[2][3] The company began by producing contemporary circus-style shows for a heritage Belgian spiegeltent, made of wood and mirrors, which blurred the lines between passive performance and audience activity.

Founded and currently headed by Australian producer Ross Mollison,[4] Spiegelworld first opened in the summer of 2006 with the premiere of the show Absinthe on South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 on the East River in New York City.

In August 2008, Spiegelworld presented a third season on Pier 17 with two spiegeltents and three shows: Absinthe, Gazillionaire’s Late Night Lounge and Desir as well as a live music program and silent disco.

In 2016, Spiegelworld presented a series of development showcase seasons in Las Vegas and at Joe’s Pub in New York City of Never Sleep Alone, an interactive dating advice comedy featuring the character Dr. Alex Schiller.

Hosted by proprietress Madam Boozy Skunkton, Atomic Saloon Show plays in a small Wild West-themed venue inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

Audiences explore a maze of multiple bars, private dining rooms, balconies and booths while Skunkton’s staff perform acrobatic, comedy and variety acts on the tiny central stage.

[9] Spiegelworld premiered the Wild West themed Atomic Saloon Show at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, playing from August 1 to 25 in the Palais du Variete spiegeltent at Assembly George Square Gardens.

The show received 5-star reviews in The Times and The Scotsman, and then immediately transferred to its permanent Las Vegas home at the Atomic Saloon inside Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian.

[16] Select elements of Vegas Nocturne have since been presented at development showcase seasons at the Slipper Room and House of Yes in New York City and the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it was voted Strangest Show.

[19] In early 2018, Spiegelworld began creating Opium as a new show for Las Vegas which set out to combine an ensemble of comic characters, unusual variety acts and a retro outer space theme.