Anne Goldmann

Allison Blei took a leap of faith when she decided to step away from her career as a financial analyst to join the circus – leaving behind her spreadsheets to become an aerialist with a flying trapeze act and to tour the country.

My husband loathes plays and yet I still dragged him out to Jaeb Theatre Sunday night to experience Spymonkey's Hysteria. After interviewing Toby last week, I knew it was our warped sense of humor and we'd love it. Not five minutes into the play at Klaus's unexpected greeting to Laura, he is tapping my knee mouthing, 'you were right.'

If you mix Monty Python and the Marx Brothers with a dose of Hitchcock, you will not come close to the surreal madcap comedy that is about to take center stage in their Straz Center American debut. Spymonkey's Hysteria from September 19 - November 3 in Jaeb Theater showcases the talents of the internationally-renowned comedy and physical theatre company, Spymonkey.

The cabaret and circus worlds infused last night as incredibly talented performers welcomed their audience into the wonderful world of Empire at the return season of this ridiculously thrilling show. The intimate nature of the show captures your attention and imagination from the moment you step into the tent and that imagination is taken on a whirlwind ride through the vaudevillian world captured so aptly by its creative team led by director Terence O'Connell and choreographer John 'Cha Cha O'Connell.