When SIDE SHOW Freaks Becomes a Thing of Beauty

 By Migz Trinidad

Oddities stir a huge population who bores from the familiar. Humans have this undeniable itch to satisfy the curious brain from the unusual and the extraordinary happening in a blank society. Before the advent of technology became one of our main sources of entertainment, there was the circus.

Sandbox Collective’s director Toff De Venecia took us back in time when freaks dominated the stages. Entering the Powermac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater was like a Barnum & Bailey Circus which was popularized by America’s greatest showman, P.T. Barnum. With a touch of modern iterations like the cascading old screens of a drive-thru projector theater, it elevated the viewing experience thanks to their partnership with Panasonic.

 

The casts themselves were lively and wildly entertaining. The show centered around the Siamese Twins played by Molly Langley & Krystal Kane as Violet and Daisy, respectively. Along with Reb Atadero as Terry Connor, Vien King as Buddy Foster, Joshua Cabiladas as Jake or the Cannibal Man. Jon Santos as the Boss brings out the true essence of a showman with the rest of the ensemble who completed the acts of this wild circus.

 

Apart from the atypical nature of the freaks. We were given these intimate glimpses of kindness, sibling love, and care from a world revolving around strict business and exploitation. Jake was like the MVP who stuck around the twins with genuine love despite his crude nature. There was also drama between love interests and a few comedic inserts which added a bit of spice to the production. Director Toff has made sure his final direction would be a celebration of our inner freak as the directive torch has been handed to Sab Jose for future shows.

 

Just as we thought we attended the show ender. We were greeted with a surprise that SIDE SHOW will be EXTENDING for one more day with two shows available for August 14^th, Sunday. Tickets are available on Ticket2Me.net or through the show buyers.

 

After the show we were left with a reminder that there’s a spark of beauty in every circus freak.