DENIS LACOMBE: On Cirque

Mr. Lacombe in Cirque's humbly titled "Cirque Reinvente" with his robot clown entree.

DENIS LACOMBE: On Cirque 2

Also from Cirque's "Cirque Reinvente", Mr. Lacombe's better known "Mad Conductor".

I wish Cirque would create a unit that continued to work in this lower-key vein instead of every new show being presented in the bombastic, overwrought, overthought cliche that they've become.

MEET THE SHNEEDLES: Shneedlemania

As for the break-up of the Shneedles, I blame Yoko.

JOE JACKSON SR.

Photo courtesy of circusbutterflygurl



This photo was taken in the summer of 1979 following the release of his breakthrough single "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"

Mr. Jackson, seen here staring out his window as his coffee grows cold, is watching pretty women out walking with gorillas down his street.

SPIKE JONES: All Star Revue

Is it just me or did television "entertainment" used to be a lot more entertaining?

FELIX ADLER: All Hail the King

Photo courtesy of circusbutterflygurl



The "King" in all his glory; Felix Adler preparing for spec as Old King Cole.

GENE RANDOW

Photo courtesy of circusbutterflygurl



Tick off a Shriner and feel the wet, sticky wrath of Randow: Gene Randow delights in wiping a booger on a young circus troublemaker.

VAS AND STAS: St. Petersburg

Russian clowns Vas and Stas.

MICHAEL O' DONOGHUE: 1940-1994

The TV trailer of the infamous 1979 movie "Mr.Mike's Mondo Video", a creation of original SNL writer Michael O'Donaghue.



O'Donoghue and John Belushi in the "Wolverines" sketch, penned by O'Donoghue, the very first sketch on the very first episode of Saturday Night Live October 11, 1975.

Please click the title of this post to find out more about Mr. O'Donoghue, who passed away 13 years ago today and whose influence on contemporary satirical comedy is immeasurable.

MITCH FREDDES: Transformation

Jonathan "Mitch" Freddes "slaps it on" during his tenure as featured clown on the Ringling Hometown Edition.

If things work out, I eagerly anticipate working with Mitch in China in '08.

BILLY VAUGHN: Hubert Castle International Circus

Billy Vaughn, 1970s, post-Ringlingling on the Hubert Castle International Circus.

DOUGIE ASHTON

Doug Ashston and "His Gal Sal", his wife, Sally.

THE COHEN BROTHERS

Who doesn't love a little person prone to outrageous bursts of slapstick violence? For more on the subject see JOHNNY PULEO AND THE HARMONICA RASCALS.

James Thiérrée - Au Revoir Parapluie at BAM

"...a journey as beautiful and disturbing as a dream or fable."
—LE MONDE



AU REVOIR PARAPLUIE

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JAMES THIÉRRÉE
DEC 4—8, 11—15 AT 7:30PM
DEC 9 & 16 AT 3PM
BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) HARVEY THEATER
RUNNING TIME: 100MIN
TICKETS: $20, 35, 50, 60


Nouveau cirque wunderkind James Thiérrée makes his highly anticipated return to BAM with the soulful Au Revoir Parapluie, the follow-up to Bright Abyss, his transfixing, sold-out debut at the 2005 Next Wave Festival.

Marvelous physical theatrics—acrobatics, dance, mime, music—abound. The show begins with a fantastic creature, covered in gold glitter and crooning in an unidentifiable tongue. Realizing that it can’t escape its golden shroud, its face crumples in anguish. The curtain opens to reveal ominously swirling ropes on which climb changelings—careening, flying, and dancing in pitched battle with rocking chairs and great swaths of black cloth. With Au Revoir Parapluie (which translates as "Farewell Umbrella") the extraordinarily gifted and charming Thiérrée and his astonishing company achieve a most delicate balance of pathos and delight.

James Thiérrée - La Veillée des Abysses 1

James Thiérrée - La Veillée des Abysses 2

CHARLIE CAIROLI: Film Appearance

Video courtesy of Craig Royston


A young Charlie Cairoli. I'm hoping that John Cooper will know the name of the film.

SLIVERS OAKLEY: Sells-Floto 1905

Photos courtesy of Bill Strong

SLIVERS/NOT SLIVERS

Frank "Slivers" Oakley


Not Oakley but another clown from the same era.

BRYAN FULTON: Table Rock

I may be wrong but I think that my pal Bryan Fulton (who killed at the recent Happy Tiandu AEMI World Clown Festival) may be the only professional clown in America performing the classic table rock act.

Here he is folks, as taught by Mitch Freddes and performed in honor of folks like Dime Wilson, Dick Lewis and Bumpsy Anthony, here's the one and only Bryan Fulton performing his table rock on Ringling Red as an emergency stretch gag one day when there was trouble putting up the tiger cage...