Circus 1903 returns to London this Christmas

After wowing crowds at the Southbank Centre in 2018 and 2019, retro circus Circus 1903 returns to London at the Eventim Apollo in London this Christmas, from 15 December to 1 January.

And animal rights protesters need not worry, because the show's elephants are puppets from the makers of War Horse.

The above is a trailer from 2019, and here's a TV clip featuring some of the performers.

 

Arthur Pedlar - Death of a Clown

It was sad to hear this week of the passing of one of Britain's oldest clowns, Arthur Pedlar, at the age of 90.

In 2016, I had the privilege of watching Pedlar put on his make up for a show at the Seagull Theatre in Lowestoft as part of the week-long Clown Gathering UK.

What stories he told - as clearly as if they were yesterday - from the day he was inspired to clown at the age of six when he saw the legendary American hobo clown Emmett Kelly at Bertram Mills Circus in 1938, to working with Buster Keaton and appearing at Russia's 1886 circus building in St Petersburg.

What else did he do? He was the first living non-American clown to be voted into the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Centre, Milwaukee; he was President of the World Clown Association 2003/2004; and is Honorary President of the Circus School of Israel which, as its raison d'tere teaches Palestinian and Jewish youngsters together. Oh yes, and he used to ride 8ft-tall unicycles!

Usually, Arthur performed as the auguste clown Vercoe, but for that special appearance among and before the cream of British clowns, he became the rarely seen these days musical whiteface clown Arturo.