Cabaret act Pink Flamingo takes over Virgin flight from the Gold Coast

Festival Plaza is set to look a little different over the coming weeks, thanks to a group who landed in Adelaide in a whirlwind of chaos this week.

A wave of confusion transformed into delight on a Virgin flight from the Gold Coast Tuesday morning after a burst of feathers and a booming “bonjour” suddenly interrupted service.

All 176 unsuspecting passengers on flight 1446 were treated to a cabaret flashmob shortly after take off, with first-time Fringe act Pink Flamingo bringing its rambunctious production down the aisle.

Showcasing a tweaked rendition of Frank Sinatra’s Come Fly With Me to announce their upcoming run of shows, faux French MC and singer Jerome, dancers Mitzi and Serena, strong man Desko and mute clown Zoot were a dazzling sight to behold.

A nod to Adelaide’s abundance of events come this time of year — and a sign of two polar-opposite worlds colliding mid-air — about 30 in the crowd were heading along to the South Australian Caravan and Camping Supershow.

“That was very unexpected but cool,” Gold Coast resident and Lotus caravan salesman Dean Sly told The Advertiser.

“I knew something was up before we took off, but I didn’t know what,” he said of boarding the flight with five flamboyantly-costumed passengers.

“If there’s time during the caravan show I’ll definitely head along to something,” he said, admitting he’d only heard about the Fringe recently on the radio.

A young Port Lincoln family sitting nearby were similarly stunned by the frenzy, with brothers Reggie, 5, and Alfie, 3, pulling themselves away from their iPads to watch in awe as the troupe shimmied their way down the plane.

Three-year-old Alfie, with dad Dan Petherick, didn’t know what to make of the performance. Picture: Supplied

Meanwhile, five-year-old Reggie was enthralled. Picture: Supplied

“That was something different!,” their dad Dan Petherick — who was the lucky recipient of one of three double passes to a Pink Flamingo show during the flight — said.

He planned to take his partner Megan Tapley for a date night to one of the R18+ performances of the group’s two offerings – circus show Zirque La La and cabaret Forbidden.

Virgin Australia is the official airline partner of the Adelaide Fringe this year, with customers loving the in-flight thrill.

“It was very colourful! It was a bit hard to see up the back but I reversed my camera to get the full view and it was great,” another caravan show attendee from the Gold Coast, Bill Parsons said, joking that the upcoming caravan show was “like another mini Fringe Festival” without the glitz and glamour.

Bill Parsons came to Adelaide for caravans and got a surprise dose of cabaret on the way. Picture: Supplied

Passengers were confused, then delighted, by the surprise. Picture: Supplied

An elderly couple seated at the front of the plane said they couldn’t wait to ring their daughter and tell them about the “lovely” surprise when they landed.

Others were simply pleased to get a taste of the festival state before hitting the ground, not least of which the performers themselves — many of whom have never set foot in Adelaide.

Pink Flamingo is taking its show on the road from fixed venues in Brisbane and the Gold Coast for the very first time, with 10 performers aboard the flight and a truck loaded with feathered headpieces and colour corsets following close behind.

Adelaide Fringe act Pink Flamingo pictured with the Virgin cabin crew. Picture: Supplied

Harking back to the glory days of Surrender and Barrio formerly on offer during the Adelaide Festival, Pink Flamingo will hold proud position on Festival Plaza for all five weeks of the Fringe.

Member of Pink Flamingo from the very beginning Rudi Testa — who dons a “rescue” orange wig and mock French accent as affable host Jerome — started his career as a high school drama kid-come-passionate afficianado of dinner theatre, formerly at iconic Gold Coast venue Dracula’s Cabaret.

He told The Advertiser he was looking forward to seeing other Fringe shows around the city while sampling the treats of the Adelaide Central Markets with his wife.

For Desko Amat, a former bricklayer from Spain, the trip means seeing more of Australia, the country he’s called home for only a year.

Meanwhile, mute clown Zoot – who goes by Malin as a performer and Thomas Stewart by day as a teacher – is embarking on his seventh Fringe, following appearances in Perth and Edinburgh.

He said Fringe festivals are a welcome opportunity to catch up with the many artists he’s met over the years.

The Advertiser travelled as guests of Virgin Australia, the Adelaide Fringe and Pink Flamingo