This is Wayne's World

Exciting times are a coming. The circus is in town tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it having never been to a circus show before. I really don’t know what to expect bar an end scene Octopussy and considering all the key ingredients for my perfect nightmare are embodied in all things sideshow it should be an interesting ride.

So the day arrives and I’m all geared up for some circus action. Upon entering the tent you see horses and camels and kids could ride camel and horse back…… After palms were crossed with silver. Now I thought the ticket cost was reasonable and there is good reason for this. They wait until your inside and then hit with things like face
painting and countless toys and trinkets that lit up different colours and this shit wasn’t cheap. (sigh). But what can you do when you’ve kids. Be a mean bastard?! After all that’s how the circus make their living. And I’m not one to stand in the way of circus performing progress.

The interesting thing was seeing all the trucks and transport vehicles parked around. A travelling circus by definition seem to be very independent and free and yet the intense amount of organisation required to put on a show must be overwhelming. The cast totalled maybe 30 people but half included women and children so who puts up
the giant tent, erects the rig that holds the thing together. I get the sense that it is the cast that do all this and then drive the trucks off to the next site. Very fantastical. Then there are the animals to think of. They need constant care and attention giving that they are not native to this country. Considering all these points the show was absolutely brilliantly put together.

One cool thing about the circus is the fact that everyone is mucking in. The ring master was the ticket collector, the main male acrobat trickster was the popcorn guy during the interval and the trapeze girl was out selling programs. A good tight family kind of vibe I got from them.

Then there is the subject of running away with the circus. What an idea. To be freed of the trappings of society and travel around as a gypsy. It would be interesting to document someones circus career/timeline. How someone goes up through the ranks. Do they start off sweeping out the animal trucks whilst perfecting their act and then get promoted to performing status? What would be my act? I wonder.

This was an animal circus with horses, lamas, camels, dogs, birds and zebras. And although advertised as a family animal circus it was the animal bits I enjoyed the least. That’s not to say they weren’t good but I’m more of a death defying stunts and acrobats kind of guy. And the juggler was very good too! To my surprise though was the real star of the show. The clown. Blippo I think he was called? Anyway he looked good, had brilliant routines and worked the crowd well but most importantly for a clown. He was funny.

It’s just unfortunate that photography during the show was not permitted. Hence the walk around shots.