“The history of Oberon is clouded in mystery,” one of the paranormal investigators warns at the start of the Boston Circus Guild’s “Cirque of the Dead,” “which is to say nobody at Harvard would give me any information.”
The show—at Oberon in Cambridge from Oct. 18 to 31, 2019—follows the funny-scary adventures of the investigators as they prowl the theater for signs of monsters and ghouls and corny gags.
“Any discomfort or disgust you might feel is entirely intentional,” an announcer warns at the beginning. It’s an “immersive, adults-only Halloween spectacular,” with winks at “The Evil Dead,” “Scooby-Doo” and other horror franchises. Creepy ghouls and harlequins wander around and through the audience. Don’t interact with the spirits, one of the investigators warns, “It is super rude. Ghosts are people too.”
“Cirque of the Dead” might be described as the love child of trashy horror flicks and Cirque du Soleil. Dazzling performers swing above the audience on ropes, silks, a lyra (hoop) and trapeze. They spin and tumble and balance in improbable feats of acrobatics. And director Corinne Mason notes, you’ll encounter “creepy clowns. Just what everybody needs.”
Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Synthrock and nerd-nostalgia band Minusworld, performs at intermissions of the Boston Circus Guild’s “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)Boston Circus Guild rehearses “Cirque of the Dead” at Oberon, Cambridge, Oct. 16, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)
