Diablo Sideshow a Freaky Sucess

By Adrian Dilullo

Carleton got a taste of the paranormal on March 1st, as Carnival Diablo came to the Fenn Lounge to give a performance best described as Freaky. Nikolai Diablo and his crew, The Countess Vanessa and SINN, wowed the crowd with stunts and tricks.

Before the show started, the crowd of around 300 students sat tense with anticipation, as the loudspeakers blared music that was either light hearted or spooky. The stage was decorated in the classic, Victorian era sideshow style, with a motif of death spread throughout, in the form of skulls and implements of pain and torture."

Tools adorned the stage, as various as a hot plate and coffee pot filled with water, to an Electric Chair in the back of the stage. When the music dimmed, host Nikolai Diablo gave his first powerful speech, preparing the audience for the horrible thigs that they were soon to witness.

There was a powerful sense of theatrics, a throwback to classic circus sideshows of the turn of the century.

This is exactly how Scott McClelland likes it. Scott, (aka Nikolai Diablo), is the creator and owner of Carnival Diablo, the only touring sideshow in Canada. McClelland's passion for the sideshow comes from a lifetime of involvement in the business.

His grandfather ran a touring sideshow from 1920 to 1968 "For birthday presents, my grandfather would stick himself with bicycle spokes, and my grandmother would swallow seven sword at once," said McClelland.

McClelland dabbled in different theatrical endevours, but 12 years ago decided to return to the same style of touring vaudeville sideshow that his grandfather established. He did this with the simple goal to "perform a theatrical version of what it might have been like to watch a sideshow in the late 19th century".

One look at the stage and the casts' onstage personas suggests something far deeper than a simple recreation of 19th century sideshows. SINN, the shows "strongman," said the show is not just an homage, but is designed to "mess with peoples brains."

As McClelland describes Carnival Diablo, it has expanded into a "twisted trip down the rabbit hole and through the looking glass."

Some of the stunts saw Nikolai (McClelland) swallow sharp razor blades, drinking boiling water, and playing Russian Roulette with a construction spike. Meanwhile, the Countess Vanessa walked barefoot on glass and ate live crickets and worms, SINN was electrocuted in the Electric Chair and had darts thrown into his back.

The show has gone through several changes, including sideskicks that come and go. The Countess Vanessa has been around for 8 years, and SINN has been included for a year and a half. But despite the changes, there has always been one constant - McClelland's passion for what he does. In his own words, he "lives and breathes sideshows."

It's this passion that makes the show a success, and a pleasure to watch. The attention to detail is incredible, and every feat is meticulously planned to elicit the greatest response from the audience, and they love it.

Patrick Jobin came all the way from Toronto to see the show, and had only good things to say. "It was awesome," he said after seeing the entire show. "These guys are total pros, every last detail is great."

David Taylor from 2nd Glengarry also enjoyed himself. He liked the fact that Carnival Diablo was "more of a joke, more over the top than other sideshow."

And while times have been tough for Carnival Diablo in the past, the future looks bright for McClelland and his brainchild. He's currently expanding on his break-through in the United States, and has spent the last few years pitching his show to several venues in Las Vegas. The possibilty of a world tour is also on the horizon.

McClelland's other project, a sideshow at the CNE in Toronto, is expanding with the inclusion of an actual "Big Top" Circus Tent.

In the end, Carnival Diablo, which masterfully blends theatrics with "pure visceral entertainment," has a power and intensity that is second to none.

And as Nikolai, Vanessa and SINN travel to distant locales, Carleton students will have their memories of the show fro a long time to come.