The Ghostly Club Heads To The Paranormal Cirque

The Ghostly Club is always looking for something fun and spooky to do (at least, once a month). We saw Paranormal Circus: Voodoo show up in our social feeds, and we thought “why not?!”

The show stopped in Puyallup (Pew-al-up), Washington for the weekend of August 1st. Tickets cost us $45 ($52 with tax) for Row G (midway up in the center section), which isn’t a bad price to pay for a touring show AND it included parking.

As for parking, Google Maps didn’t seem to understand “parking lot over by the Washington State Fairground event center in the Blue lot.” Anyway, after an extra 5 minutes of driving, Maps figured it out.

Annoying Entrance Wait

So, the Paranormal Cirque website mentioned some pre-show activities (like a haunted labyrinth) waited for us inside. Of course, we wanted to get our spooky on as soon as we got there. The info said at 8:30 PM our QR codes will update, and we could enter.

Nope.

Turns out we could enter at 9 PM, which left us 30 minutes to get scared in the maze, grab some eats and get some cash. Yes, cash. You could only use cash inside.

Anyway, Amy and Chryssa went right for the spooky mask collection ($30-$50, depending on how elaborate the mask is), and I went to the concessions. Amy got a twisted-horn mask and Chryssa snatched up a neon-red Purge mask. They both seemed to love their masks.

As for concessions, I got the mini-Voodoo donuts (not that Voodoo Donuts from Portland, OR) with ice cream. Overall, the cinnamon sugar donuts came with a light drizzle of chocolate syrup but the ice cream. The vanilla scoop obviously came from a melted-refrozen tub. There were ice crystals in it. Bleeechhhh.

Anyway, the Club did make it through the maze. It was a haunted house experience with different ghostly rooms (and Cirque staff jumping out at you) twisting and turning to discombobulate you. It took all of 3 minutes to get through it. Not so scary.

Okay, it’s time for the show …

Voodoo-Themed Experience

This tour dealt with Voodoo. As we sat in our creaky seats, which bent when you leaned back (Amy got her knees smushed by some dude who didn’t want to get up for people trying to pass him in his row in front of us).

The lights went down, the music came up, and a booming New Orleanian lady’s voice greeted us. After running through the safety instructions, she told us the story of Voodoo and the bayou. It got me in the mood fast.

However, I wasn’t expecting the leotard-and-thong dance routine to start the show. I can see why it’s for 13+ audience. The ladies would come back for different interstitials throughout the 90-minute show.

As for acts, we got:

• Parallel bars
• Spinning hoop
• Balancing acts
• Suspension (by hair)
• Unicyle with juggling
• A juggler
• A magician
• A high-wire act

… and lots more including archery. Maybe that’s precision targeting … I dunno what to call it.

Our favorite act of the night dealt with a Papa Legba, chainsaw-wielding mime for comedy relief. I giggled. The Ghostly Club giggled. It was fun.

Was It Worth The Price?

For me, I’m glad I took it in. I love a good circus and anything with New Orleans and Voodoo. Would I go to another Paranormal Cirque event? Probably not.

The acts were all fine. But just fine. I wasn’t really Wow’ed by anything.

As for the Voodoo theme, it seemed a bit forced on the performers. The makeup and costumes they wore didn’t really say “This is New Orleans!” other than that mime I mentioned earlier.

The main stage set looked like an old Bayou house but Bayou houses are wood, not brick. I guess that’s my logical mind kicking in.

As for the crowd, everyone cheered and applauded the acts. The performers deserved love from the audience. It takes chutzpah to go on the stage with strangers surrounding you. But It was spotty. Behind me, the group of fans hooted and hollered, while the folks in front of me just sat there with their arms crossed.

I guess that really sums it up: Paranormal Cirque: Voodoo was fine. Just fine. It didn’t “Wow!” you.

Next time, I’d probably spend my $45 ($52 with tax) on a nice Créole meal instead.

Side Note: Indian Restaurant (Tandoori Grill)

Before The Ghostly Club went to the circus, we had Indian (Kashmiri) food at a new-ish restaurant, Tandoori Grill. OMG … that was good. I had a chicken curry with garlic chili naan as my main dish. For apps, the table split the vegetable pakoras and garlic chili paneer. Other club members had Saag, chicken mushroom curry, a Dal soup, and tofu curry dish made with something like Tikka Masala (I forget the exact name). We loved all the food but the service could be a bit more attentive and organized. To be fair, it was a busy night, and it might have been understaffed.

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Thanks for reading about our night at Paranormal Cirque: Voodoo. If you’ve gone to one of their shows, let me know about it in the comments. Much appreciated and take care!