At the edge of every vacant ring, I wax hopeful. This may be the One. This may be a tentbuster. Indeed, in my program, the most intriguing thing about the American circus is how unpredictable it can be — and I am talking ALL shows — from the tinniest to the tallest. In any, a star may appear ... If chasing the red wagons has taught me anything I can count on, it is that any show can drastically change from one season to the next, for a changing lineup of acts and other variables (direction or lack of) spell the dramatic differences that can leave you bored or thrilled ...
Which is why the search for this nation’s or the world’s “best circus” eludes me, and makes no sense. (Yes, I'm waiting to hear from you, Wade.) Any circus company, no matter how established, will NOT deliver the same quality year after year ... That elusive quest to sanctify "best circus” misses the mark, overlooks the younger upstarts who can ring magic, too, and risks awarding sacred cow adulation to sacred cow duds. I refuse to kowtow to any name. They all must renew their credibility each new season ...
And here come three more, right in my own backyards:, all reachable on foot and bus without hassles. Ringling=Barnum rolls into the Oakland Arena tomorrow, Circus Vargas tenting up over in SF this very moment. Not to mention the invasion next month of Carson & Barnes, throwing forth banners and canvas, elephants and acrobats over the Cow Palace parking lot, which may mark a daring first ... How lucky I am for a change; In years past, I have walked many dedicated miles to take in a number of Carson & Barnes dates. Sometimes well worth it, for the intriguingly unpredictable C&B will now and then, by direction or wonderful accident, snap crackle and rock in the older bolder vein ...
Around the lots: E-mailing with a chirp, Kelly-Miller’s Jim Royal exudes implicit relief in the wake of weeks of rain rain and mud mud mud. “We are in Flushing, MI today. Beautiful small town, nice lot (a park downtown), fine weather and good business. Shouldn't it always be this way?" -- confirmed by the Ben Trumble rumble on his mud show blog, conceding how "delighted" he feels to have been "wrong” in his forecasting (or fearing) weak turnouts at the Michigan dates ... Nicole Feld, who before the big top seduced her wanted to be a photographer, nicely & politely profiled in a New York Times piece.. “I knew it was an irreversible decision. It was nothing my parents ever said. It was pressure I put on myself. There was an expectation I had to succeed and be brilliant to carry on the legacy of my father and grandfather.” ... So, let’s see what this 30-year-old can do — most critically, what sort of an influence she might wield over her control-freak dad. Perhaps traces of it will leak through at the Oakland Arena...
Come August 20 in select movie houses for a limited time, Cirque du Soleil offers yet another variation on its uniqueness titled DELIRIUM (the caps, theirs), touted by CDS to be a “ground breaking living dance and musical extravaganza.” which tells me they continue to move closer closer towards circus ballet ... I'm sticking to sawdust this weekened --I assume.
Best in the world? Best in the US, that year, that lot, that performance ... That mood.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
That elusive quest to sanctify "best circus” misses the mark, overlooks the younger upstarts who can ring magic, too, and risks awarding sacred cow adulation to sacred cow duds. I refuse to kowtow to any name. They all must renew their credibility each new season ...
Show Biz,
You are getting real close, now find somebody to divulge salary's, and you will be spot on. Again, the word "Circus" runs the gamete from a riped up tent, to the Greatest show on earth. Cirque runs the same course in Europe, from a dirty chapiteau to Krone. If Hollywood just called them "Movies" I suggest they would be in the same boat. But they refer to them by various names, Feature, Independant, B movies, etc. etc. Every once in a while they will give a posthumous award to a Gable, Tracy, Garland, etc. but they hold today up as the standard. They don't exclude them, or denigrate them. My son who is second generation animal trainer was not allowed to post on a "History" blog, yet anonymous/cute names, fans, and assorted others were. The Circus Fans of America who I respect and appreciate, just gave 300.00 to a self serving European Circus Associan, and are fighting to aid the fair elephant ride issue as well as the movie industry.
They are also planning to give Siegfried and Roy an award for "their work in promoting the breeding, preservation and presentation of Big Cats in the Entertainment field." What in the hell does any of this have to do with the circus?
Keep having goofy "best O the best" awards festivals, "the public doesn't know or care after all." I asked a number of the public, not fans or hangers on, but the public at the conclusion of last years MC festival, and I was told, "are you shitting me," in many different languages. And that is about a 75% consensus over the past ten years. The public does know. We are not fooling country folk anymore with grand gaudy posters, and stupendous words, and Ringmaster spin.
It seems to have become Jackels fighting over scraps. Getting what they can for their own agenda. Forget the industry, forget the big picture. Do you know how many private email I get from people afraid to speak out or offer there thoughts, as they fear they will get crushed. As for the sacred cows you got your piece and got out. Let go of it, and let the "new generation" have a go at it, and see if they can do any better, or at least restore what was lost.
Go on any European Circus site, it is all about today, which is the future.
"There was an expectation I had to succeed and be brilliant to carry on the legacy of my father and grandfather.” This poor women has been whacked, kicked, spit on at every turn. The few courageous one's who attempt to defend her receive the same. She has bigger boot's to fill they any of the "sacred cows" ever had. Give her a chance.
It took the "cows" 200 years to piss on what they had. Give her at least a 10th of what you had, and watch what she can do. Some were born lucky, and only had to fill dirty flip flops to achieve greatness. Some will have to achieve much more to meet their legacy expectations. I wish her the best, as well as my son, and the Marc Gebels of the world. Good luck to all of them. Jump high and fast, as there will be attempts to chop you legs off at every turn.
Wade Burck
Post a Comment