Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists The Circus of Horrors, freaked out locals when they came to Lincoln’s Theatre Royal on Sunday, November 20th.
A mixture of elderly and alternative people filled the theatre, squirming and hiding in terror as each member took to the stage to show exactly why it is they belonged in the circus.
The performance was titled “The Ventriloquist” and centred around Schmitt the ventriloquist doll as he took on a life of his own after his ventriloquist was outcast by the rest of the circus.
The audience was told at the beginning to expect to be squirted by blood and other fluids, but this seemed only a threat as nothing was thrown at the crowd. Doktor Haze also announced that the show was not for the faint hearted, easily scared or chavs.
Some of the acts caused you to wince in your seat but the majority were only novelty variety acts to lighten the mood a little. Kirstantino may have had a spectacular voice, but she didn’t really offer anything else to the show except pole dancing.
The Voodoo Warriors showed their strength by holding each other as high as possible in a variety of ways but again, added nothing to the show. Tony Garcia juggled up to seven ping-pong balls at such speed that there was a moment that you held your breath thinking that he wouldn’t be able to catch them all again.
Anastasia IV may have flown about the stage by her hair, but her act was very similar to that of the audition they did on Britain’s Got Talent. Denis Remnev showed of some pretty impressive aerialist moves and swung himself over the crowd at one stage.
Captain Dan, the smallest member of the circus, got the biggest laugh of all when he attached a hoover and a bowling ball to his penis. They were all impressive, but not what you’d expect from a circus that called themselves a freak show in the introduction.
Kristina Garcia was the highlight of the night with her contortion ability. Bending her body in ways that you wouldn’t have thought imaginable, she even managed to shoot a bow and arrow with her feet so precisely that she popped a balloon the other side of the stage.
The Mongolian Laughing Boy was the act that made you scream more than any others, cutting himself open to pull out the yarn that he had just swallowed. It was during his performance that four audience members were brought up on stage. Three of which were included in his act, helping pull hair pins out of his face.
But the fourth one was stripped of her clothes and put on a spinning wheel as arrows were thrown at her. It wasn’t clear if she had been placed in the audience and that added to the shock factor of the whole performance.
Stephanie Mercury made a brief appearance and was suspended in the air just by her teeth. She was an act that left you wanting more and should have been included more than she was.
Another brief appearance was from ventriloquist Daniel Endrez. Although his appearance was brief, if it had been any longer, the story of his doll coming to life wouldn’t have worked as well as it did.
Doktor Haze was the one who held the whole performance together with his flamboyant costumes and singing. It was the ending that proved why he was the ring master – being stuffed into a box that was then set on fire for him to appear in the audience seconds later.
As a show, they all worked perfectly together and created a memorable performance and one that would make you want to go back again, even if you did leave with automatonophobia – the fear of ventriloquist’s dummies.