Nick Locapo Credit: 20 Penny Circus

Circus clowns freak me out. Too many times watching Carnival of Souls, I guess. I don’t like laughing clowns; I don’t trust those big-footed bastards. Which, oddly enough, is why the clowns at 20 Penny Circus are my kind of freakshow. At first glance, they look a little like Kiss had a baby with Alex from A Clockwork Orange. Stay with me here: These clowns don’t pretend to be happy, crying-on-the-inside clowns. They own their freakish shit, which I can respect. They describe themselves as a “diabolical clown duo” but that leaves out some of the best parts. It’s vaudeville, it’s magic, it’s a sideshow, but not exactly traditional. I mean, at one point, one of them lifts a bowling ball with his penis. Let’s see Bozo do that. —Cathy Salustri

20 Penny Circus

Tampa Improv, 1600 E. 8th Ave., C-112, Tampa.

Sept. 18, 7 p.m. $10.

20pennycircus.com. Event page on Facebook. 

This article appears in Sep 1-8, 2016.

Cathy's portfolio includes pieces for Visit Florida, USA Today and regional and local press. In 2016, UPF published Backroads of Paradise, her travel narrative about retracing the WPA-era Florida driving...