Circus Review
Zoppe Family Circuses
At Redwood City, CA
November 23, 2024
Tickets: $12 to $33.
Not so easy, in fact a rather challenging confection to review. Program starts out with barely a whimper (more on this later), clowning lingers on in spots, and the quality of action ranges from spectacular to sketchy. But tell that to the dozens of gleeful children who lapped up the performance. In fact, if I were a parent, I would want Zoppe to be the first circus my child sees. Giovanni and his sons have a way of connecting with kids. His missing hat routine, a crowning example, had the moppets practically flying out of their seats screaming with pointed fingers to get his eyes on the hat.
In another clever bit, the two Zoppe boys – Julien, 15, and Ilario, all of three (yes, three), find a big balloon and have fun bouncing it back and forth — until the uppity ringmaster, unable to wrest it away, reaches up to pop it. They are ordered out of the tent, only to reappear moments later, chasing after another balloon, and this bit goes on and on for, oh, maybe another hundred balloons — the last one releasing a spray of water onto our ringmaster’s head. Great pay off! Grade A clowning.
During the opening ensemble splash, little Ilario on his own runs up to a spot on the ring carpet, as if following script, and lowers himself into a head stand, joined by his father and brother doing the same. Priceless.
Also top tier in my eyes are a troupe of rambunctiously ambitious Ethiopian performers from one of the poorest countries on earth, named Zom Habesha. They light up the show with juggling gusto. I only wish their act had been longer. They also deliver a compelling risley display, giving it more the feel and thrust of teeterboard. It is as roughly executed in spots as it is brilliantly creative in others, as shown in the photo below.
And I am waiting for the dogs to appear. Last year, they were the highlight of the show, as they tend to be on most circuses these days.
There’s gaucho dancing from the Sanchez Family, contortion by two Ethiopian girls, Beki and B, and a cloud swing from Chiara Zoppe, attached to a lifeline. The Daring Horseman, Caleb Caracini Asch, rides masterfully well, joined by Audrey Prince for some nice duo work. She returns in another bit, standing alone on the horse while attached to a mechanic. Seems pointless. Recorded music throughout the program is generally relevant and appealing.
What, the show is ending? No dogs? ARE YOU KIDDING, ZOPPE? This would be like a kid at Ringling years ago waiting for the elephants to appear and being criminally stood up. No, Zoppe, No! It leaves a gaping hole in the performance. Unconstitutional! Unzoppetutional! On my way out, I stopped to tell McGuire how much I missed the dogs. He said, “Giovanni could not find a dog act.” I don’t believe that.
This company remains true to its most consistent theme — FAMILY. And at finale, they all stand, hand to hand, perfectly still across the ring, without even a hint of milking for applause. A pause, and then the crowd erupts into cheers. You could feel their joy. Heck, you could feel the love.
I’m praying for the return of a dog act next year. If one isn’t there, neither will I.
3 stars
END RINGERS: A rich history: The Riding Zoppes with Cucciolo were brought to America in 1948 by John Ringling North, and they appeared in DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth ... Jeanette Prince responded to my request for names. This is the only circus I know of that does not at least post pictures of its acts on their website. It suggests that acts are frequently coming and going during the season. To his credit, Giovanni each year offers a fairly fresh slate of acts. And from other lands, the show stays that much fresher ... Oh by gosh, by golly! Yes, I was right. I am professionally related to the Zoppes. Look what I found searching through my papers. Drum rolls, please! From a press release I wrote for Sid Kellner when he hired me as press agent for his 1969 James Bros. Circus tour, headlined Circus Kids Uphold the Great Tradition of Their Parents:
"Animal trainer Alberto Zoppe's two delightful children, Caralynn, 5, and Giovanni, 3, both assist their father in his whimsical dog, poodle, and horse act. When the ringmaster announces their entrance, Caralynn and Giovanni perk up enthusiastically and bounce into the center ring with great glee, like two tots entering an enchanted picnic area. Circus kids never have time to learn what stage fright is."
And all the years later, there's another little Zoppe following the same family muse ... (My year on the show is profiled, by the way, in my book Keep That Day Job! -- if you'll allow me the shameless plug,)
first published 11.19.2024
6 comments:
Did you know that in a hold over from Soviet days, Russian circus performers doing physical acts can retire after 15 years with a full government pension (the same with dancers, athletes, musicians who play wind instruments, and others). As long as you have paid taxes as a performer for 15 years, you are immediately eligible. Many continue performing in non physical acts, like clowning. Meanwhile, American performers (I think there are still some) either continue as long as they can or become Walmart greeters until they retire in poverty. Most don't even have health insurance, so risking paralysis to appease the demands of critics and some in the audience who demand danger, has little reward other than a measly disability social security check if they land wrong or bounce out of the net. You can see why there are no more American teeterboard or shoulder perch acts when the drive through window at In and Out Burger pays more.
Yes, a good point about using lifelines, one of many reasons why one day performers risking peril may become a thing of the past.
The correct term for "lifeline" is 'mechanic'
I could not agree with you more, but I have used "lifeline" as much as mechanic because it seems to have come into being used more than the other.
A comment from Zoppé as we have stumbled upon your review of last year's show in Redwood City. It is with the greatest appreciation that we thank you for taking your time to not only attend but photograph and subsequently share your experience. We also very much lament the difficulty of acquiring dog performances, dwindling every single year as push back for animals encourages annually fewer artists choosing the career path and the few circuses still using dogs vying for who is left. Happily we have contracted an act for our 2025 year.
We came to the circus yesterday with three families and three young kids (ages 1.5 to 4). We were the first ones to enter the tent. The seating is made of tall bench-style rows with wide gaps and no stairs, so you have to climb up each bench. As we tried to go up, my daughter nearly fell through one of the gaps — it’s genuinely unsafe for small children.
Because of that, we chose to sit together in the middle row, leaving three entire empty rows in front of us. We were sitting tightly together, not taking extra space. Someone from the staff asked us to move up, and we explained that the benches were unsafe for our kids and that adults and older kids should be the ones climbing higher.
Then the person who appeared to be the owner or announcer came over and started shouting at us, saying things like “This is my circus, this is my show,” and threatened to make us leave if we didn’t move. His tone was aggressive and completely uncalled for, especially in front of small children. I honestly started shaking — it was that upsetting. One of the adults in our group asked him to please calm down because of the kids, but he continued.
Ironically, the show wasn’t even full. Many benches stayed empty throughout. There was absolutely no need for the confrontation.
This was supposed to be a fun family outing, and instead it turned into a really frightening and stressful experience. I would never return. The way we were treated was rude, unprofessional, and completely unnecessary, and the seating setup is unsafe for young children.
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