Life: The Show comes to the Spiegeltent: you have been warned

But should we start to worry that this year’s headline act Life: The Show comes with a word of warning?

“This show contains drug references, full frontal nudity, attempted pyrokinesis, and adult concepts.”

Bring it on.

The show opens with a little Hilltop Hoods, as the main character, as such, a suit-clad clown (Dutch circus performer Goos Meeuwsen) wanders around the stage to the mantra of “sleep, wake up, go to work, masturbate, sleep”.

Welcome to life. We join his journey, from birth, to first love, to fatherhood, to death, and all the messy bits inbetween.

Along the way fire extinguisher foam is sprayed across the stage to represent the thrill of first love, while two acrobats weave and thrust their bodies inside a clear plastic tube hanging from the ceiling to signify the passage of semen during sex. A character breastfeeds with a vacuum cleaner and maybe, there'll be paint thrown over private parts. You've been warned.

“We’re never trying to make people feel uncomfortable,” says clown Helena Bittencourt

“The show is just an honest perspective of all the elements that make up love and family, it’s a chaotic comedy that people can relate to in many ways.”

Bittencourt, originally from Brazil, made her first appearance on stage at the age of seven and instantly fell in love with the theatre. She studied at the Theater University in Rio and concurrently graduated from the National Circus School of Brazil. She’s worked with Cirque du Soleil and has travelled the world as an acrobat, singer and dancer.

Rechelle Mansour, who sings and dances in Life: The Show has also played some big stages around the world.

“I’ve performed in arenas in front of thousands and thousands of people but there is something magical about the Spiegeltent,” she says.

“It’s so intimate and so beautiful, you walk in and you feel like you're in another world.

“It took me a while to get used to being so close to the audience, as a dancer on stage you don't get to connect with people like that.

“It took me a while to get used to staring at people's faces but now that's my favourite part. You really get to form a relationship with the audience, it's so personal and it makes their experience 100 times more special as well.”

The show also features powerhouse vocalist Lee Taylor, saxophonist Blaise Garza from the Violent Femmes, acrobat Tim Kriegler (La Clique) and Brooklyn’s drumming powerhouse Attis Clopton.

“While there is a thread, about the main character’s life journey, it really is just a great variety show, grown-up cabaret.

“We have live music, circus, dancing, singing, clowns, comedy, we've got people flying, people on the floor, there's so much in it, it's a lot of fun.

“Through this journey, there’s fun and colour and madness but sadness too, the emotions of someone's life.

“We see the audience go through a journey with us, the highs and lows, there are lots of party moments but lots of serious moments where we see the audience making a connection with their life and the life we're portraying on stage.”

Life: The Show, March 30-April 21, tickets from $69. The Spiegeltent, Canberra Theatre Forecourt. canberratheatrecentre.com.au

March 30-April 21

Life: The Show (Circus/Cabaret): A joyous cocktail of entertainment and enlightenment, featuring an awe-inspiring combination of circus, cabaret and acrobatics - a bold and immersive celebration of what it means to be human, and the extraordinary capabilities of the human body. March 30-April 21.

Paul McDermott and Steven Gates: Go Solo: Songs of beauty, songs of heartbreak, freshly-minted comedy concoctions, old squabbles and spontaneous nonsense. Two of Australia’s most adored singer-songwriters lock harmonies and minds in one unmissable show. Paul McDermott (Doug Anthony All Stars) and Steven Gates (Tripod) have been friends for 18 years, and singing together in private for five years. It’s time for them to share. April 10.

Osher Günsberg: Back after the Break: Join Osher Günsberg for an intimate evening packed full of raw honesty, genuine emotion and plenty of laughs as he unveils the stories in his bestselling memoir Back, After the Break. April 14.

Peter Helliar: Big Boy Pants: After popular demand Peter Helliar is bringing his acclaimed show Big Boy Pants back to the stage for one night only! Come for the Boy. Stay for the Pants. Don’t miss the chance to see Peter Helliar’s best show yet. April 20.

Elixir featuring Katie Noonan: Gratitude and Grief: Multi-platinum selling and five-time ARIA Award-winning singer and songwriter Katie Noonan rejoins her ARIA Award-winning jazz trio Elixir featuring Zac Hurren – for a magical evening of music and poetry. March 31.

Mick Harvey: Intoxicated Man – the songs of Serge Gainsbourg: Co-founder and guitarist of Nick Cave and Bad Seeds, The Birthday Party and The Boys Next Door, long-time producer and band member for PJ Harvey and soundtrack composer, award winning multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey brings the songs of Serge Gainsbourg to The Spiegeltent. Performing from his four albums of translated Serge Gainsbourg songs Harvey will be joined by J.P. Shilo, Dan Luscombe, Glenn Lewis, Hugo Cran, a string section and Xanthe Waite. April 3.

Carlotta: Queen of the Cross: Australian icon, political activist, showbiz royalty, living legend: Carlotta has led an extraordinary life. Outrageously funny and brutally honest, the inspiration for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert takes you on another whirlwind ride with songs and stories from 50 years on and off the stage. Accompanied by Helpmann Award winner Michael Griffiths on piano, she sings the classics by Berlin, Rogers and Hart, Sondheim and her dear friend, Peter Allen. April 4.

Mojo Juju: After a decade honing the art of story-telling, Mojo Juju has made the boldest move imaginable; she has decided to finally just be the story. Native Tongue is a fitting title for the third studio album from Mojo Juju and it is her very essence laid bare. It is raw, honest, emotional and intrinsically political. It is also brutal and relentlessly real. April 5.

Archie Roach: Raoch’s career has spanned three decades. His work has been recognised locally and internationally. He has shared the stage with some of the world’s most iconic artists, including the late Leonard Cohen, Rodriguez, Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, Billy Bragg, Paul Simon, Joan Armatrading, Suzanne Vega and Patti Smith. His music speaks the stories of his people, of this land and of the human condition. His voice – uniquely Australian and undeniably universal – continues to resonate for us all. April 6.

Emma Pask: Award winning vocalist Emma Pask has firmly established herself as one of Australia’s favourite voices in jazz. Her extraordinary talent was first spotted by multi-instrumentalist James Morrison when she was just 16 years old. Emma first sang with James’ band that night and their musical collaboration has continued to entertain audiences nationally and internationally over the past 20 years. April 6.

Djuki Mala: This Indigenous dance sensation and landmark dance/theatre company that took the world by storm presents their internationally acclaimed smash hit production. Unique, infectious, high-energy … like a confetti cannon point blank to the heart. Djuki Mala wow audiences with a spectacular fusion of traditional dance, pop-culture and storytelling that is a marvel of timing, comedy and clowning with a hefty dose of heart and soul. April 12-13.