The Spiegeltent strikes me as a steampunk spaceship sent down
to teach us the art of the spectacle. In an unrelenting fast-paced show, a sold-out
crowd was treated to Cirque Du Fringe — jugglers, contortionists, dancers,
acrobats, slapstick comics, one guy who balanced 10 spinning plates on sticks
the way I saw it done on the Ed Sullivan Show, and two maniacs with crossbows.
(I mean, they did that whole William Tell apple on the head routine.)
Our lanky, likeable carnival-barking host started out the
show promising to cure your blues and irritable bowel syndrome, but it turned
into a psychedelic dream not unlike that episode of “The Simpsons” where Homer
trips out on insanity peppers. The real trippy part was the two-man orchestra.
Not a duo. Not a combo. Not a band. But a goddamned orchestra, who despite the
hi-jinx flying around them, laid an amazing multi-layered, multi-styled
soundtrack to the proceedings. Though they were merely two, the guitarist had a
pedal board that rivaled Air Force One.
I was in stitches the whole time and laughing soda through my
nose when I wasn’t using it to wash down the fingernails that I chewed
nervously in other spots — did I mention the crossbows? I don’t want to give
too much away with a blow-by-blow playback. Suffice it to say, this is an
awesome, not to be missed hootenanny.
“Miracle Cure” will be performed each day of the Fringe in
the Spiegeltent. Check rochesterfringe.com for specific times. $29. Appropriate
for ages 13 and older.
This article appears in Sep 14-20, 2016.
