastics, and a degree of contortion, all while the performer spun ever faster like a top.
Seemingly ripped straight from the pages of the latest manga, a Japanese rock guitarist strode to the stage—all spiky blonde hair, black-rimmed eyes, and overtly punk attitude. They returned to the stage several times over the course of the hour, sometimes with circus colleagues, sometimes solo. Other than the guitar work, the remainder of the soundtrack leant towards techno, more Matrix than Meiji, and showcased a cutting-edge modernism throughout the piece that one could almost taste, as if it were metal on the tongue.
There was no MC to lead the audience by the hand through the night; the acts relied more on the crowd connecting or interpreting the dots whichever way they felt. At times, this broad experimentation felt a cut above many of the other circus gigs at Fringe, yet at other moments there was a sense of disconnect between the skills on display and the atmosphere being built. Both these aspects taken individually were fabulous, but when brought together, at points they didn’t quite mesh.
The performers ran through a wide variety of circus apparatus and skills—hula hoops and aerial pole, silks and balance—as well as several other acts more focused on music or dance. The costuming was sublime, and, though this was not a burlesque show, at times clothing came off midair, and the pieces gracefully fell to the ground as if they were flowers or leaves from a Ghibli project.
An extended foot juggling routine concluded the show in an exhilarating and extremely satisfying fashion, as the artist moved through spinning star cloths, a cylinder, and a multitude of parasols. It was a stupendous finale, and by the end, the audience’s hearts were fully in their mouths.
A show of immense talent, for the most part GASHA achieved everything it set out to do. During the rare moments that it missed the mark, it was not for lack of ambition or belief in the works themselves. The overarching concept of a circus in a hypermodern Japan was a fabulously strong choice, and all performers acquitted themselves marvellously.