Let’s hear it for the freaks!

Beautiful Freaks And Feats Of Wonder‘s spectacular sideshow, now playing at the Fringe Festival, relies less on bizarre freaks of nature (though they pay such acts homage during a faux Wolf-girl’s singing number), and more on individuals of unusual and extraordinary talent.

This means we’ve got a fire-eater, a sword-swallower, a contortionist and a magician showing us their skills. And oh yeah–some guy pounds a nail into his head.

And the best part about it? Not only are the tricks of this Cheeky Monkey Sideshow not immediately obvious as “tricks” (I’m still trying to figure out how Steve Wannall’s Mysterion the Magician was predicting some of those playing cards), but these performers never take themselves too seriously, and have plenty of personality to add to their unique abilities.