Theatre of the macabre

Lynn and I went to see Carnival Diablo last night at the Mine Mill Navy League Hall. Most of Sudbury's goth teen population was there -- probably about 150 attendees in all -- but I think our quasi-yuppie style mixed with Lynn's big baby belly at a late-night carny revival show was more genuinely freaky/weird than anything the goths pulled off.

The show started off with promise: Nikolai Diablo, the "Ringmonster", asked if there were any skeptics in the audience and I duly raised my hand, along with a couple of other brash young men. Nikolai held out 4 marked envelopes and asked us to each pick an envelope and display the contents to the audience. All of us showed a piece of paper marked YOURS, and Nikolai opened the remaining envelope to reveal a piece of paper marked MINE. It was classic vaudevillian style, and it was exactly what we had come to see.

The rest of the show had other classics: Nikolai hammering a nail into his nose, various demonstrations of mind-reading, guillotines and electric chairs, insect-eating and a bed of nails, liberally mixed with arch humour.

Verdict: *recommended*.