Everyone loves Halloween, but for arty types who don’t have children to take door to door or who find dressing up gauche, there’s not much doing. To help fill the cultural void, Denton composer and arranger David Pierce recently created Cirque du Horror, an eclectic show of spook whose inaugural performance will be on Halloween night (Saturday) at Dan’s Silverleaf in Denton.
Pierce, who arranged crooner Ricki Derek’s eponymous big band album and performs with several area bands — including the Cuban quartet Mi Son, Mi Son, Mi Son — has created a small symphony to accompany readings of Halloween-themed stories and poems. Members of the 20-piece band will dress up as skeletons. The actors also will be in full costume. “The theme is of a traveling carnival,” Pierce said. “You come into this tent to see what happens next.”
Pierce co-authored the poems and stories with his uncle, an English professor in Corpus Christi. The stories range from the plight of a horrified mouse to the possibility of being abducted by evil fairies and are suitable for adults and children. The orchestral instrumentation is complex enough to satisfy discerning palates, Pierce said, while the overall fantasy of the spectacle stands to captivate youngsters.
Pierce hopes that his first Cirque du Horror won’t be his last.
Cirque du Horror is 8pm Sat at Dan’s Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St, Denton. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children. Call 940-320-2000.
