Should I really be excited about the circus?

When I was a wee boy, we lived across from the field where every year the Circus would come to perform. Every summer I would get very excited about the idea of seeing lots of amazing stunts and incredible animals and every summer I would take my seat and end up being slightly disappointed. Everything would smell of damp and muddy hay, the burgers were rubbery, there would be no animals, the clown wasn't funny and I'd just be terrified that something would go wrong. Not really out of fear that something terrible would actually happen but just out of an empathetic embarrassment for the poor performer, who screwed up, in front of all those watchful eyes.

Why then, when I walk around the Southside and see the entire city fly-posted into oblivion with their posters do I still get the same childish excitement that the Circus is coming to town?

I haven't been to the circus for years, the last time we went was for the Chinese State Circus about four years ago. We opted for the really cheap seats which were a big mistake. We ended up practically behind the stage and could only see half the main circle, though interestingly we could also partly see backstage where there seemed to be twice as much activity. Our foolish choice of seating did not really lend itself to a great night and so its hard to give a fair appraisal of the show. I remember however being very impressed by a troop of small guys jumping through hoops and by a woman who could change the colour of masks on her face with a wave of her magic cape.

The worst moment of the night however was a routine involving a stocky man trying to climb a free standing ladder. He failed over and over again. Initially we thought it a bit of a drawn out drama in the act, but after a good five or six minutes of failure and an extremely frustrated and embarrassed look on the performers face, it became clear it was just a painfully unpleasant moment for both him and the audience. Eventually the ringmaster came out to drag him off but he refused to go, demanding that he complete the trick. The drums which had slowly started to peeter out started up again, the audience all started to bang their feet and clap their hands and our, by now, tragic hero psyched himself up for once last try. . . He almost made that time too, he got a hand on the second from top rung before him and his ladder fell to earth and both were ushered off stage, even the ladder looked rather sheepish. 

And yet, despite my fear for performer's embarassment coming true, I spot the big top in the distance and I still think, "Hey that looks good.".

Taking a look at some of the photos posted here and others on Zippos website, complete with cast photos, documentary videos and interestingly a "jobs page" (sadly no current vacancies) you start to see why.

The Circus' continued success is in part due to the ways they've changed, modified their performances and introduced new acts, but it's mainly down to that hugely nostalgic and comforting feeling they embody. No matter how many times we all go, there is something built into our social consciousness that crackles to life when the big top starts to go up. There is a romance to the life and the characters which we buy into, which probably no longer, or indeed never existed. The ringmaster, the strongman, the trapeze and the contortionist are all characters that as children we are brought up to recognise and around whom stories and ideas are formed from an early age. They are as inbuilt into our upbringing as the classic shapes and sounds of a farm or the ability to identify the animals in the zoo (another event whose experience never quite equals its imagined promise).

I've begun to realise however that actually, the muddy hay smell, the poor slapstick comedy and the nasty tension when something went wrong were actually as big a part of the fun of the experience as the amazing stunts or the clever tricks. In short the very things I thought were rubbish as a child are the things I'm looking forward to now and I think its maybe about time I gave the circus another chance.

Now, I've obviously not yet been to this particular Circus at the Queen's Park Recreation grounds so have no idea what it will actually entail or if it will be good but any show that features an old man in a top hat getting budgies to perform feats of daring on tiny bicycles as pictured below gets my vote and I look forward to seeing Norman Barrett MBE "The worlds best ringmaster" putting the rest of the troops through their paces.

Zippos Circus runs from Friday 11 June until Wednesday 23 June with shows at 3pm and 7pm at weekends and 5pm and 7:30pm during the week.

Prices vary but most shops round the park have piles of discount vouchers which you should pick up before going to save up to £4 off each ticket. You can also buy them online at the cheaper prices.

Queen's Park Recreation Ground

Pollokshaw's Road

Glasgow G42 8DA

 

PS - check out the page where Zippos will hire you out circus equipment. I like the idea of hiring a small clown car or a knife throwing table. Wonder if Ann will let me get one?