tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36845215.post805746438142563059..comments2024-03-24T11:56:43.208-07:00Comments on Showbiz David: Sunday Morning, Looking Back: PBS Under the Big Top -- Accidental Revelations Add Fits of Fire to Underwhelming Big Apple Circus Reality Show ...Showbiz Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921904778000552196noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36845215.post-53571471602847771262010-11-05T12:20:56.059-07:002010-11-05T12:20:56.059-07:00Thanks, David. I hope the show stays under the BAC...Thanks, David. I hope the show stays under the BAC hood, for it's giving us a chance to observe and study the interrelationships and how one kind of circus is shaped. Other then CDS on HBO (Varakei), we get to little of this in the standard circus program, either veiled promos for Feld Entertainment or recycled historical footage. <br /><br />Clowning is a HUGE complex topic, perhaps to be addressed here in some future post.Showbiz Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08921904778000552196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36845215.post-11428325939777169162010-11-05T10:50:17.129-07:002010-11-05T10:50:17.129-07:00David,
Fascinating thoughts on the Big Apple Circ...David,<br /><br />Fascinating thoughts on the Big Apple Circus TV show. I only got a chance to watch the second hour so I appreciated your perspective. <br /><br />Your observation about Barry Lubin’s “intrusive ego” especially caught my eye. Having clowned with him in the ’78 season and his pal since then, it’s not surprising that I saw that sequence differently. But it’s more than my respect and fondness for Barry. (And more than the TV folks controlling what we see to maximize the drama.) <br /><br />That sequence gives a taste of the detail required for good clowning. All the world loves to repeat that “Clowning is hard” but few really know or care what that means. Even many clowns confuse having a hard time, which happens to every clown, good or bad, for the hard WORK that the good ones invest. That includes a focus on detail that many clowns resist, and that other people would see as picky or “intrusive.” <br /><br />As an actor and director, I agree that a director should not block every move of the actor. However, as a clown and movement consultant, I know that clowning is different. Stop-&-wave can convey a totally different meaning than wave-&-stop, as different as “To be or not to be” done in fierce anger or weary whisper. <br /><br />Clowning is not simply transferring personal high spirits to the ring, or transforming sadness into clowny rainbows-&-lollipops, and it’s DEFINITELY not “just being free.” Those are popular stories. So is the angst-ridden soul behind the scenes, hiding tears behind the mask. But what good clowns actually do to prepare doesn’t fit any of those stories. <br /><br />God is in the details. So is clowning.David Carlyonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36845215.post-90517331891267166482010-11-04T19:33:28.243-07:002010-11-04T19:33:28.243-07:00Thanks, Bob. That is what draws me to this series...Thanks, Bob. That is what draws me to this series, and makes me think the producers are for real. And why I'm waiting for next week. Any TV program that can give us the truth is well worth respecting. We've had enough traditional "circus is coming!" hoopla.Showbiz Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08921904778000552196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36845215.post-79789388484770319722010-11-04T18:14:17.570-07:002010-11-04T18:14:17.570-07:00Binders blow-up is definatly part of his character...Binders blow-up is definatly part of his character. Sources on the BAC also say that the TV audience only saw a snip of the actual, ugly fit he threw. <br /><br />The closest I've ever seen to this public display was in a documentary on the Hanneford Circus which aired a few years back. It showed Tommy Hanneford in a very nasty verbal argument with Struppi. <br /><br />But for anyone who's ever worked the BAC or Hanneford show, these rants are part and parcel of working under Binder & Tommy.<br /><br />Bob, rigger to the starsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36845215.post-1535057646701108252010-11-04T11:53:59.149-07:002010-11-04T11:53:59.149-07:00Harry, I was fairly shocked by Binder's blowin...Harry, I was fairly shocked by Binder's blowing up, and like you wondered if it was staged, or, rather, a trait of Binder's purposely demonstrated to show that side of his personality. I'm waiting for the next acts.Showbiz Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08921904778000552196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36845215.post-29803971005818398642010-11-04T11:10:14.157-07:002010-11-04T11:10:14.157-07:00Dave,
I watched the 2 hour well photographed tv sh...Dave,<br />I watched the 2 hour well photographed tv show and they probably will benefit in the box office from it.<br />Binder's rave and rant session I wonder if it was real or for drama for tv. Might not go over well with the public.<br />And I cannot see Barbara Byrd, Johnny Pugh and John Ringling North II doing a rant and rave in front of a tv camera.<br />Mr. Smith is a great asset for BAC as he gets the job done with no drama.<br />I also see that bac is not immune to the problems of other tent shows with help etc.<br />Like you said before I would have liked to have seen Kelly Miller or Carson and Barnes used for this show.<br />HarryHarry Kingstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13362053177536772325noreply@blogger.com