There’s no dancing elephants in the Circus Of Horrors. There’s just an angry-looking madman covered in blood chasing a woman around the stage with a knife. Well, him, the rest of the cast, a bucket or two of fake blood and special effects aplenty.
"People have become very spoilt by television," sighs Wasp Boy, relieved at having removed the wince-inducing 22-inch corset. "It’s getting harder and harder to impress people, so the stunts have to be more and more extreme. Back in the old days, people used to flock to the circus, and they would be amazed at what they saw. A lot of people came for the animals - many people had never seen a bear or a tiger, and so the circus was something you talked about for months. Now the animals are gone, and you see the illusions on the television every day. You have to change continually; have to keep on pushing the boundaries, just to keep up with people’s expectations."
Sebastian "Wasp Boy" Vittorini is every inch the modern circus performer - squeezing himself into the most unnatural shape imaginable, he writhes around the stage dangling various heavy metallic objects from his body piercings and ramming spikes through his tongue. His is certainly not the most bizarre act in the circus - the hypnotism scene and the fire-breather swinging from a trapeze by her hair are typical of the comically macabre atmosphere the circus brings.
In an age where circuses have had to change or die, only a handful have really generated the enthusiasm necessary for success. Cirque du Soleil, with its Disney-style magical quality and world-class performances is absolutely unmissable, and unforgiveably expensive. Much the same applies to the Moscow and Chinese state circuses.
The Circus of Horrors is unique as it brings the thrills of the aforementioned gasp-fests at a price everyone can afford. The performers are not the best in the world - they are (almost) normal human beings, which makes their death-defying stunts seem all the more incredible. There are no safety-nets, no barriers and one of the most stunning finales you will ever see. The Rocky Horror-style songs will raise a smile, and if the illusions don’t impress you, the fire juggling and chainsaws certainly will.
The circus is a production by the legendary Archaos, who first brought the chainsaws ‘n’ motorbikes school of big tops to prominence. All these elements are present in the CoH, as are sword fights, limbo dancing and a naked girl in a bottle.
I asked host with the most Haze if all the nudity and fake blood might be inappropriate for a younger audience:
"It all depends on the context, really. When there is nudity in the show, it is funny. A naked hunchback with scary makeup is funny, as is the bottle girl. It’s supposed to make you laugh. It’s the same with all the fake blood - it’s not supposed to frighten you, it’s all a bit of fun. People know what to expect when they come to the show. We make it very clear what to expect, and if people don’t like the idea of the Circus of Horrors, they don’t come along."
But people are coming along. They come along time and again, because the Circus of Horrors attracts the same fun-loving cult following as The Rocky Horror Show. Already becoming legendary, and touring continually, it appears that the Circus of Horrors is something that, like it or not, is going to be part of our lives for some time to come. Which is just as well for those of us who do like it.
Circus of Horrors... come on and enjoy
the nightmare!.... whahahahahahah!