Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The Richters in Monte Carlo 2008 #3


rich3, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Posted by Buckles at 1/23/2008 11:17:00 AM

8 comments:

Buckles said...

At first glance I thought the lead violinist was Uncle Creepy.

23 January, 2008 11:33
Anonymous said...

Those are the acts we should be seeing with the GSOE and in fact it should be the responsibility of those in charge to have them and nothing less if they continue to call it the GSOE.Second and third rate acts do not count. Its not hard to find the best. You just have to want them.

25 January, 2008 08:58
Raffaele De Ritis said...

You can't, because all those large European families have their own circuses to run besides presenting the acts.

25 January, 2008 11:02
Anonymous said...

Mr. de Ritis,
In defense of the good Col., and please correct me if I am wrong, but did the family/act in question not have a large circus to run last time they were here, and the GSOE was truly The Greatest Show On Earth?
Wade Burck

25 January, 2008 14:10
Raffaele De Ritis said...

I don't think that the Richter family had a circus at the time of their Usa engagement.
But is for example true that in the early 90s the GSOE had the money and power to stop for two year's Togni's Circo Americano (at the time the largest and most succesful Europe's travelling operation)in order to have all of his animal acts.

25 January, 2008 15:49
Anonymous said...

Mr. De Ritis,
I stand corrected, thank you. Additionally you have given me a new comeback, to a statement expressed over and over to me when ever I am in Europe. "Ringling want's me, but they won't pay enough money." My new response, via Raffaele De Ritis, "only enough to start your own show."
Wade Burck

P.S. I don't think they stopped the Circo Americano, as much as they borrowed it and gave it priceless, invaluable, "I would never go to America, especially with Ringling", publicity and marketing power. Cheers
Wade Burck

25 January, 2008 18:51
Raffaele De Ritis said...

The story of Americano and Ringling is very special.
At difference with the Williams deal, when Mrs.Williams closed definitely her circus (and for different reasons), I think that Americano is the first case of a circus really "stopped" by a deal with another. I mean stopped because, while the Tognis were in the Usa with animals, you must think that in Europe for more than two years they kept at the winter quartiers some dozens of workers, many other members of the family, all the office staff,the big top and seating, two circus trains, hundreds of wagons.You just have to imagine how much money they got from RBBB to compensate the costs of all that peoples, the mantainance of material at winter quartiers, and most of all the loss of three winter seasons ant two continental tours of a 5000 seats big top...I can guarantee you that the Togni had their convenience in the deal.
At difference with Williams, when Togni-Americano closed to go to the Usa, it was at the peak of his success. Only in the season before Usa, they had regular two-months full houses in Berlin, Amsterdam or Rome (to not include France or Belgium): no other circus in Europe had this success in so many and different countries (if you forget J.A.Bailey 1902).
After the RBBB adventure, the Tognis reopened the circus. But in terms of "marketing value", I don't think they capitalized a lot. Their comeback show, even if good as always, was not different in style and size of what used to be before. They based the advertising on Flavio as American triumphant superstar, but I don't think the audience cared so much. After all, this circus had claimed to be "American" by 40 years on...

P.S.
When working on the big top project that led to Kaleidoscape, I remember the possibility to book again a complete circus from Europe, and considering very big names as Casartelli or Bouglione.
I am sure, especially with the hard times today for circus costs and animal problems that I can bet on a thing: If you ask to ANY European circus (maybe except Knie or Krone) to close for an engagement to the Usa, everything paid, they will be very, very happy to stop their circus.

26 January, 2008 05:22
Anonymous said...

Mr. De Ritis,
In your prior response, I misinterpreted the work "stopped". As I enjoy, and encourage your responses, for their accuracy, I promise to try and not be so sensitive. That out of the way, let's get started. I disagree about the marketing value to Circo Americano(read the name itself) after their succesful and I think one of the best Ringling Bros. tours. If you are basing it soley on ticket sales, that's about the time the bottom was falling out all over the world, and it might not be an accurate representation.
As we speak there are act's today all over Europe, introduced as "he/she they have appeared with Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey, and many are listed thusly in the program. A tiger act from our company in Illinois was sent to Europe for 3 years, and the day it arrived on your shore's it was billed as "direct from Las Vegas", in the hope's, as it was explained to us, that the public would associate it with Siegfried and Roy, and justified by the fact that the act appeared in Vegas for 10 day's a year, in a tent, 1 1/2 miles away from the Mirage. But I am sure, I don't need to tell you about the liberties taken and extreme stretchs of a creative marketing staff. In closing, I still think they received some benifit marketing wise from their Ringling tour, with all due respect.
Wade Burck

26 January, 2008 09:38

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