April 1, 2021 – The Waiting Room – Omaha, NE
Hellzapoppin Circus Freak Show: The 2021 Face Your Fears Tour
What’s a better way to celebrate April Fool’s Day than with a circus freak show?!
On April 1, 2021 at the Waiting Room in Omaha, Nebraska, hundreds of fans gathered for a sold-out show featuring America’s favorite circus sideshow, Hellzapoppin. The show was part of Hellzapoppin’s 2021 Face Your Fears tour, and it didn’t disappoint.
The founder, ringleader, and producer of the show, Bryce Graves, was joined by Hellzapoppin regulars, Short E. Dangerously, and Willow Lauren, but this time, they had a few special guests. Also appearing in this show was America’s Got Talent champion crossbow artist, Ben Blaque, shock illusionist and world-renowned magician, Dan Sperry, and direct from Cirque Du Soleil in Las Vegas, Nevada, the amazing Auzzy Blood!
From start to finish, this show was spectacular, and had fans on the edge of their seats.
Graves’ enthusiastic emceeing skills kept the audience’s attention and added a little humor throughout the night. His catch phrase, “Do ya wanna see it?!”, gets me every time!
Short E. Dangerously never disappoints, with his quirky sense of humor and dangerous tricks. The guy “walks” on shards of broken glass with his bare hands!
The lovely Willow Lauren pulled double duty, serving as the assistant to Ben Blaque, and performing a few of her own stunts, one of which, where she swallows four razor blades and a piece of dental floss, and then proceeds to pull the floss out of her mouth with the blades securely attached!
The master of the crossbow, Ben Blaque, performed numerous tricks which seemed almost impossible, and kept the crowd dead silent until he had finished. One of the tricks involved shooting a crossbow at a target, having it ricochet off other targets, and right through an apple that was placed on top of his head…all while being blindfolded! It was astonishing to watch, and every time he was on stage, the audience was in awe.
Dan Sperry is a world-famous shock illusionist, and although he doesn’t look like David Copperfiled or Harry Houdini, don’t let his appearance fool you. This man is one of the best magicians and illusionists I’ve ever seen. His tricks were absolutely flawless, and left the crowd in total anticipation of what he’d do next. He made doves appear seemingly out of thin air, detached his arm in one illusion, and dazzled the audience with his slight-of-hand maneuvers. He is truly unbelievable, and words can’t describe how talented he is.
Rounding out the cast was sideshow performer, Auzzy Blood. This guy is a trip! Taking the audience on an emotional ride is Blood’s specialty. From the time he stepped foot on the stage, he had everyone’s attention. His makeup, demeanor, and overall look reminded me of famed comic book character, The Joker. Shock is the name of the game when it came to his performances. With little to no blood, he inserted surgical steel needles in his arm, neck, and face. At one point, he even took an oversized corkscrew and stuck it through his nose and out his mouth! Even though some of his act was hard to watch, my eyes were glued to every second of the action, because I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was an instant fan, and can’t wait to see him again.
The lights, the music, the smoke, the costumes, the commentary, and the amazingly talented performers and stunts, make Hellzapoppin a must see show. This was my second time seeing the show, and it was just as entertaining, if not more so, than the first. With the cast’s special guests, and their ability to captivate a crowd, it’s easy to see why Hellzapoppin is so successful. I was ecstatic to hear that they’ll be back in Omaha sometime this summer, and you can bet, they’ll be just as entertaining!
