Genre:

If you think your family has problems, wait until you get a load of the Binewskis. Fans of Katherine Dunn's epic novel of the same name will already be familiar with this family of literal freaks who are manufactured by Papa Binewski in order to populate his foundering sideshow. His brood includes an attractive set of conjoined twins; an empathetic albino hunchback daughter; an egomaniacal aquatic man who founds his own cult of amputees; and a telekinetic who brings about the clan's inevitable downfall. It's easy to see why the folks at Sensurround Stagings, a quirky and resourceful theater troupe out of Atlanta, would be attracted to this material. The outrageous, seriocomic tale touches on a number of fascinating issues including genetic engineering, cosmetic surgery, religious zealotry and our culture's obsession with beauty. Unfortunately, the excessively long script, which skips back and forth in time and features myriad characters, is often difficult to follow. So despite strong acting and impressive prosthetics, overall the result resembles the hunchback's hump: It's tough to support and unpleasant to look at.— Raven Snook

Where: Linhart Theatre at 440 Studios
When: Sat, Aug 14 at 5:30 p.m.; Wed, Aug 18 at 8 p.m.; Thu, Aug 19 at 3 p.m.; Fri, Aug 20 at 5:15 p.m.; Sat, Aug 21 at 3:30 p.m.