The members of Sideshow Macabre have a very clear idea of what they want to be. Dark and mysterious, weird, a little disturbed and very disturbing: this would probably go a long way to summing up how they wish to appear to the audience. They revel in the image of the carny. Unfortunately, there’s a great gaping hole where the ringleader should be, leaving their performance as a hollow idea devoid of cohesion.
Sideshow Macabre is a late night variety show of burlesque, circus and cabaret put on by Twisted Vaudeville, a circus-themed entertainment company. When the audience enter, the performers are already onstage and scattered through the venue, creating the sinister sense of having wandered accidentally into the dark world of the sideshow. You’re at the mercy of the carnies now.
From there, the show cycles through acts, with occasional narration from a man you might guess is the MC, though he fails to effectively provide any structure. The main source of fuel for Sideshow Macabre is titillation, so there’s plenty of that: hooks and needles through skin, a little blood, some almost-nudity, a live snake. Each act relies on one or two gimmicks, leaving the performative aspects to fend for themselves. The burlesque dancer (Meegan Orenshawll) takes off her tassel-ringed dress, but forgets her sensuality and is rushed and anxious in her dancing. The snake lady (Chelsea Buns) pries her live python from a basket, but then she just kind of totes it around the audience as a hollow spectacle. The only really stand-out performance was a circus act involving a boy (Beau Sargent) and a fishnet. He took his time, and was probably the only unselfconscious performer of his company.
There is this idea touched upon that the performance is for the audience’s pleasure and the performers’ discomfort and pain – that the performers are a company of creepy masochistic thrill-seekers sacrificing themselves for our enjoyment. This could have been a fantastic driving concept if pulled off well. Unfortunately, without solid direction or leadership, Sideshow Macabre ends up abrupt, underdeveloped and slack, floundering in the shadow of its own potential.
Rating: 2 ½ stars out of 5
Twisted Vaudeville Circus presents:
Sideshow Macabre
Performed by Paul Grabovac, Robert Townsend, Beau Sargent, Jessica Smart, Ben Steele, Meegan Orenshawll, Siahne Rodgers, Ryan Shulz, Todd Denzel, Samantha Smith and Sarah Healy
Director and Producer: Kelly Cook
De Parel Spiegeltent
Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge
20-23 February
Fringe World 2013
www.fringeworld.com.au
25 January – 24 February
