circus act
noun1
A performance typical of a circus, such as tightrope walking or fire eating.
2
Figuratively Anything absurd or convoluted; a rigmarole.
- “What kind of circus act is this, Adams?” the Mayor shouted.2007, C. R. Truitt, Messengers from the West Mountain, page 238:
- It's like those women who go to gay bars on a hen night because for them, we're a bloody circus act and it's a story to tell on their wedding day […]2011, Timothy Brown, Civil Partnership, page 172: