Better than a Three-Penny Circus

It's Saturday night, and entertainment options abound. Should you go dancing, see a play, watch some burlesque or just sit at home and work through your Netflix queue? Luckily, the Beggar's Carnivale makes this choice an easy one, as it presents an evening packed with dancing, theater, drinks and sex appeal, a varied lineup with the potential to please nearly anyone (of legal age). Tonight the Casa Loma Ballroom (3354 Iowa Avenue) hosts The Grand Delirium, a massive foray into the naughty, the bawdy and the vaudevillian. Burlesque sweetheart Lola van Ella joins Sammich the Tramp, the Hoochie Coochie Girls, Bazuka Joe and many more for an evening packed with a fire-eating performance, a one-ring circus, a gypsy carnival, vaudeville acts and more. The carnival opens at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 9, followed immediately by a dance party. Tickets are $20-$30. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 314-865-0819 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/261615.
Sat., Aug. 18, 7:30 p.m., 2012