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(Redirected from Side show)
In America, a 'sideshow' is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.
When a sideshow consists of a revolving program of ten different acts under one tent (or in rare cases, in one building), and the audience is allowed to see all ten acts for only one ticket price, the show is called a "Ten-in-One."
A sideshow that consists of a single act or attraction is known as a "Single-O." One example of a Single-O was the "Bonnie and Clyde Death Car" exhibit which appeared at fairs and carnivals for many years.
Today only a few "Ten in One" shows remain active in the United States. The Sideshow by the Seashore sponsored by Coney Island USA in Brooklyn, NY is perhaps the oldest. Hall and Christ's World of Wonders is one of the few shows that still tours the fairground circuit. Former phone salesman Jim Rose ran a modern sideshow called Jim Rose Circus whose last known performance was in October of 2005 at the Fright Dome at Circus Circus in Las Vegas, NV. A number of "Single O" attractions tour carnivals to this day, particularly on the East Coast, including The World's Smallest Woman, The Strange Thing, World's Smallest Horse, Angel the Snake Girl, Giant Snake, Giant Pig, and Giant Horse shows.
A few performers are attempting to create a bright future for this art form.
A few modern day shows have toured extensively. Circus Historian and collector Ken Harck runs the Brothers Grim Sideshow, which toured with the OzzFest music festival in the summer and 2006 and has been rebooked for 2007. Most other shows are sedentary to a city or region, with a few doing spot dates in different locations. There are also numerous solo sideshow artists performing across the US, mostly in spot engagements and corporate events, such as; Todd Robbins, Harley Newman, Sideshow Benny, Brett Loudermilk, Erik "Lizard Man" Sprague, Travis Fessler and a few others.
Another sideshow currently touring is the World of Wonder sideshow. It is run by Ward Hall and Chris Christ and it is the last show of its kind. No other touring show is as close to the original 10-in-1 as World of Wonders. More information on the show and Ward Hall can be found on www.sideshowworld.com
The Club scene was a boon for sideshows during 2002-2004 time period. This resurgence has been largely attributed to the rebellious image of sideshows. 2005 saw a marked decline in spectator interest in sideshows on both the club and corporate events scenes. Opinions on the reasons for this decline range from too many poor quality performances (this issue is often raised in the New York area), to audience fatigue, or a "been there, done that" mentality among the college set. The saturation of performers in the New York area may also be a factor.
Interestingly enough, the Jim Rose Circus continues to see large audiences, despite the general down-turn of the sideshow. The Jim Rose Circus performs only once or twice a year, with its last performance at Fright Dome at Circus Circus in Las Vegas in October of 2005.
Most of today's sideshows consist mainly of 'working acts' and 'made freaks' as well as the classic curiosity displays.
In Australia, the 2007 Sydney Royal Easter Show also introduced a sideshow program amongst its attractions.
Sideshows of old had a hierarchy of performers in terms of prestige, with "Born Freaks", people with congenital physical peculiarities, at the top, followed by "Made Freaks" such as tattooed men and women, and "Working Acts" such as sword swallowers and fire eaters. Contrary to contemporary perceptions, which holds the term freak show to be pejorative, many of the "Born Freaks" were not looked down upon by their fellow performers, and many were in fact the owners and operators of the shows.
Today the hierarchy is largely based on the abilities of the performers.
Main articles: Circus skills#Side Show Skills, Circus skills
The sideshow world includes a wide array of performers and performance types. The major categories include Human Oddity Acts (Natural acts, such as the fat lady, etc), Working Acts (acts people train to be able to perform, such as Fire breathing), Animal acts (such as a Flea circus, or Snake Charming act), Illusions, and Museum Shows (including pickled punks).
★ An excellent, though difficult-to-obtain book which discusses sideshows is "A Pictorial History of the American Carnival," by Joe McKennon (Popular Press, Bowling Green, Ohio. Copyright 1972 by Joe McKennon.)
Elly del Sarto in c. 1910
In America, a 'sideshow' is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.
When a sideshow consists of a revolving program of ten different acts under one tent (or in rare cases, in one building), and the audience is allowed to see all ten acts for only one ticket price, the show is called a "Ten-in-One."
A sideshow that consists of a single act or attraction is known as a "Single-O." One example of a Single-O was the "Bonnie and Clyde Death Car" exhibit which appeared at fairs and carnivals for many years.
| Contents |
| Current Status of the American Sideshow |
| Modern Touring Sideshows |
| The New York Scene |
| Other Active Sideshows |
| Hierarchy |
| Sideshow Acts and Skills |
| Resource material |
Current Status of the American Sideshow
Today only a few "Ten in One" shows remain active in the United States. The Sideshow by the Seashore sponsored by Coney Island USA in Brooklyn, NY is perhaps the oldest. Hall and Christ's World of Wonders is one of the few shows that still tours the fairground circuit. Former phone salesman Jim Rose ran a modern sideshow called Jim Rose Circus whose last known performance was in October of 2005 at the Fright Dome at Circus Circus in Las Vegas, NV. A number of "Single O" attractions tour carnivals to this day, particularly on the East Coast, including The World's Smallest Woman, The Strange Thing, World's Smallest Horse, Angel the Snake Girl, Giant Snake, Giant Pig, and Giant Horse shows.
A few performers are attempting to create a bright future for this art form.
Modern Touring Sideshows
A few modern day shows have toured extensively. Circus Historian and collector Ken Harck runs the Brothers Grim Sideshow, which toured with the OzzFest music festival in the summer and 2006 and has been rebooked for 2007. Most other shows are sedentary to a city or region, with a few doing spot dates in different locations. There are also numerous solo sideshow artists performing across the US, mostly in spot engagements and corporate events, such as; Todd Robbins, Harley Newman, Sideshow Benny, Brett Loudermilk, Erik "Lizard Man" Sprague, Travis Fessler and a few others.
Another sideshow currently touring is the World of Wonder sideshow. It is run by Ward Hall and Chris Christ and it is the last show of its kind. No other touring show is as close to the original 10-in-1 as World of Wonders. More information on the show and Ward Hall can be found on www.sideshowworld.com
The New York Scene
The Club scene was a boon for sideshows during 2002-2004 time period. This resurgence has been largely attributed to the rebellious image of sideshows. 2005 saw a marked decline in spectator interest in sideshows on both the club and corporate events scenes. Opinions on the reasons for this decline range from too many poor quality performances (this issue is often raised in the New York area), to audience fatigue, or a "been there, done that" mentality among the college set. The saturation of performers in the New York area may also be a factor.
Interestingly enough, the Jim Rose Circus continues to see large audiences, despite the general down-turn of the sideshow. The Jim Rose Circus performs only once or twice a year, with its last performance at Fright Dome at Circus Circus in Las Vegas in October of 2005.
Other Active Sideshows
Most of today's sideshows consist mainly of 'working acts' and 'made freaks' as well as the classic curiosity displays.
In Australia, the 2007 Sydney Royal Easter Show also introduced a sideshow program amongst its attractions.
Hierarchy
Sideshows of old had a hierarchy of performers in terms of prestige, with "Born Freaks", people with congenital physical peculiarities, at the top, followed by "Made Freaks" such as tattooed men and women, and "Working Acts" such as sword swallowers and fire eaters. Contrary to contemporary perceptions, which holds the term freak show to be pejorative, many of the "Born Freaks" were not looked down upon by their fellow performers, and many were in fact the owners and operators of the shows.
Today the hierarchy is largely based on the abilities of the performers.
Sideshow Acts and Skills
''Fire breathers'' risk burns, both internal and external, as well as poisoning in the pursuit of their art.
Main articles: Circus skills#Side Show Skills, Circus skills
The sideshow world includes a wide array of performers and performance types. The major categories include Human Oddity Acts (Natural acts, such as the fat lady, etc), Working Acts (acts people train to be able to perform, such as Fire breathing), Animal acts (such as a Flea circus, or Snake Charming act), Illusions, and Museum Shows (including pickled punks).
Resource material
★ An excellent, though difficult-to-obtain book which discusses sideshows is "A Pictorial History of the American Carnival," by Joe McKennon (Popular Press, Bowling Green, Ohio. Copyright 1972 by Joe McKennon.)
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