By Jasmin Shirazian
Under green stage lights, two leading musicians, Rah and Jonah, played lively beats with a guitar and heritage spoons. Fairies, clowns, Maleficent, and a variety of other creatures in costume littered the audience. Voices ricocheted off one another as audience members chatted amongst themselves, bursts of giggles coming from different friend groups in different pockets of the Gist Hall Theatre. One thing’s for sure — you absolutely could not hear a pin drop. Despite the show starting 20 minutes late, guests did not seem to mind the delay and spent the extra time enjoying themselves. Soon enough, a fairy and a merchant began the show by thanking the audience for their patience and enthusiastically pointed out exits and bathrooms, in case we needed to, “pee-pee, poo-poo, or vomit.”
And with that, the group of 30 or so clowns and fairies rushed onto the stage. With excessive noise and bright costumes, the chaos came to a sudden halt when someone — a clown planted in the audience — demanded it. After a few funny stumbles and steps, she insisted the clowns and fairies put on a true performance — to which they accepted in exchange for her soul. And so, the show continued.
The Fairy Cirque is one of the annual circus performances put on by the Humboldt Circus, a student-run club on campus. The show consisted of a number of acts; fairies dancing in a circle of mushrooms around a fallen maiden, a goose’s story of avenging their father’s death, the story of Hermie the Wormie at a summer bible camp, and so much more. The lighting of the show was spectacular, cuing the audience to shifts in the story, instigating laughter, applause, fear and all the other knee-jerking emotions that come with a performance such as this.
From storyline-infused dances, to interactive storytelling, to stand-up comedy, each act had a little bit of clown — or fairy — magic for everyone.
A crowd favorite act of the night revolved around a sleepaway bible camp, where they sang the song of Hermie the Wormie. The campers were met with a razor-clawed — or rather, metal-tonged — hazard suit-clad creature to deliver Hermie’s true story. Then, out came a group of cloaked actors to surround the bible campers, who were then forced to see a live-action recreation of Hermie the Wormie and its diet of humans.
Vaya Ren attended the show to support her friends who were involved in the performance. They, like many others, loved the bible camp skit and regarded it as the funniest act of the evening. Ren recalled non-stop laughing throughout the entire show and reveled in the audience’s matched energy.
“It’s been so delightful, so beautiful, so funny,” Ren said. “The crowd energy is so much fun; gosh, so much laughing. There’s been so many beautiful [performances].”
Anna Martinez, a former circus member, also attended the show to support her friends still active in the club.
“I just love the gay, raunchy vibes,” Martinez said. “I’m actually going to next weekend’s show as well, to see the extra acts that weren’t able to go on this week.”
Each act was accompanied by music, whether that be a pre-recorded track or the two live musicians. In one skit, condoms fell from the overhead lights and onto the performers, who then tossed them into the crowd.
Toby Hetrick, the self-titled Worm Dealer, joined the circus after leaving an abusive relationship, seeking to put those emotions and pain into their art. In doing that, they were led to a community that supports them.
“I really like the people,” Hetrick said. “It’s great — everyone is basically just as weird as I am.”
While this show is full of laughter, lights, jokes and joy, it can be a bit overwhelming at times for individuals who struggle with sensory issues or just a case of a low social battery. Nonetheless, for $8 tickets for students, it’s worth going and getting to see a community of silly individuals free to be their silly selves. If you missed the Fairy Cirque last week, your last chance until next semester is on Nov. 16 and 17.
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