Seedoeatreview will never diminish a show where a performer shares their life on the stage. In the case of Aleksandra the Great’s Diary of a Sideshow Showgirl REDUX, theirs is a true story of love and loss that mixes amazing sideshow antics with the search for true love. Taking place in the gorgeous, intimate backroom of the Hades Hula House, Aleksandra warms up the crowd by belting out a tune before going into detail on how tough it was for them during covid and the fact that constant heartbreak hasn’t helped them in life. Sad and touching, it nearly brought a tear to this reviewer’s eye, but the emotion of it all was abruptly jarred away as we witnessed some of Aleks’ sideshow tricks they’ve learned from many years of performing. A garish bed of nails was first brought onto the stage, and, wonderfully assisted by stage manager/performer and a great source of amusement Ena, Aleks proceeded to entertain us in the most shocking ways possible. No spoilers here, but there were nails, a party popper, plates and even an actual bowling bowl involved in this scary performance. Youch! Painful yet fascinating, was this a metaphor for the pain they were experiencing in their real life? From that remarkable distraction, we went back to Aleks’ own story again and, their thoughts on ending it all in a bathtub with some pills and Jeff Buckley blaring over speakers. It produced a beautiful yet haunting picture of what life was like for Aleks during covid, alone with no one to turn to for help. Thankfully, they found a silver lining to the dark cloud hanging over them. It was their love for the arts. A love for performing for strangers, and getting on stage as a form of therapy to get over the love that had been lost and yet to be found. Touching, poignant and raw, Diary of a Sideshow Showgirl was an emotional watch! THREE AND A HALF STARS ****