It’s time to face facts: clowns are creepy. Of this we are all quite aware, I’m sure. There is something inherently shudder-inducing about the white face, the blood-red smile, the silent, piercing stare. Luckily, some of my LA brethren felt the same way, but instead of banning clowns at birthday parties and slamming the door in the face of little clown children on Halloween, they decided to embrace the sinister side of all things circus. I’m talking, of course, about Cirque Berzerk, LA’s only resident circus, a performance act that’s making creepy cool with seven performances a week through July 26th (August 9th – see comments – DL) at LA’s state historic park. Described as a “circus on acid,” this troupe has found a way to extract the most disturbing—and the most titillating—aspects of typical carnival culture and deliver them to the curious and salivating masses. And despite my (totally rational, thank you very much) aversion to clowns, I found myself among them on opening night. It didn’t hurt that as part of the experience, we were encouraged to get there early, cavort with the carney-couture-clad crew, peruse the wares, and belly up to the outdoor bar. Between breathtaking views of downtown at sunset, winning a few games on the antique pin ball machines and some, er, social lubrication with friendly face-painted folk, I found myself in the mood to take on anything I’d find inside the 1700-person big top tent.

Once inside, it was easy to see that Cirque Berzerk, while fantastical and even playful, also takes itself very seriously. Combined with a dark vaudeville aesthetic and a narrative about a “normal girl” who finds herself transported to the underworld, contortionists, acrobats, fire dancers, trapeze artists and stilt walkers performed with Cirque du Soleil-level athleticism and grace. Silk aerialists swung through the air, dipping low and flying high, burlesque dancers enticed and beckoned, and a group of gothic gymnasts used trampolines to create a rapid-fire, mesmerizing dance out of falling and jumping over a two-story wall. A live band perched in the shadows above the stage set the tone for each jaw-dropping feat and each eerie antic. And unlike a family-oriented Barnum and Bailey-style circus, the spectacle did not shy away from typically taboo themes like homoeroticism, homicide, polyamory, and BDSM, to name a few.

True, Cirque Berzerk is not a cheerful family affair, but in my opinion, it will leave you with fewer nightmares than that clown who came to your 2nd grade birthday party did. In fact, it may leave you with a few good fantasies instead.

Words by Christine Spehar, photos by Sidney McMullen