Replacing crowd favourites Blanc de Blanc and Blanc de Blanc Encore as the Garden’s headline act by production company Strut & Fret this year, The Party promises a wild night of debauchery and mayhem. All “social climbers, rich kids, gate crashers and hangers-on” are invited to experience the night with the cast of nine.

Upon entering the Spiegeltent, it’s immediately obvious The Party isn’t going to be the same grand production audiences enjoyed with Blanc. The stage is noticeably smaller, hinting at a more intimate affair.

From the first shot of the confetti gun, it’s high energy and antics – there’s about a 30-second wait for full-frontal nudity.

Although the stage is smaller, every inch of the set – the exterior of a multi-storey home – is danced on and catapulted off. Costumes are neon, sequinned, feathered and, above all, tight.

Musically, there’s a little something for every taste – twerking to classical music, Pavarotti with strategically-placed socks, and a high-energy dance number to Queen.

The cast come with stellar biographies that create high expectations, but the production on stage falls short of these. Much of the show draws out the party theme with smut and comedy; when we do get peeks of the performers’ athleticism and abilities, they’re tiny treats.

Circus performer Keaton Hentoff-Killian has worked with Australian circus company C!RCA, Cirque du Soleil and Midnight Circus; in The Party, his acrobatics are seemingly, impossibly, in slow motion. Angela Leigh McIlroy-Wagar, also a Cirque du Soleil alum, provides another high point –  you’ve probably never seen an aerial routine to a “Can’t Touch This” and “Superfreak” remix.

The performers make their way through the party with the aid of fun film quotes and lip-synched songs, until Swedish performer Amanda Lindgren’s own voice is revealed. Seasoned in musicals (she performed her role of Anne Boleyn in Six the Musical at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee), Lindgren’s moment under the spotlight is a lovely, quiet gem amid the mayhem.

The flickers of skill are fleeting, and all too quickly we’re back to neon-clad bodies bouncing around to the next song. Even a few drinks down, it’s a bit like being the sober one at the party, watching your friends’ antics.

The Party (recommended for audiences 18+) is in The Spiegeltent in the Garden of Unearthly Delights until March 19.

Read more 2023 Adelaide Fringe stories and reviews on InReview here.