Description

Not many of us were alive to experience migrating freak shows in their natural habitat, but the Seattle-based Circus Contraption understands that we carry a deep memory of them in our cultural DNA. This tight-knit ensemble fulfills every child's fantasy of seeing the creepy, dusty relics stashed in musty old corners come to vivid life.

The company's Grand American Traveling Dime Museum, its third full-lenth endeavor (and NYC debut), is a kising cousin to knowingly eerie Victoriana like Shockheaded Peter, but it's doused with a distinctly American snake oil. The house band (which for my money kicks the asses of Peter's Tiger Lillies) emits a hot, jazzy oompah as the titular museum's exhibits (pickled punks, flying fortune tellers, sick ostriches, unicycling cavemen) frolic in the air, on the ground and all over the intricate, quasiconstructivist set.

The line betweeen circus and theater is sublimely straddled, such as when "necrobatte" Acrophelia (Evelyn Bittner) escapes from a glass case and, after singing a haunting song about her life (or lack thereof), gets tossed repeatedly into the air by her smitten keeper (Jason Williams) before returning to the display. The confluence of story and stunt is so good that other bits, displaying technical aplomb though lacking drama, suffer in comparison. But it's ungrateful to grouse: The show offers enough moments of pure genius to make even the most hardened urbanite pine for old, weird America.  - Jeff Lewonczyk, Time Out NewYork

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/circuscontraption

Miss Kitten on the Keys is a one Mam BAND! She's a frisky pianist and songwriter. She strokes her ukulele,squeezes her accordion! She performs at Cabaret , Vaudeville, Punk Rock, Art and Film Festivals and Burlesque Shows across the country and in France! She loves Tin Pan Alley Flapperette faves and writes her own naughty dirty cabaret ditties! She has a panache for deconstructing Punk Rock songs into her own genre, and been dubbed the Punk Rock Betty Boop by the French Press! Bill Picture of the SF Chronicle calles her, " A San Frencisco Punk Rock Burlesque Gem" She has toured with Cabaret New Burlesque, Devotchka with Burlesquefest, The Damned Twisted Cabaret, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2008, and the Teaseorama Road Show ! Kitten has performed sold out shows in The Netherlands, Italy, and France. She will be seen in Mattieu Almaric's new film TOURNEE in 2010. 

Fore more information, visit www.myspace.com/kittenonthekeys