Downtown L.A.: Under the Cirque Berzerk bigtop

A byproduct of the Burning Man festival, Cirque Berzerk is a raucous, musical alternative circus now at the LA Historic Park (the former Cornfields site). Yes, there are clowns and acrobats but there are twists: vintage lingerie-clad aerialists, a sexy pas de deux features two sculpted men, a drunken stilt walker, a little person as comic relief (not so alternative) and a bar with Hornitos margaritas.  At sunset, downtown's skyscrapers catch the light and huge torches straight from the high desert playa ignite outside the bigtop. There are five weekend performances and the show runs through July 26. A New Orleans-style troupe performs during the intermission and after the show to keep the party going. If you're a Goldstar member, discount tickets are available.  Definitely a fun and different date night and most everyone was really friendly---guess it's the playa dust.