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Post by queenofthehours on Jul 27, 2016 20:37:40 GMT
I’ve just got back from a holiday in sunny Great Yarmouth.
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(Those are Donkey tracks in the foreground by the way) Aside from getting to spend the hottest day of the year at the seaside eating ice creams and playing the 2p nudgers, the biggest highlight for me was going to see the Circus (and Water Spectacular) at the Hippodrome for the first time and getting a rather nice unexpected surprise too!
www.hippodromecircus.co.uk/
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I’d seen adverts with pictures of the circus and seen the little car with an oversized clown on top (ostensibly driving the car), pulling a board announcing the shows (twice a day 2.30 and 7.30), tootling up and down the prom but could never get my head around how they could have a dry circus ring and a wet pool in the same show.
Well, I shall explain all about it here because the whole show (plus a little special extra ) was indeed spectacular and I urge anyone who can to go and see it in all its glory (there is a great possibility you’ll get wet!).
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Post by queenofthehours on Jul 27, 2016 20:49:27 GMT
The Hippodrome is Britain’s only surviving TOTAL circus building and is 113 years old. It feels old as well as it’s filled with lots of ye olde circus vibes and atmosphere from the smells of damp and popcorn to the neon lights, dark corridors and vintage posters on the walls.
There weren’t any animals at all involved in the circus. The last circus I saw as a child, the Berlin Circus, had at least an elephant and dogs, possibly horses I believe too. There wasn’t even a traditional clown (at least not in this year’s show) but the funnies here were provided by the ringmaster/compare Jack Jay, son of the owner, and Johnny Mac, a slightly camp scots comedian who was the funny man to Jack’s straight guy. Their sketches this year include a spot with some dancing Stormtrooper puppets, a blow-up whale (“frilly chilly hillbilly Willy”, you had to see it to understand it really) and a watch made from an apple that “played” musical reactions anything Jack said to Johnny (again you had to be there). The main sketch featured, of course, lots of water. This year the reason for lots of buckets of the wet stuff and a hosepipe was in order to clean a statue. If you sit in the first four rows, as I did you will get a bit wet .
Here's the guys in action in a clip from last year -
The acts were all terrific. There were aerial silk gymnasts, some very unnerving roller-skating tricks, this lady -
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This lady -
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And these trapeze artists -
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Post by queenofthehours on Jul 27, 2016 21:00:42 GMT
Togni Brothers from Britain’s Got Talent were pretty amazing to see up close. They were a highlight.
Attachment Deleted (This pic does not do them justice) Seeing people like this in real life and not on TV makes you realise that they are real people and abnormally talented and dedicated. You get to see just how much energy and skill is used to do what seems on TV to be such a trivial act. We’re getting used to acts like the Togni Brothers on BGT now but TV doesn’t do justice to seeing them live. And live is the right place to see these acts.
As the Hippodrome Circus is so old you can well imagine the fascination and awe the people in the olden days must have thought seeing things like this for the first time. No BGT for them! The effect is amplified here because the ring is so small, so small indeed that you can see the sweat on the performers faces and into their eyes as the concentrate on what could be a very dangerous stunt. Some tricks do go wrong. I believe one of the trapeze artists failed twice at a trick he was performing and fell into the net which was tethered just next to me – I wondered why that seat was left spare! It was for the ropes and chains and a metal stake (which the performers themselves had to set up) used to hold the safety net.
Things can go wrong at a live circus but that’s ok as everyone was glad to at least be so close to people so talented that the amazement at their bravery is enough to keep the audience enraptured. One of my favourites acts of the night was the trapeze troupe again in a trampoline act with a difference. It was basically vertical trampolining which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. A really fun act, a cross between normal trampolinging with added Donald O’Conner!
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Tomorrow I'll go into more detail about the water part of the show and tell you what the added extra surprise is!
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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 28, 2016 3:47:01 GMT
Good telling of your vacations trip, queenofthehours! I had to look for Great Yarmouth in Google Earth, I had no idea where it was. Is it considered a vacation center? You were lucky to escape the heat! If you asked me, I'd say it's better that the circus doesn't feature animals. They are a show to see, yes, but there's always been this halo around circuses about animals being are mistreated, sad and depressed there, and I think it must have a good share of truth. So, if you asked me, much better without animals. Humans can give enough of a show themselves, and it appears that you enjoyed very much the one they gave at that circus. Let's see what the surprise is. Let's hope you have videos of it.
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Post by queenofthehours on Jul 28, 2016 18:28:53 GMT
The circus is owned and run by Peter Jay and his family. Peter Jay was the drummer in the band Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers, an instrumental group from the 60s whose most well-known track was the Joe Meek produced ‘Can-Can ‘62’ -
Apparently Keith Moon was so impressed by Peter's double bass drum kit that he pinched the idea for himself and David Bowie even adopted the name David Jay for a while. The band toured with the Beatles and the Stones and also featured Terry Reid, who Jay discovered aged 16, as lead singer for a time -
So it comes as no surprise that the Hippodrome Circus was apparently already using music, dance and lighting in a modern way before the Cirque du Soleil made circus fashionable. But the Cirque's budget is far greater than the Hippodrome's and performers here are no divas. Everyone must pull their weight. The trapeze artists put their own safety net up and took it down again, roller-skaters sold neon whirligig toys and dancers sold programmes.
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Post by queenofthehours on Jul 28, 2016 20:21:24 GMT
Now for the unexpected surprise!
As all ELO fans know it's important to be on the ball at all times but I was caught off-guard on circus night...
The second half of the show, the "water" half, kicked off with something that was certainly spectacular - 'Mr Blue Sky'!
Eight synchronised swimming dancers performed to the ELO anthem in the circus ring which had been converted to a pool complete with fountains. And yes, they did perform the whole song, "please turn me over" as well. The whole song seemed to have a dedicated routine choreographed, it wasn't just an act that could have been performed to any piece of music -
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I filmed the whole thing but I can't upload the video here so screenshots will have to do. Below is during the choral part -
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Here is the bit just before "please turn me over" -
On one side of the ring was a raised platform containing the circus "band" which was basically just two drummers, and on the other side's platform, above the trampoline on the wall, was projected video images almost (but not quite) like those used by Jeff on the recent ELO tour.
The part I liked about the 'MBS' circus routine was the added drums - the house musicians put in extra beats which emphasised those on the record making it louder and more purposeful for a circus atmosphere.
Here is a video from a previous year ('MBS' seems to be a staple at the circus) of swimmers doing an ELO routine. A little different to the one I saw but the video is better than the one I took -
It starts with Jack Jay and Johnny Mac doing their wet routine. ELO starts at just past the halfway mark in the video.
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Post by queenofthehours on Jul 28, 2016 20:40:58 GMT
You have to feel for the stage crew, the non-performing crew, who are a hardy, humorous bunch of guys willing to get a soaking in the name of entertainment during the show and also willing to get wet after it. Here for interest's sake is a video of how the guys manually raise the circus floor back up after the pool show. No fancy mechanics here, it's all traditional -
Because of the small scale of the circus everything is kept compact and concentrated. More focus is spent on presentation than drama and this reminds me so much of Jeff Lynne. Just like the Hippodrome Circus he knows his limits and his strengths, putting on a professional show with no mess is his aim. This is why I think it's an excellent idea for him to play at the Hippodrome! Imagine Jeff singing in a circus ring! Billy Bragg has done a gig there so why not our Jeff?
At the very least Jeff should get a pool and some synchronised swimmers for his next tour - it's the only thing that can top this year's comeback.
I'll leave you with this amazing act from a past year at the Circus -
More info about the Jay family and the circus in this good article - www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/rupert-christiansen/3673846/Great-Yarmouth-Hippodrome-on-with-the-show.html
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Post by queenofthehours on Jul 28, 2016 21:06:33 GMT
Good telling of your vacations trip, queenofthehours ! I had to look for Great Yarmouth in Google Earth, I had no idea where it was. Is it considered a vacation center? You were lucky to escape the heat! If you asked me, I'd say it's better that the circus doesn't feature animals. They are a show to see, yes, but there's always been this halo around circuses about animals being are mistreated, sad and depressed there, and I think it must have a good share of truth. So, if you asked me, much better without animals. Humans can give enough of a show themselves, and it appears that you enjoyed very much the one they gave at that circus. Let's see what the surprise is. Let's hope you have videos of it. Great Yarmouth is a very popular seaside resort. It isn't quite Blackpool, it's much quieter, but still is still very large and has plenty of entertainment and places to eat (as long as you like chips!). It isn't beautiful but has two good piers and a lovely, huge golden beach. Some of the backstreets are a rather insalubrious but what resort doesn't have these? And there are a few large historic buildings in need of a makeover www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/your-great-yarmouth/nostalgia/great_yarmouth_s_seafront_to_be_transformed_in_the_next_five_years_1_4199175 .
To be honest I never even noticed the lack of circus animals and I think that in this day and age of Britain's Got Talent, where we are exposed to lots of talented humans, the animal days are numbered. Yet what confuses me are all the "dancing dogs" etc on these talent shows, is this the rise of a new generation of circus animals?
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Post by unomusette on Jul 28, 2016 22:17:50 GMT
Loved reading all about your trip queenofthehours, you sound like you'd quite like to run away and join the circus yourself. Did you ever read those Enid Blyton books about an old-fashioned circus? This one sounds a lot like that circus, small and family run and "proper" rather than over-flashy. I'd also agree with Helmut83 about being uncomfortable when animals do circus performances. Those dancing dogs too, their charm completely escapes me. Why do we have to try and make animals behave like people? There's enough people around already (and probably not enough animals, defninitely awesome ones like cats). Going back to sample the videos next, thanks for posting
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Post by BSJ on Jul 28, 2016 22:42:18 GMT
Viewed video’s full screen. Nice the history background. Nooo....... TWO cycles in that small cage! THEN a third! Love this! Can imagine being a kid looking forward to this show every year. What a gift Mr Blue Sky was! I can tell you’re still smiling, queenofthehours. Hope this vaca holds you over until the next.
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Post by queenofthehours on Jul 29, 2016 13:26:29 GMT
Loved reading all about your trip queenofthehours , you sound like you'd quite like to run away and join the circus yourself. Did you ever read those Enid Blyton books about an old-fashioned circus? This one sounds a lot like that circus, small and family run and "proper" rather than over-flashy. I'd also agree with Helmut83 about being uncomfortable when animals do circus performances. Those dancing dogs too, their charm completely escapes me. Why do we have to try and make animals behave like people? There's enough people around already (and probably not enough animals, defninitely awesome ones like cats). Going back to sample the videos next, thanks for posting Thanks! I would like to run away and join but as this circus is near the sea doesn't travel it's especially tempting! The only Blyton books I read were Malory Towers and Faraway Tree not even Famous Five.
We all know how amazing animals are without having to see them perform, it's the people who have something to prove and standing out in that little ring is the bravest thing I can imagine.
Viewed video’s full screen. Nice the history background. Nooo....... TWO cycles in that small cage! THEN a third! Love this! Can imagine being a kid looking forward to this show every year. What a gift Mr Blue Sky was! I can tell you’re still smiling, queenofthehours. Hope this vaca holds you over until the next. MBS is a gift that keeps on giving. Seeing it reinterpreted in different ways makes you realise what an epic it is. I was getting bored with it until now!
I hope to go and see the show again fingers crossed!
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Post by unomusette on Jul 30, 2016 21:30:35 GMT
Great vids, that pool is quite something to keep working every night. I loved the crocodile - but then we monsters must support each other....
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Post by Helmut83 on Aug 2, 2016 4:35:08 GMT
Well, MBS normally produces no joy in me, but if I had been there and without previous warning the song started sounding even I would have gotten excited, so I reckon you QOTH must have felt elated. The coordination of the swimmers amazes me, and the lights and the spurts certainly added to the show.
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Post by Platypus on Aug 2, 2016 7:12:48 GMT
Hippodrome gives me mental images of flying Hippos coming in to land, with their jaws dropping down and disgorging passengers or cargo...
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Post by queenofthehours on Aug 2, 2016 15:39:18 GMT
Well, MBS normally produces no joy in me, but if I had been there and without previous warning the song started sounding even I would have gotten excited, so I reckon you QOTH must have felt elated. The coordination of the swimmers amazes me, and the lights and the spurts certainly added to the show. I don't even think I knew it was MBS, I just automatically recognised ELO. Elated doesn't even describe it .
Jeff needs a water show and/or swimmers to create a spectacle. Not that he needs a spectacle but it would be one step up from his rivals and Jeff is nothing if not at the forefront of entertainment. It's different from the light show at any rate.
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