Dark side of the spectrum: Paranormal Cirque II offers a morbidly fun time under the big top

Paranormal Cirque II is a mixture of macabre and fantasy presented in a unique style made up of components of circus, theater and cabaret.

The production, which takes place under a black and red big top tent, makes its way to New Mexico with stops at Cottonwood Mall from Friday, Jan. 31 to Feb. 10, and Mesilla Valley Mall in Las Cruces from Feb. 14 to Feb. 17.

“It’s a great show for adults, it’s a perfect night out for friends, or if you’re looking for a unique date night, then we’ve got you covered,” said Steve Copeland, comedian, social media director and publicity director for Paranormal Cirque II.

The show is not a family-friendly event, and anyone under age 17 must be accompanied by an adult age 21 or older. Children younger than age 13 will not be permitted into the show.

“Our show is rated R, so we don’t allow children under the age of 13,” Copeland said. “The show contains horror, violence and imagery, bad language and adult humor ... It’s a horror circus. All of our acts are performed by horror creatures and characters, zombies, vampires, ghosts, what have you. It’s great because you don’t have to wait until Halloween to have fun with some smoky, scary, sexy entertainment.”

Paranormal Cirque II is a branch of Cirque Italia, which has five shows crisscrossing the United States. Last year, two of its shows went to Canada for the first time, and two new shows will be touring Canada this summer.

“We’re very excited to be bringing our (Cirque Italia) show tally up to seven touring productions,” Copeland said. “There are three units of Paranormal Cirque. We are Paranormal Cirque II, and we’re the best.”

Paranormal Cirque I, began in 2018, followed by Paranormal Cirque II in 2022, and Paranormal Cirque III beginning in 2023.

“In fact, Albuquerque was our first stop with Paranormal Cirque II,” Copeland said. “(Albuquerque) got to see the world premiere of our show ... Paranormal Cirque is a very popular show, which is why we have three units and soon to be a fourth Canadian unit as well.”

Paranormal Cirque II is made up of a crew and company of about 50 people.

“Everybody does everything,” Copeland said. “The people that sell you your popcorn and concessions are the ones that help put up the tent. The people that are taking you to your seat for the show are also running the sounds and lights. In addition to being a comedian in the show, I’m also the social media director and publicity director for the unit. We all wear multiple hats here and we all do different jobs to get the show down the road.”

The production features an international cast of performers. Copeland is one of two American performers.

“We have lots of performers from Latin American countries, and everybody has come from different backgrounds, some circus, some theater, some dance,” he said. “We have a truly eclectic variety of performers with our show.”

Copeland encourages eventgoers to arrive an hour prior to the show to be part of the “haunt attraction preshow.”

“During that time, you can meet our performers up close and personal,” he said. “They’re going to scare your pants off before they wow you on stage.”

Snacks such as popcorn, cotton candy, nachos, hot dogs and nonalcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. Souvenirs, masks, hats and 1950s pin-up girls drawn in a paranormal style by artist Ryan Combs, will also be sold.

Eventgoers can also take part in a QR code hunt.

“You can go around and find seven QR codes, scan them with your phone and find out fun information about our show, about our company and some of our performers,” Copeland said. “That all begins one hour before showtime. It’s included with your ticket. And in addition to that, I just want to remind people to get their tickets early, either paranormalcirque.com or at the ticket office once we’re in town. I just wouldn’t recommend waiting until the last minute, because some of our shows are already close to selling out, and we don’t want anyone to miss the fun.”

Dark side of the spectrum: Paranormal Cirque II offers a morbidly fun time