Going through Hell with Satori Circus

At first glance, Satori Circus can be hard to identify.

Is it a comedian? A musical? An off-Broadway production?

It is a man with white and black face paint in a full suit.

And it takes the flesh of human life and peels the skin back to reveal the uncomfortable, off-putting guts and inner-workings of every living being.

"Satori Circus: Funy as Hell" is performance art that uses musical numbers, a live band, human theatrics and spoken word.

The production is at the Sky Box Lounge, 400 Quay St. in Port Huron at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Satori Circus is inspired by Dante Alighieri's epic poem "The Divine Comedy," which takes its character through hell, purgatory and paradise.

Russ Taylor, 54, of Detroit, said his character Satori Circus will similarly go through the hells, purgatories and paradises of life and where he ends up will completely surprise the audience.

The production moves from spoken stream-of-consciousness recordings that set the plot leading up to the musical numbers. The local band and other theatrics are layered in to round out the storyline with minimal dialogue.

"Satori Circus is a hybrid art form known as performance art," Taylor said. "It uses music, words, costumes, character sketches, film projections, lights and draws from vaudeville, cabaret, drag, silent film, German Weimer Republic theater and avant garde."

Taylor has been performing as Satori Circus since 1988. The production is rooted in Detroit and has traveled from Ohio to New Mexico to Pennsylvania and across Michigan.

It's a black satirical comedy for those who laugh at the twisted parts of life they shouldn't be laughing at.

It's as potent and innocent as boyhood and as lustful and living as a too-old burlesque dancer.

Each second of the production juxtaposes the next.

But at the very core of the production is Taylor's unbreakable range of vocals. That alone is worth a trip up to the Sky Box this weekend.

He frolics from dreamy, clear ballads to gritty, husky agonies to jazzy numbers to a twangy honky-tonk piece with an unwavering voice.

If you love musicals, Satori Circus is for you. And if you see humor in the dark and twisted parts of humanity, it's even more for you.

No minors are permitted. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $15.

Contact Nicole Hayden at (810) 989-6279 or nhayden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @NicoleHayden_TH.

If you go

•"Satori Circus: Funy as Hell" will be performed at the Sky Box Lounge, 400 Quay St., at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door. No minors permitted.

The cast, band and producers

• Russ Taylor, Scott Dambacher, J. Pauly Zimmer, Sadaat Hossain, Lee Galbraith, Nathan Dauphinais, Ryan McInnis, Dave Dambacher, Barbara Jean, Brian Dambacher and Brian Downey