Music, Design Dazzle in Student-Produced Circus

by Jennifer Spitulnik
2/23/01
Admit it, some people have always suspected that Oberlin harbors a whole lot of freaks. Well, they’re right. Odditorium proves it. 
The panoply of attractions for our viewing pleasure includes clowns, animals, jugglers, aerial ballet, sideshow wagons and yes, a motley collection of freaks. Lizard Boy, the Human Skeleton and the Alligator Skin Girl are only a few examples of what lie in store. 
Senior Zach Hickman conceived and directed this colossal endeavor. “I originally envisioned a musical freak show/recital that would incorporate some performers. It just grew and grew.” Indeed, with a live band and a program of wickedly difficult original compositions, the music remains a central figure in this spectacle. 

Hickman, sophomore Peter Evans, senior Orion Keyser, junior Wally Scharold and sophomore Ezra Weiss all contributed spellbinding circus music. Senior Samson Robles’ oboe stands out in the thick texture, and his complex licks deserve attention. 
Another musical highlight is the “Odditorium Olde-Tyme Oddball Country Circus Singers,” (The Greg Robinson Barbershop Quartet). Their rendition of “Be a Clown” is singularly appropriate and well performed. 
Like most of the company, Hickman has no prior circus experience. Though a decided lack of organization betrayed his inexperience, nothing in the show’s conception or design gave the directors away. Junior designer Raphael Martin, in his first major undertaking, also did not reveal any circus inexperience. The eye-catching, flaming circus tent is a standout feature.

Hickman assembled his crew by sleight of hand and word of mouth. “I was talking to Zach at a party, and he asked me if I had any talents or freakiness about me. I showed him my tongue, and he recruited me for this show,” confessed Reptilian Reynardo, the Lizard Boy (a.k.a. junior David Levin). 
Senior Brendan Cooney, a banjo-playing Human Skeleton, concurred. “He just asked me to be the skinny guy in his circus. That was months ago, and now here I am.” 

Freaks aside, you need some real talents to make it a circus. As the only circus veterans, sophomore Hannah Logan and senior Jena Carpenter are mesmerizing on the trapeze and Spanish web. As Logan says, “It doesn’t matter what you do, it will look amazing because you’re on the trapeze.” That may be true, but these performers are highly skilled, strong and graceful. 
Some of the acts go flat pretty quickly. “The Moon Bum and His Mucket” was at first fascinating, but ultimately became boring, probably due to an unenthused trainer and an uncoordinated act. 
The jugglers suffer the same fate –– the joke wears thin. Though individually talented, as an act they lack cohesion.

Most likely, an event of this kind will not happen again at Oberlin, at least not in the near future. Aside from Wilder Bowl on a Friday afternoon, where else will you find stilt walkers, bellydancers, clowns, freaks and randoms all gathered in one place solely to entertain you?