Gaffs! Wonders! Truth! Illusion!
Carl Crew, a former mortician and the owner of Abnormalarts, a nightclub and sideshow collection, is a showman at heart. Donning a top hat, he will delight in leading you through his miniature reproduction of San Francisco’s Chinatown, regaling you with tales. Glowing red paper lanterns hang from above, and cabinets full of curios line the pathway. His connection to Chinatown goes back to childhood. As a boy on his walk to school, Crew would regularly pick up fried wontons there, and subsequently forged tight bonds with the locals. Apparently he became so trusted, they bestowed upon him dead, embalmed members of their families.
You can view two such mummies, encased in glass. There’s Fat Choy, described by Crew as a magician who performed in opium dens, assisted by his pet monkey. Then there’s Madame Wong, a dwarf who Crew says was not just a magician, but also a thief. While performing, she would release opium smoke through two black dragon heads. Audience members, lulled into a stupor, were then relieved of their valuables. Take note of her “Thai fingernail” – a long, pointy tool worn over a fingertip – used to remove rings from unsuspecting patrons.
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Address 11334 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, CA 91601, +1 818.221.8065, Facebook: California Institute of Abnormalarts | Getting there Metered and unmetered street parking | Hours Tue–Sun 8pm–2am; ticket prices vary per show| Tip Just a 5-minute drive away is Norton Sales (7429 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, North Hollywood, CA 91605), a prop shop specializing in aerospace and industrial items since 1962. It’s open to the general public too, so anyone with a sci-fi inclination can whir around the store looking for items to make the robot of their dreams.
In another cabinet, straight from Scotland, is the Hand of Glory, said to be the shriveled paw of a burglar. Legend has it that such metacarpus were once used by thieves to rob homes. The scalawags would enter, plead for a place to rest for the night, and light the disembodied digits like candles. Those slumbering in the house were said to fall into a charmed sleep, allowing the tricksters to steal their treasures.
Beyond the corridor of creepiness is a patio where kitschy old TV and film clips play. In the main room, performers stage a freak-oriented variety show. “We’re maximalists here – not minimalists,” explains Crew. “What’s the point, but to be noticed?”
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