Big Crowds for Big Kid Circus

A great shot of a big crowd piling into the Big Kid Circus' big top on the last stop of their season in Glasgow, beneath a sunny autumnal sky.

 

The Great Circus of Europe in Al Ain

An enchanting shot of Gandeys Circus' overseas unit The Great Circus of Europe in Al Ain in the Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, Gandeys is presenting the circus-on-ice-show Snowstorm 3 over Christmas.

 

Cirque du Soleil to set up home in London

Is London about to get a permanent circus building?

Canadian circus giant Cirque du Soleil is in the process of making the capital’s Saville Theatre its UK base.

The theatre, which was turned into a cinema in 1970 has been bought by Yoo Capital which has teamed up with Soleil to restore the 110,000 sq ft, grade II-listed building.

Eric Grilly, president of resident and affiliate show divisions at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, said “We see a unique opportunity to bring back live entertainment to a beloved venue with fresh content and new ideas.”

Lloyd Lee, managing partner at Yoo Capital, said, “Yoo Capital is thrilled to have the opportunity to restore the theatre’s original purpose as a live performance space in partnership with the world’s most reputable live performers, Cirque du Soleil, who have chosen to explore the potential for the Saville to be their first ever permanent experience in London.”

Before circuses travelled in big tops, they were staged in temporary or permanent buildings. The grandest was Astley's Amphitheatre. Known throughout upmarket society simply as Astley's, the landmark venue was mentioned in novels by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

The last circus building still in use for its original purpose is the Yarmouth Hippodrome. But London may be about to get a new one.

 

Pablo Fanque, Britain's first Black circus proprietor, gets blue plaque in Leeds

There aren't many blue plaques dedicated to circus performers, but there are now at least three devoted to Britain's - and probably the world's - first Black circus owner, Pablo Fanque.

One is on the wall of the John Lewis store in Norwich, close to where Fanque (real name William Darby) was born in 1810. A second is at Sheffield's Castlegate.

The latest plaque has been unveiled on a Leeds shopping centre close to where Fanque was buried in 1871.

Fanque's wife Susannah was killed in Leeds when an amphitheatre owned by him collapsed in 1848. Although Fanque later remarried, it was his final wish to be buried alongside her.

The plaque was unveiled on 16 September by Chris Barltrop dressed as Philip Astley, assisted by Shawn Ashworth dressed as Fanque and Deborah Sanderson, from the Urban Angels aerial group, dressed as Fanque's wife, Susannah.

Speeches were given by Jane Taylor, Chair of the Leeds Civic Trust, and circus historian Dr Steve Ward, who played a large part in getting Fanque honoured.

The ceremony was witnessed by 100 onlookers plus BBC and ITV local news crews.

Later in the afternoon, Barltrop performed his play Audacious Mr Astley at the nearby City Varieties Theatre.

The real life Astley had introduced circus to Leeds with open-air performances there in 1773.

For more information on the story of Pablo Fanque, click here.

 

Laurel and Chaplin: The Feud, Preview

A promo video has dropped for Laurel & Chaplin: The Feud, and what a hoot it looks, combining classic slapstick routines with an intriguing true story.

Long before Laurel and Hardy, Stan Laurel worked with another comedy giant, Charlie Chaplin. They toured America together for three years and shared a room on the road.

Then, after Chaplin was talent-spotted by Keystone Studios and catapulted to silver screen fame, they never spoke to each other again.

To find out what happened, catch Laurel & Chaplin: The Feud at London's Cambridge Theatre on Monday nights from 24 July to 28 August and Blackpool Winter Gardens from 30 August to 2 September.

 

Vulcana by Rebecca F. John - The Story of a Victorian Strongwoman

If you're looking for some summer reading, then this could be the book for you. 

Miriam Kate Williams, better known as Vulcana, was a Welsh strongwoman who toured the Victorian music halls with William Hedley Roberts, better known as Atlas, as Vulcana and Atlas.

They billed themselves as brother and sister although they were actually lovers and Roberts was married to another woman.

Their true story has now been turned into an enthralling atmospheric novel by award-winning short story writer and Costa-nominated novelist Rebecca F. John.

Find out more on Amazon, here.

 

Why did Stan Laurel hate Charlie Chaplin? A new show, Laurel and Chaplin - the Feud, will reveal all!

 

Some shows just have a fantastic premise and Laurel & Chaplin - the Feud sounds like it's going to be the must-have ticket of this summer.

Mixing a dramatic play with slapstick comedy and circus skills, the show tells the true but little-known story of how two of the big screen's greatest funny men - Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin - began their career as roommates, touring the music halls with showman Fred Karno... until something went wrong.

Created by Jon Conway and starring his son Jordan Conway as Chaplin, and Matt Knight as Laurel, the show's all-action routines were honed during 200 performances at Butlins Holiday Resorts as the Crazy Comedy Company, before an acclaimed appearance on the Edinburgh Fringe.

Catch the show at London's Cambridge Theatre from 24 July to 28 August, and at Blackpool Winter Gardens from 29 August to 2 September.

For more info and bookings, click here.

Is this the best circus act in the UK today?

Alex the Fireman Photo credit: Bina Fellowes Photography

Last year, Circus Fantasia boasted of having the only human cannonball in the UK that season. This year, they have one of the most entertaining acts I have ever seen in a circus ring: Alex the Fireman.

His antics on a huge revolving ladder have everything you could want from the big top in a single act. Slapstick comedy, hair-raising, death-defying acrobatics, fire, water pistols and enough personality to have everyone in the audience joining in with pantomime-style shouting.

Alexandru Lupu is not a newcomer. He's done the same act on other circuses including Zippos and Paulos (where the above picture was taken). But if you haven't seen it, this is one act worth making a special trip to Circus Fantasia to see. And if you have seen him before, you'll want to see him again, because this is an act that does not get old.

The fact that Fantasia retains a live band when most circuses use recorded music definitely adds to the effect.

Tip: book a side view seat for the best view of Alex spinning backwards on his ladder.

 

Pinder's Circus, the show with 200 year's of history, comes to Hasland, Derbyshire

I love this picture of what looks like the perfect traditional family circus - and it's a show with more than the usual share of tradition behind it.

Pinder's Circus is probably the oldest name on the circus block, dating back to the 1850s, when it played before Queen Victoria.

The current show is run by husband and wife clowns Eddy and Erika Pinder, whose family have been in the circus business for more than 200 years, along with ringmaster Mike Lea.

Click here to read more about the history of Pinder's Circus, and check out my book Circus Mania for a full chapter on it.

The Pinder's Circus Clown Car

10 Years of Circus Funtasia

Congratulations to Circus Funtasia, celebrating it's 10th Anniversary year with a Completely Sold Out show in Crewe today.