Paranormal Cirque to explore the dark side at Aurora shows
A circus is coming to Aurora, but it is not suitable for young children.
Paranormal Cirque says it is for people who love thrilling, wicked, sexy and dangerous things.
The show, which combines theater, circus and cabaret, will be at the Chicago Premium Outlet Mall in Aurora Friday, July 18, through Monday, July 21. It is part of Florida-based Cirque Italia’s lineup.
The show will feature a Wheel of Death acrobatic apparatus, acrobats, contortionists, illusionists, and what the company calls “freaks and mysterious creatures,” all performed in the “Clown Castle,” a big-top tent.
It’s an R-rated show, spokesman Yury Belaus said. That means no one under the age of 13 will be admitted. Anyone 14 to 17 years old must be accompanied by an adult over age 21.
Belaus is a gymnast who performs in the show. He said this particular Paranormal unit, called the “Black” unit, is the original, having started in 2018.
When visitors arrive, they will enter through tunnels similar to a haunted house, he said, with performers trying to scare them. But even though it is a horror-themed event, including a clown with a leather face, there are moments of humor, Belaus said.
He is in the first act, performing on high bars. The show ends with the Wheel of Death, of which Belaus is still in awe after all these years. It features a rotating structure with two wheels. Performers do tricks inside and outside the moving wheels.
“We make it look easy,” Belaus said. But for people in the know, “you think ‘Wow.’”
The shows are at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Tickets are $15 to $65. They can be purchased at the on-site box office, by phone at (941) 704-8572, or by visiting paranormalcirque.com/tickets. The website has a voucher for $5 off.
The mall is at Farnsworth Avenue and I-88.
If you miss the Aurora stand, you can catch the show July 25-28 in Orland Park.