Zoppé Family Circus. Way back in 1842, Napoleone and Ermengilda Zoppé launched a circus in Venice, Italy full of acrobats, jugglers, dancing dogs, clowns and aerialists. Nearly 200 years later, their descendants are still going strong on tour with their one-ring, 500-seat tent. Giovanni Zoppé, the sixth-generation circus artist who stars as Nino the Clown, and a whole crew of performers are making their ninth annual visit to the Old Pueblo this month, and it’s an absolute treat. This year’s show pays special tribute to La Nonna, the matriarch of the Zoppé family, who kept the show going throughout the Great Depression. Friday, Jan. 10, through Sunday, Jan. 26 with shows at various times Thursdays through Sundays. Mercado San Agustin, 100 S. Avenida del Convento. $10.

The Norwegians. This dark comedy tells the tale of two recently scorned women in Minnesota who hire some (very nice and polite) gangsters to kill off their ex-boyfriends in the middle of a brutally cold winter. It’s got the spirit of Fargo with the humor of Saturday Night Live, and it will keep you laughing. “It is a tale more of mayhem than of murder. We invite you to laugh along with the twists and turns of this tale and discover that, surely, hell hath no fury like two women scorned,” says director Roberto Guajardo. Preview shows are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9, and Friday, Jan. 10. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. on Sundays, through Saturday, Feb. 15 (this final date also features a matinee show). Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. $20 GA, $18 military/senior/students, $15 Thursdays and previews.

Ninth Annual Tucson Fringe Festival. Three cheers for this very Tucson festival, which provides avant-garde and nontraditional performing artists a chance to perform in a low-risk, low-cost setting. AND which provides non-artists like us a chance to take it all in. This year, there are more than 50 shows spread across four days. There’s dance, theater, poetry, comedy, storytelling and more, and show titles like “Men Are Garbage” and “Sexology: The Musical!” Thursday, Jan. 9, to Sunday, Jan. 12, at various times. Shows are at the Temple of Music & Art, 330 S. Scott Ave; The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St; StudioONE, 197 E. Toole Ave., the Steinfeld Warehouse Community Arts Center, 101 W. Sixth St.; and The Circus Academy of Tucson, 400 W. Speedway Blvd. Most shows are $10, but you can get a two-show pass for $18, a five-show pass for $43 and an eight-show pass for $64.