Weird Show

Inside this year's Annual Manual, Urban Tulsa Weekly's guide to everything local, we told you about an entertainer whose talents involve feats of unusual strength.

Boobzilla has been with the Crispy Family Carnival for three years, performing freakish acts of wonder, and, this weekend, the entire family will be at the Nightingale Theater to give Tulsa its first view this year of the sideshow.

Crispy started his sideshow act in Denver, Colorado, almost 10 years ago, employing friends with strange talents to perform vaudeville-style and circus-style acts in theatrical settings. Crispy and Boobs, who are engaged and due to be married soon, moved their family back to Tulsa, where Crispy is originally from, and have tried to continue the show here.

Crispy and Boobzilla are both adept at sword swallowing, fire eating and breathing and resting on beds of nails and swords. In addition, Crispy is also a master at target bull whipping and can easily whip a rose out of Boobzilla's mouth without ever touching her flesh.

Boobzilla has more than a couple talents of her own, which include harnessing electricity, belly dancing, snake charming, escapism and mentalism.

Perhaps her best talent and biggest assets are what earned her her name and attention in the Annual Manual. Boobzilla can lift up to 60 pounds using only her breasts.

She first discovered her knack for anatomical trickery in high school when her friends dared her to fit as much K-Mart contraband in her size DDD bra as she could and attempt to sneak out of the store. She made away with a pair of boots, makeup and some CDs, all of which she returned to the store.

Her breasts, now a size LL, are able to lift large amounts of weight without the use of piercings, harnesses or other aids.

"Did you ever try the pencil test in school?" she asked me in an attempt to explain her method. (For any females who did not try the pencil test and any males who have no idea what the pencil test is, it is an attempt to test the size and "perkiness," so to speak, of your breasts by placing a pencil underneath and seeing whether it stayed or fell. Let's just say Boobzilla's pencil--and anything else placed underneath the breast--stays.)

When she hooked up with Crispy in Colorado, Boobs began learning other daring sideshow acts, like sword swallowing and lending her body to a blade box. The pair were joined by current carnival members and husband/wife duo Jacon and Nightglade, who also perform many of the same sorts of stunts.

At the end of each performance, cast members act as "Human Tip Jars," allowing patrons to staple their tips to the performers' bodies, with each increment of cash earning a more painful location.

While most of what these performers do involves a great deal of pain and, what Boobs calls a "healthy respect for death," they love what they do and agree that they would rather die doing what they love than at the hands of a drunken driver or some other uncontrollable occasion.

After working on new acts and purchasing a school bus, which, following renovation, will act as the Crispy Family Carnival tour bus, the team will be ready to hit the road and continue touring what has always been a traveling act.

First, though, they will perform here at home on Fri., Sept. 28 at the Nightingale Theater, 1416 E. 4th St. The night will boast two performances--a 6pm family-friendly show, complete with comedy, juggling, belly dancing, magic and other sideshow stunts . . . and then, a 10pm adult-only performance, which will include the riskier, more daring tricks mentioned above, as well as a performance by Eye Candy Burlesque.

Wicked Harem and Bizzaro the Optical Illusionist will perform with the family during both shows.

Tickets to each show are $10 and available at the door. You won't see freaks like this at the fair folks, so come out an enjoy the show. I can almost assure you you'll see something you've never seen before.