Tribute to Tom Waits at the Gerold
By Angie Landsverk
Dead Man’s Carnival will present “Yesterday is Here” on Friday, April 26, at the Gerold Opera House in Weyauwega.
“By crowd-pleasing demand, it’s being brought back,” Kathy Fehl said of the live music circus tribute show to Tom Waits.
The show celebrates “Frank’s Wild Years,” an album released in 1987 that includes songs written for a play of the same name.
Dead Man’s Carnival also performed this show at the Gerold in late 2017.
“It’s very creatively done, entertaining. There’s a story,” said Fehl, the artistic director of Wega Arts.
Pinkerton Xyloma is the creative director of Dead Man’s Carnival.
“He has respect for vaudeville, the circus and is a talented musician. He brings a lot to the table,” Fehl said.
Dead Man’s Carnival is based out of Milwaukee.
“We’ve been doing our live circus variety show about 12 years,” Xyloma said.
For him and most of the others involved in the shows, their circus skills are self taught.
Xyloma said the entertainment of the 1850s to the 1920s captivated him.
Through the years, he has worked with hundreds of actors from throughout the country.
The inner circle consists of a couple dozen people who are more locally oriented, Xyloma said.
“This one (show) skims down to about a dozen,” he said.
That includes the band and performers.
The doors open at 6 p.m. Friday, April 26, with the show beginning at 7:30 p.m.
There is a full bar that night, with carnival food for sale as well.
Reserved seats are $30 in advance for adults and $10 for children age 12 and under.
At the door, the price is $35 for adults and $12 for children.
Tickets may be purchased at wegaarts.org.
With adult and risque themes, the show is not recommended for young children.
Xyloma says the best way to pay homage to Waits is to brings his concepts to life.
The two-act performance includes a lot of original music.
“It was one of Tom Waits’ more prolific periods,” he said.
Dead Man’s Carnival shows are unique, Xyloma said.
He said a lot of what they do is done by only a handful people in the country today.
The upcoming performance marks their fourth one in Weyauawega.
“Every show we’ve done there has been sold out,” he said.