A resentful ringmaster. A bed of nails. A killer clown. Snakes and…. an elephant, of sorts. The Cursed Circus at Cortland Repertory Theatre is meant to entertain, and possibly scare.
Jo Boring, owner of Go Jo Productions, is debuting her new show “The Cursed Circus” at 7:30 p.m. May 4 at Cortland Repertory Theatre Downtown. Boring showcases talent from upstate New York through different independent drag, burlesque and variety shows, she said.
“I believe in drag and burlesque as social statements,” Boring said. “There’s body positivity, inclusivity, diversity, as well as the entertainment factor. It’s something I really believe in, and that’s why I do what I do.”
In this variety show, which is for people 18 and older, Boring plays a ringmaster who hopes to have the greatest show on Earth, but it comes at the cost of one human life per town.
For the Cursed Circus, she reached out to all the sideshow performers she knew, and let them create an act based on the circus theme.
“I like giving them the prompt, but not telling them what to do because the performers have wild creativity,” Boring said. “They’re very talented. They are choosing their music, their costumes and their act.”
A woman with snakes, a killer clown, a songbird in a cage, and a magician will perform. Syracuse-based sideshow performer Jim Goodrich, who goes by the stage name Russel n’ Feathers, will lie on a bed of nails and become a human blockhead.
“It’s not a magician’s trick, it’s all science,” Goodrich said. “There’s no actual tricks to sideshow. It’s actually happening. When you lay on a bed of nails, you’re laying on sharp nails. When you walk on broken glass, you’re walking on broken glass.”
Goodrich got into sideshow acts when he saw it at a traveling circus as a teenager. Soon after, he was able to stick objects down his nasal cavity. He is now learning to swallow swords, he said.
“It’s not something you get to see every day,” Goodrich said. “It’s going to be a phenomenal show.”
“Even though I can’t have animals, I nod to that as much as possible,” Boring said. “There’s actually a burlesque trio act with one as a trainer and two performers inside an elephant.”
Boring has previously played Elvis, Liza Minelli, Edgar Allan Poe and Marie Antoinette in previous shows.
There will be a cash bar of wine and beer.
“It’s a fun show, but it does have that kind of dark beauty to it, but in a cheeky and silly way,” Boring said. “I do think I put on a hell of a show. I’m very passionate about it, and I put a lot into it. I think there is enormous talent in upstate New York and I love to showcase that. People will see something that they have never seen before; people leave the show and can’t wait for the next one.”
