If You Build It, They Will Come

Saturday, May 30th, nestled in the open space between Dodger Stadium and Chinatown sometimes known as "the Cornfield,"  a circus tent goes up.  Heavy iron stakes are jackhammered into the ground, tall support towers are winched into place, a scaffolding is carefully lowered from a truck.  Once the large swathes of fabric are carefully laced together, its almost ready.  The word is given, and with the skyscrapers of downtown L.A.
watching in the distance, a new structure rises from the ether.

To see a slide show click HERE

 
This summer, the circus comes to town.  Cirque Berzerk, to be exact.  This macabre spectacle, resembling a trippy mix of Cirque du Soleil and Tim Burton, started in 2005 in the desert sands of Burning Man.  The brainchild of Kevin Bourque and Suzanne Bernel, Cirque Berzerk thrilled L.A. crowds last year with their wild and sexy, yet deliciously demented, circus performances.  It was so successful, in fact, that they needed to get a bigger tent.  This year's big top seats 1,750 people, nearly quadrupling their previous seating capacity.  The custom-built tent, imported from Italy, will reside majestically in the heart of Los Angeles for the duration of summer '09, providing a new venue for Southern California's live entertainment needs.
   
This venue, however, will be unique.  There's something magical about a circus tent.  Acrobats and contortionists, flame-eaters and sword swallowers, the fabled ringmaster... the mystique of the circus infuses these characters with an aura that goes beyond mere entertainment.  Like some mythical caravan from a child's dreams they come; beings fearsome and bold dwell here.