This year's class of performers lean more towards lounge singers, quirky comedians and cabaret-style gigs without the household stars you may have seen previously.

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Simon Hinton, artist director for Merrigong Theatre Company who are responsible for bringing the tent to town, said comedians like Dave Hughes or Tom Gleeson would still tour the region outside of March but they envisioned the Spiegeltent to have more of "a special club feel".

Another major difference was instead of having one key show there are three: Circa's Peepshow; Bernie Dieter's Club Kabarett and The Purple Rabbit by Strut & Fret (the people who brought you Deluxe Deluxe in 2019).

Christine Anu will lead the charge for musicians, which also include jazz singer Monica Trapaga and The Bachelor Pad, Gaby Moreno, Emma Pask and the Kermond Variety Show.

For younger audiences, Mechanical Mayhem is set in a steampunk laboratory as two eccentric inventors complete their last machine - the show rolling slapstick, circus, juggling and fun into one.

Read more: Dracula's theatre restaurant is en route to Wollongong

As for the funny stuff, audiences can still grab a laugh from the Aboriginal All Stars, Garry Starr performing all of Greek Mythology in less than 60 minutes in Greece Lightning; Roxee Horror's Beauty Pageant; and Stewart Reeve's one-man-show.

Andy Saunders from the All Stars said while their show has a "black slant" on life most people would be able to relate to jokes about being married or single, having kids and parody songs.

Saunders said it was great to get back touring again and enjoying that "buzz of making people laugh" after a tough couple of years.

"Everyone's been hit really hard, it's quite sad," he told the Mercury.

"When you're looking at 3000 tickets and $30 a ticket gone, that's feeding families for a long time ... even the huge entertainers like Justin Bieber, he had to cancel an entire tour. He lost millions and it left him sitting in one of his 12 mansions with only $200 million in the bank, poor bugger."

For more information and ticket details, visit: www.spiegeltentwollongong.com

Circa's Peepshow, March 9 - 12

Garry Starr - Greece Lightning, March 10

Roxee Horror's Beauty Pageant, March 11

Smith and the Devil, March 11 - 12

Mechanical Mayhem, March 12 - 27

Monica Trapaga and The Bachelor Pad, March 12

Stewart Reeve - Chameleon, March 13

Aboriginal Comedy Allstars, March 13

Bernie Dieter's Club Kabarett, March 16 - 20

Gaby Moreno, March 17

Meadowship, March 18 - 19

Christine Anu, March 18

Room for IMPROVment - The Pitch, March 19

Jamie MacDowell and Tom Thum, March 19

Emma Pask, March 20

The Purple Rabbit, March 23 - 27

SPIN - The ancient art of bullsh*tting, March 23

Just The Gist - Live!, March 24

Kay Proudlove, March 25 - 26

Club Briefs, March 25

The Strangeways Cabaret, March 26

Melanie Bracewell - Ooh La La, March 26

The Kermond Variety Show, March 27

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