CULTURE
Zombo the Clown is the skeletal mascot of Detroit’s Theatre Bizarre, an “immersive” theatrical event dubbed “The Greatest Masquerade on Earth.”
JOSH JUSTICE
Growing pains at Theatre Bizarre
The former underground party has gotten bigger — but some longtime crew members have left amid allegations of a ‘cult’-like atmosphere By L ee DeV ito
Last month, Zombo the
Clown made his triumphant return to Detroit’s Masonic Temple. The ghoulish character is the mascot for the longstanding Halloween festival Theatre Bizarre, which had been called off since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubbed “The Greatest Masquerade on Earth,” the event draws more than 2,000 attendees from near and far to two sold-out weekends. Tickets sold for $125 apiece this year for the general admission events on Saturday, with exclusive Friday night gala tickets fetching $3 00. Theatre Bizarre’s devotees include its crew of some 1,500 workers and volunteers who help transform the already grand Masonic Temple into an even grander carnival, an “immersive” theatrical experience with multiple floors of entertainment including live performances from fire breathing acrobats and musical acts like horrorcore rapper Esham, BDSM-themed rooms, and over-the-top costumes. In metro Detroit, it’s not uncommon to see cars
with orange Z ombo bumper stickers, and attendees and crew show their devotion by crying out “Hail Z ombo! ” in a call and response. But some cracks appear to be forming among that crew. A number of longtime members have resigned or plan to resign after this year, Metro Times has learned, including the award-winning burlesque performer Roxi D’Lite. One of the most visible faces of Theatre Bizarre, D’Lite announced her resignation from her role as the coproducer of its Dirty Devil’s Peepshow burlesque stage in a Facebook post just days before the event. The announcement accompanied a photo of D’Lite posing with Z ombo, his arm around her neck. “It is with a heavy heart that I have to make this announcement but after about 17 years of dedication to Theatre Bizarre I have resigned just 10 days from show,” D’Lite wrote. “This decision to leave was one not taken lightly and I am devastated.” She didn’t offer many more details,
30 November 9-15, 2022 | metrotimes.com
but urged her fans to continue to attend the event and support the show that she helped produce. “I will miss you all, my favorite audience in the entire world and so many of my dear friends in this community,” she added. D’Lite and at least one other stage manager resigned after complaints had been leveled against Theatre Bizarre’s stage director Casey Miller regarding what has been described as a “pattern of behavior,” including treating cast and crew disrespectfully and using his power in the production to give preferential treatment. Another burlesque performer, Kate Nickerson, wrote in a series of social media posts that she dated Miller starting in 2008 when she had just turned 18 and he was a decade older, a consensual relationship that she now sees as exploitative. D’Lite resigned after her husband Dante Wildern was fired from the production for criticizing Miller and Theatre Bizarre management in a now-deleted comment under one of Nickerson’s posts, writing, “they don’t give a fuck. They
push out the people who speak up. Myself included. Never thought that would happen.” D’Lite declined to comment on the record to Metro Times, other than to voice concerns about publishing a story before the event so as not to disrupt it. Wildern and Miller also declined to comment. In an email, Theatre Bizarre creator John Dunivant acknowledged that Wildern was fired after criticizing Theatre Bizarre and Miller on social media, but denies that others were “pushed out.” Wildern, who is also a singer who goes by Charlie Champagne, had been a fi ture at Theatre Bizarre since he was a child, and univant even officiated the marriage between Wildern and D’Lite. Dunivant tells Metro Times he is “deeply saddened at the loss of these two as friends,” adding that he found the situation “heartbreaking.” Theatre Bizarre is the artistic vision of Dunivant, a painter and sculptor who was designated a Kresge Artist Fellow in 2011. The event started as an
