The Pickle clowns
have performed to great acclaim with Cirque du Soleil, Circus Flora
and the Pickle Family Circus in dance concerts, one-person shows,
and plays by Beckett, Bracht, Fo, O'Casey, Shakespeare, Jonson and
Moliere. For the first time outside a circus ring, the Pickle clowns
reveal all about their popular comedy acts, their eccentric dances,
and the state of the circus in the United States and abroad.
This volume offers conversations with the
clowns themselves, Lorenzo Pickle (Larry Pisoni), Willy the Clown
(Bill Irwin), Mr. Sniff (Geoff Hoyle), Queenie Moon (Joan Mankin),
Ralph Deliberate (Donald Forrest), Ms. Wombat (Andrea Snow), Pino
(Diane Wasnak), and Razz (Jeff Raz). Also interviewed are Ramona the
Tap-dancing Gorilla (circus choreographer Kimi Okada) and artistic
director and choreographer Tandy Beal. Four clown acts are included
to best demonstrate both the unique humour and craft of the Pickle
clowns.
The Pickle Family Circus began in 1957 in San Francisco as a
clown-centred, co-operative one-ring circus, far more intimate than
circuses heralding themselves as "the greatest show on earth".
Clowning comics in the spirit of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin,
Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, and Laurel and Hardy, the Pickles
prove that a small circus can be innovative and provocative,
adventurous and hilarious. This collective history of the Pickle
clowns, recorded in their own words and featuring 14 illustrations,
constitutes a unique account of the art of clowning and an
introduction to some of the finest comedians of our time.
|
