From seeing him on stage to locking eyes at a lounge room disco, comedian Tom Ballard only had eyes for Harley, a handsome circus acrobat
I
met Harley at the Adelaide Fringe festival in 2020. We were sharing a venue in the Garden of Unearthly Delights; I was doing my standup show, he was performing in a group circus show. I was all set to move to the UK later that year to become a West End star (or something), so I wasn’t looking for a relationship.
One night I sat in on the circus show and, when I saw Harley in action, I was smitten. About halfway in he performed this stunning rope routine and there was something fundamentally sexy about him rolling around in the air, shirtless and sweaty, coiling and unfurling that rope around him. Obviously, I thought it was really cool art etc, but also, you know – hot.
When we met in the shared dressing room after the show, I just assumed he was straight. Later we got talking in the artist bar and I casually mentioned that I was going to a Disney-themed night at the local gay bar, Mary’s Poppin. I was delighted when Harley said he’d like to join me – sending a very strong “not straight” signal – and I was further encouraged when his circus friends politely declined to come along, presumably to give us some space.
