Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Big Apple Circus Program 1983 #1


This was our second year with Big Apple, Ben and "Anna May" had been with the show our premier season but for some reason I failed to get a program.
Actually the first time I ever saw the show was the next year when I was with it, I was always holding down the fort in Baraboo.

Posted by Buckles at 5/10/2006 06:10:00 AM

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Off topic, I took the plunge and got tickets to the Gold Unit, opening here tonight. One thing I have to say for Feld is that he addresses the elephant objectionists head-on. Every truck is illustrated with full sized banners of elephants, as is the poster they are using. I haven't seen Ringling since it was a spectacle, and I'm wondering what the public reaction will be, since they make no distinction in their advertising between then Gold Unit and the bigger show that people have come to expect - ticket prices are the same. By the way Buckles, what show are you refferring to when you say Circus Vern?

10 May, 2006 14:17
Buckles said...

I am told that the Gold Unit is the best of the three.

10 May, 2006 14:52
Buckles said...

I'm not sure exactly how to descibe Circus Verne but if you are on their eMail list you will receive bits of circus info from time to time.

10 May, 2006 15:15
Buckles said...

Try: CIRCUSVERN@aol.com

10 May, 2006 15:17
Anonymous said...

Well, just saw the Gold show, and all I can say is that if this is the best of the 3, Ringling is dead. Basically, 6 acts interspersed with clown numbers so long,they make an Italian musical clown number look like a run in, plus lots of song and dance numbers with all performers dressed in warm up suits and endless Sesame Street-like commentary. A fribee dog act that went on for 15 minutes (how many times can 2 dogs catch a frisbee?), and the 2 elephants did a very basic routine - not even a hind leg stand. I went out for a smoke during intermission. Big time bitching about the show. Our small civic center was about 1/4 full. In a nutshell, the show was like the free circus Hanneford puts on at the Big E, with another hour of crap filling it out. I paid $33.00 a ticket, and couldn't wait until it was over. I kept checking the rigging and props to see if everything had been used yet. What a depressing show.

10 May, 2006 21:49
Buckles said...

Were the complaints from people who expected the bigger show or just disappointed with the performance in general?
Christ! $33? The floss must have been $20.

10 May, 2006 23:43
Anonymous said...

One woman was saying "2 dogs and six horses, no tigers - nothing. If I knew this I would have gone to the Shrine Circus" (which was playing a couple of weeks ago)
The announcer kept proclaiming "The Greatest Show on Earth!" All I could think was how sorry I felt for the performers who had to do those inane dance routines. Although I noticed that Sylvia was excused. I guess its part of the price for a ticket out of Venezuala, Guyana, and Romania to embarrass youself on the "Greatest Show on Earth".

11 May, 2006 08:08
Buckles said...

Word around the Convention was that Sylvia is now with child and has been excused from her aerial number but is expected to work the horses right up to the end. I've seen that done before.
Most repeated story was that Lance Ramos has booked his tiger act with next year's Red Show which is good and bad. Good in the sense that the act is much better and would indicate the same format. Bad if the present trainer works the act, if so hopefully they will take away his microphone and insist that he take his Prozac.

11 May, 2006 08:55
Anonymous said...

I have to clarity a few things........the tickets for opening night at Springfield were $10.
Second, the show has been well received at other venues, even those used to the 3 ring edition. There have been the occasional comments about "where are the tigers?" but I have to stress the word occasional. I've also heard a lot of "my kids loved it"
People are spending money. Videos are a big seller after the show. That indicates to me people liked the show and want to watch it again.

11 May, 2006 09:58
Buckles said...

This is quite a change of opinion from the previous message.
Whom do you believe? Anonymous #1 or Anonymous #2?

11 May, 2006 10:22
Bob Cline said...

OK I know I posted about this in February. I saw the opening show in Florence, SC. The people around me loved the dog act and commented on how well the music went with the acts a couple times.
Yes I paid 14.00 for my ticket and I had two rows in front of me. Floss was 10.00 a pop. Parking was free. As for the show, you are correct in that there are no cat acts. Sylvia Zerbini was doing her entire routine and just blew the entire audience away. The elephant act at the time had Doc and Angelica. Doc has now been replaced by the former Diano elephant Mysore who has been travelling on the Blue unit for a few years now with absolutly nothing to do on her part. The clowns were a great asset to the show. The down side for me was the closing act was a teeterboard routine. Nothing wrong with the act but it wasn't a power house act to close the show with. Having seen the Red and hearing about the Blue, the Gold is definitely the best of the three in MY opinion.
Bob

11 May, 2006 10:58
Anonymous said...

I believe the spending money part. Who can say no to a child at the circus. I believe this is what the felds are counting on. I bought three licence plate things at Kelly Miller last year just for decoration on my pet kennel and to have a remerance. The plates had 5 ring circus printed on them. $3.00 each. I would have bought more, but ran out of money. I feel this was money well spent for the good feelings I got at Kelly Miller. I know most people have their picture taken while on the elephant ride. It would make a wonderful picture if the elephant person was dressed in some type of circus garb. More work I know, but it would make a lovely photo. Not gold lamay, but maybe a Narube Jacket and turban.

11 May, 2006 11:01
Anonymous said...

I've had this odd depressed feeling all day after seeing Gold. First, I have been a fan for 40 years - not a fan in the sense of collecting programs and thinking that anything plopped inside a ring is just dandy. I am a fan of GOOD circus, and have seen literally hundreds of shows all over the world. What I saw last night was NOTHING, especially with the Ringling name on it. Say what you want about Irving, but he went out of his way to find the best stuff from all over the world and surrounded himself with people who knew what a circus was supposed to be. Don Foote alone could have made the Gold show into something. This years wardrobe was tragic (was there a sale on stretch velvet at the Tampa Walmart?) Remebering the Irving days, I don't care how jaded you were, when spec started, it was goosebumps and you knew you were in for a good show. Anyone who thinks the Gold show is worth a sh-t hasn't seen a real show. I'm glad people like the dogs - it would have been great if I'd been watching them in a local park, but NOT in a circus. Yes Sylvia looked great (no tummy bump by the way)And, acts with planted audience stooges are nothing new, but when every other act has one, it's booooooring, as was the majority of the show. So, I stand by my version of the quality. Does anyone remember the days when performers went out of their way to think of something different and unique to work on and put the time into doing it? Beyond Sylvia, there was nothing different in any one of the acts. Oh, and while I'm on the Ringling bashing bandwagon - that contortion act was just plain frigging ugly - a sideshow act stretched into 10 minutes. They wouldn't have worked on the track in Irving's day.
I had to scrape together my two cents worth from the change jar after forking out almost 200 bucks for the 5 of us to see the show and have a coke and a dog.

11 May, 2006 17:03

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