An Alternative 4th of July

We celebrated July 4th a little differently this year.

G, Marc, Johanna and I continued the recent circus theme and headed to Cirque Berzerk. (Tickets available at deeply discounted rates on Goldstar.)

(No photos were allowed inside the show, but check out this clip for a peak.)

If Tim Burton were to put on a circus, it might look something like this. It’s also descriptive that Cirque Berzerk debuted at Burning Man in 2005. The concept of the current show, Beneath, takes you on journey to a circus in the land of the dead. The audience follows a young woman from her suicide and through the portal to other side – literally dropping through her coffin and landing in the underworld "beneath." The thread is thin, but continues throughout as the “dead” acrobats, aerialists, burlesque dancers, and goth clowns perform their acts for the audience.

Certainly, some acts are better than others. The dance numbers in the first act left something to be desired. They are kind of lackluster and our heroine’s performance is somewhat uninspired at this crucial point when this is all meant to be drawing us into a fantastical world. Similarly, the finale lacked the explosive climax I would have like to see in a show from the underworld.

However, there is plenty in between to delight and enthrall. A dance of beautiful black and white masked puppet beings redeem the choreography in the second act. A trampoline act performed by bouncing dead brothers is delightful. A beautiful aerial act seduces the audience as a male pair soars through the air. My particular favorite, however, was the gorgeously sexy acrobatic dance of two drowned lovers. Ultimately, the show was dark, sexy and fun and I was definitely left wanting more.

The Cirque Berzerk experience does not begin or end with the show, however. The audience is encouraged to come early and picnic in the surrounding Los Angeles State Historic Park. To tell the truth, this park is in a very industrial area of downtown LA, just outside Chinatown. I’ve passed it a million times and never noticed that it was a park – but there it is – grassy, with walking and biking trails -- and definitely an appropriate setting for this gothic circus.

We brought sandwiches, but food stands were available. As might be expected from such a surreal circus, alcohol is also available.

When it’s time for the show to start a giant, shrieking flame thrower signals it’s time to make your way into the Big Top.


After the show, we took advantage of the bar and jazzy, bluesy music of the band -- Vaud & The Villains. I would definitely recommend sticking around for this. The music was really good and the drinks weren’t unreasonable, although they are cheaper before the show than after.


The shows players come out to mingle, but we had a great time just chatting, dancing, and taking in the scene, which was definitely conducive to goofing off.

Being a total ham and extremely fond of costumes, I dressed up for the occasion. The music provided the little encouragement I needed to put on a vaudeville-style dance all own my own in our little corner of the park.

Johanna occasionally danced with me. Greg and Marc ignored me. The carnival atmosphere lead them to goof around in other ways, however – there were spontaneous photo shoots and soap-bubble blowing sessions. I felt this really completed the experience.

If there were any regrets as to missing the fireworks, shows in downtown were visible from the park . . . and the occasional eruption of the shrieking flame whistle definitely appeased my inner pyromaniac.