You come across moments in your life that can disappoint you or invigorate you. When you walk into a place, hope and fear come hand in hand. You wonder if you will walk away from this experience disheartened or clamoring for more.

We found out about the Paranormal Cirque a few weeks ago. One time a Facebook algorithm got something right in their ads. Shocked that I’d never heard or seen this prior, I messaged Xander, ‘WE HAVE TO GO!’ which received an ultimate YES from her.

So, we scope out the inexpensive seats, make some plans, fine tune a couple of things and off we go. Of course, we check out the website a handful of times, trying our best not to spoil the show but trying to get answers for important questions.

The day arrives and we leave later than we desire with an added 45 mins of traffic as we make our way up to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for the show. We stopped and ate, then quickly made our way over to the large red and black tent. As we made our way to the front of the tent, we were greeted with the sounds of screams and were saddened by what we were missing. Unfortunately, the traffic cut into the pre-show they talk about on the website, so we would only make the main show.

Seated in the front row, close enough to the stage that we could touch it, we listened as a thunderstorm began outside, just as the show was about to start.

What is a Cirque without a clown? Our first introduction was to our clown friend. Who, in a few moments of being out, quickly demonstrated why the show is rated R. He’s a bit vulgar, uses some adult language, and has interesting material. We loved every second of it.

I couldn’t tell you what I was expecting. I don’t think I went in with expectations and if I did, they weren’t high. However, all of that was quickly blown out of the water, and I was shown why they are highly rated.

There were dances, comedy acts, a story line… yes, there is a story, acting, light show, plate spinning…

The zombies came out on stage in varying stages of dead and began their acrobatics act. Not only was it wonderfully done, on point and skilled, it was also dangerous. Several stunts could have easily severely injured several of them, but it was entertaining to watch. Talented, entertaining and a great start to the show.

The Giant Hoop Acrobatics (or Cyr Wheel) was stunning, he was unbelievably graceful and I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. His dance was flawless and he made something so difficult seem effortless.

The aerial hoop had me biting my lip. Seeing it on TV is nothing compared to seeing it done in person. It brought out a sense of fear that she was going to fall at any second. She never looked like she was, but with no padding beneath her and only minimal contact with the hoop at times, I was definitely tense. She was so incredible. She never missed a beat and was impressively skilled.

The Hair Hang… are you kidding me?! My head, neck and scalp hurt just watching her. What a brilliant performance. She was fascinating to watch and her spins at the end were incredible and not for the weak of stomach. I spin too fast in my computer chair and I’m sick to my stomach. I adored her performance.

The Wheel of Death (or space wheel). It has been a long time since I have seen one and I was shocked when they began setting it up… Inside the tent! I will tell you my favorite part of the Wheel of Death… The gentleman preforming it is insane. I’m sure they all are, but every time his balance was in question or he seemed to miss a step, his smile (which he had the ENTIRE TIME) only got bigger. It was disturbing and awesome.

How to talk to you about the Ring Master? At least that’s what I am calling him. There are two parts to the two-hour show, with a 15 minute break in the middle. The Ring Master was an amazing actor, among other things. He fooled me several times and exuded three totally different personalities in the show. He was comedic and lighthearted during the first half, then serious and almost dangerous in the second. He did several magic tricks. I’m always looking for the secret, it’s just part of who I am. I didn’t see it once. To me, that is incredibly impressive.

One thing I loved is that they didn’t waste a moment. They tore down sets as fast as they put them up and we always had something to watch. We were never left wondering what was going to happen next because you were constantly being entertained. Either by beautiful dances, a hilarious clown, creepy monsters or audience participation. They grab your attention and hold onto it tightly until it is time for intermission.

These are entertainers, artists & actors. Doing several jobs, not just one. The tickets are a steal as well. I honestly felt like I wasn’t paying enough. We can’t wait to do it again.

I do have two cons. First, they don’t take credit cards for refreshments or merchandise. I’m sure if I dug harder we would have found that information out. We would have left with shirts, but we ran out of the little cash we did bring on drinks and popcorn. Second, we didn’t hear a thing their audio said, even the actors with mics were hard to hear at times. I assumed there is a bunch of prerecorded audio, but we couldn’t make out a word of it where we were seated.

Other than that, I highly recommend going. It was an amazing experience that I cannot wait to repeat. Go soon, run if you have to or die trying.