As Featured in the Washington Post's Weekend Section
Palace of Wonders Benefit Show Tonight
“Tonight, step right up to the Palace of Wonders for a special Weirdo Show performance to benefit Johnny Anderson, who has been in and out of the hospital after having his leg crushed by a car last June... The benefit features performances by conjurer Eric Henning, vaudeville comedians Phillips & Flathead, glass-walker Mab Just Mab, Scottish Cowboy Johnny McLeod, fire dance from Malibu and Silver Raven, and burlesque dancer L'il Dutch. Proceeds will go towards Anderson’s surgical bills... The benefit costs $10 at the door; throughout the show, the audience can also engage in some betting games to help raise additional funds. Be glad it’s going to a good cause: “Never bet against a carny,” warns Spitzer. * * * *
Palace of Wonders Benefit Update: Last night’s Weirdo Show benefit for local side-show jack-of-all-trades Johnny Anderson raised $1,700! Proceeds will go toward Anderson’s surgical bills.”
-- Amanda Hess, The Washington City Paper
"If the workings of the world were left up to me, every day would be a day at the carnival and every weekend would be Halloween. We'd all go to our jobs as trapeze artists, lion-tamers and belly dancers. So I say, "GOD BLESS THE PALACE OF WONDERS"! This place is Vaudeville, Kitch, Boho, Glam, Carnival (with a capitol C), Freak Show AND pub...all in one. I ventured in to see "The Weirdo Show" and got an eyefull of some of the most talented, manic, wacko, energetic and amazing stagecraft I have ever seen. I thought I had died an gone to heaven as soon as I walked into the small, darkly lit, funhouse on a bender bar, complete with a extensive collection of Dime Museum and freakish artifacts (located up the bordello like staircase), and as if that wasn't already tickling my vaudevillian sensibilities, the entertainment performed on that little stage sent me into complete sideshow bliss.
"The evening started with a bang and a pastie, emceed by the hypnotic Professor Sprocket. Soon burlesque artist Shortstaxx stormed the tiny stage. She was followed by the duo of Dutch and Dupp, Magician extraordinaire Brian Wendell Morton, and then fire artist Malibu. After a brief break the show resumed with more burlesque, a feisty and fun girl dancing with a hula-hoop to the Devynl's "I Touch Myself." More Brian, and finally Silver Raven, dancing with a flaming sword and finally, spinning poi on that tiny stage! I was beside myself with glee. I'm still amazed such a place exists within DC. If you really can't leave your desk job but dream of running away to join the circus, you really need to plan a visit to Palace of Wonders."
-- Cynthia Rudzis, Yelp.com
“Billing itself as the only bar in the world dedicated to the vaudeville stage and a museum of oddities, Palace of Wonders really does...well, make you wonder... Simply labeling the Palace as ‘uniqu’” is an injustice to freaks everywhere – the Palace is ‘unabashedly bizarre.’ Despite the carnival décor and its immediate charm, you can’t fully appreciate the novelty of the Palace of Wonders until you venture upstairs. Here you’ll find the venue’s Museum of Oddities, an eclectic collection of gag-inducing monstrosities of nature inherited from Baltimore’s historic Dime Museum.
“On the third Thursday of each month, the Palace hosts its signature sideshow, ‘Professor Sprocket’s Weirdo Show.’ The show is billed as an Astounding Assortment of Aberrations of Nature and Culture, and it’s a good ol’ fashioned variety show. The Weirdo Show combined the sultry sexuality of burlesque, the whimsical hypnotism of Diablo, fire dancing, and the crowd-pleasing kitsch of quirky musical performances. The mastermind behind the event is the delightfully eccentric Professor J. Mathias Sprocket, also the show’s MC (or “Talker”). Before starting the Weirdo Show in early 2006, the Professor spent 30 years in avant-garde theater.
“This month’s show opened with the tastefully playful burlesque of the lovely Sugar Ann Spice. Subsequent acts included two fire dancers (Malibu and Silver Raven), juggling and Diablo guru, Randy Early, and a pair of ukulele-strumming beauties (Tippy Canoe and Uni & Her Ukulele)...the spectrum of emotions and sheer absurdity of the show make it well worth the $10 cover. The Palace of Wonders may not be for everyone, but most creative treasures in this world aren’t.”
-- John Griffith, Metromix DC
This Page Is No Longer Regularly Maintained. FOR THE VERY LATEST GOINGS ON AT THE WEIRDO SHOW,
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VISIT PROFESSOR SPROCKET'S PAGE!
Go Ask The Professor About the Latest News, Upcoming Events,
Or Past Shows, And Check Out The Big Sideshow Slideshow!
We Look Forward To Seeing YOU At The Weirdo Show SOON!
NEXT SHOW NOVEMBER 20th at PALACE OF WONDERS!
The Weirdo Show is a monthly variety show at DC's own Palace of Wonders, 1210 H Street NE, Washington, DC, in the heart of the Atlas District on the Third Thursday of Every Month. Admission is only a measly six bucks -- where else can you see so much for so little? The Weirdo Show can also be seen at festivals, special events and other select venues. So bring out all the freaks, all the strange, all the odd. We're going to whirl you away into a land of mirth, magic, mystery and the macabre!
The Weirdo Show has played host to legends of the Comedy and Burlesque worlds, as well as Multi-Media Extravaganzas, and Music from ukulele to musical saw. We have also amazed you with Razor Blade Eating, Sword Swallowing, Prestigitation, Bellydance, Aerial Acts, Trick Roping, Geek Acts, Freak Shows, and the most astounding attractions of the past and present. The Big Show continues to bring you only the very best in variety entertainment, and is proud to present it's signature Fire Dancers.
Expect the unexpected. Your mind won't believe what your eyes will see!
What a wonderful show last night! it was great to be back on the Palace stage among family and kindred spirits and i was so glad to perform with Silver Raven at her last Weirdo Show :-( she will be sorely, sorely missed. XO
Vixen Variety an exciting new all female variety show! More then just a feast for the eyes. These clever, sly and scandalous women will woo you with their willfulness and wiles! You don't want to miss the fun as these foxy females flaunt their finesse and show off their skills in a hodgepodge of heroins! A new medley an of talent each month! This month features an array of belly dance, fire dance, burlesque, drag king, side show and more! We are excite to bring to the stage the sultry Belladonna, the gender bending Ken Vegas, the daring Mab just Mab, the flair of Meredith Keen, members of BellaTrix and the spicy Ginger Leigh, member of Peek-A-Boo Revue, winners of the "Miss Exotic World", Best Troupe 2008 award!!! So come one, come all to the sly & sexy Vixen Variety Show!
Thanks to everyone who came out to The Weirdo Show last night; had a blast and hope you did too. Love you Palace of Wonders! Thanks for having us and keeping it weird! "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro" H.S. Thompson XO Shortstaxx
