Typical circus acts and themed cirque du soleil have been done so many times but none have dared to push the limits the way that Cirque Berzerk does. Affectionately referred to by many as “Tim Burton’s ideal nightmare,” Cirque Berzerk is a sexy Death-themed traveling circus, which experiments with edgy burlesque, saucy cabaret, alluring aerial acrobatics, daring fire eating, extreme contortion, and immoral temptation.
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.