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The Sexy, Risqué, Rocky Horror Circus in SF

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The Great Start theatre has been acting as a circus big top while Rock Horror Circus Show by The Vespertine Circus wows and entertains crowds. Expect to see is some of the sexiest circus performances around with teasing, dancing, silliness, heckling from the crowd and some danger as well.

Photo of Lyra Levin by Wirehead Arts

This show is very much 18+ as it’s very sexy – including multiple strip teases. The crowd came to party as well. All who attended were expected to wear their masks the whole performance but many matched their mask with wearing lingerie, pasties, and/or assless chaps. After 2+ years of hiding indoors without shows to attend, seeing folks lean in and participate was refreshing and much needed.

Cyr wheel performance Rocky (Elijah Cherweznik) and  Janet (Nina Sawant) – photo by by Reese Brindisi

The show starts out with a silly dance by cast members. Then a PSA from the circus’ Ringleader, Bunny Holmes dressed as Magenta. She lets the crowd know of some house rules to keep the audience safe as well as the performers. Attendees taunted her a bit and she smiled and rolled with it with off-the-cuff jokes right back at them. There was also a quick “sexiest mask” competition with a few crowd members which got us jazzed for what was to come.

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Photo of Colin Creveling playing Riff Raff taken by Wirehead Arts

Each performance had its own unique take on key scenes within the cult classic Rocky Horror, using well known music which spanned decades. Some of my favorite performances include Magenta (Holmes) and Riff Raff (Colin Creveling) on the tightrope doing “The Time Warp” and Rocky’s cyr wheel performance (Elijah Cherweznik) where he falls in love with Janet (Nina Sawant). Seanmichael Polaris is also stunning in their performance as Frank-N-Furter. Honestly, all performances were spectacular in their own way. I left feeling like the Bay Area is a bit back to its old self – giving us moments to just to sit in wonder, smile and laugh.

“Duo cyr wheel? Check! Unique apparatuses? Check! Duo aerial chain? Yep! That too! Duo tightwire? Of course!! A motorcycle rides through the audience? Sure, why not! A giraffe unicycle rides through the audience? Also yes. Comedy? Quite a bit! Aerial acts? Pole? Burlesque? Juggling? Contortion? Dance? Weird entrances and exists? Bisexual lighting? …There is a lot going on in this show. We have so much equipment in the wings we barely fit ourselves. Come for the shoes, stay for the butts.” – Bunny Holmes

Catch it at the newly renovated Great Star in Chinatown. The last weekend offering of this spectacle is March 17th-19th and is a must-see event (with doors at 8:15pm and the show starting at 9:00pm.)

Tickets are available here

May be an image of 1 person and text that says 'THE ROCKY CIRCUS SHOW CREATED AND PERFORMED BY THE VESPERTINE CIRCUS LIVE THE GREAT STAR THEATER IN SAN FRANCISCO MARCH 3rd MARCH 19th, 2022'

Rocky Horror flier by The Vespertine Circus

 

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Katy Atchison

Katy Atchison

Katy has lived in The Bay Area since the age of 3. While other kids were attending summer camp & soccer practice, she was raised selling wares at craft shows with her working artist parents and spent vacations in a small 1920s Montana log cabin. This has all given her a unique perspective on the ever-changing texture of San Francisco and the Greater Bay Area. Currently a blend of all that is The Bay Area - she's a web designer at a tech-company, artist and DIY teacher.