Cut It Out

"Self-esteem through self-mutilation" — that's how comedian George Carlin recommends body modification to the kids. You could cut his sarcasm with a guillotine, of course, but when an event skewers as many skins as Sigil, your confidence better be pretty high in the guy wielding the spike. Among the many acts is Las Vegas' Swing Shift Side Show, which plays its fleshy grotesqueries for shock value — or at least squirmy laughs — with such parent-pleasing routines as abdominal impalement, sinus screws (complete with power drill), and a li'l projectile trick they like to call "p" darts in honor of the orifice providing the rocket power. Jesse Helms, bless his dead gargoyle heart, would surely have approved. For those who prefer more stomach-friendly forms of entertainment, Eon Breaker's "aerial butoh" might be better than Apotheosis' meathook suspensions. And, of course, it wouldn't be a cabaret without a drag performer (Faux Pas), tribal belly dancers (Lapsus), and go-go sex kittens (the Living Dead Girlz).
Fri., Sept. 28, 9 p.m., 2007