Thursday, January 29, 2009

Casartelli Christmas Show

What a beautiful show this is. But look at the seats. And you see the same thing in many pictures of many great show's in Europe. You have to wonder who is fooling who. World wide Sascha Melnjak and John Ringling North are trumpeting great crowds, put you have to wonder if that's true or the venue is small and a "full house" isn't going to cover much of today's overhead/expense. Granted doing most of the acts "inhouse" is going to be finacially more feasable, folks may grow tired of looking at the same thing, with few changes. Here are some reports from Australia Steve can confirm or deny: "Although there are more circuses now than at any time in history, most of them are hurting for warm bodies in the seats. An Aussie circus owner say's that shows near Sydney are enjoying an uptake over the recent summer school holidays. Royale drew about 250 people per show, which gave it a 30% capacity. Lennon’s sold 150 people tickets each show, realizing 15% capacity, and Webbers, drawing one hundred souls a show, reached a whopping 10% of the seats."

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Summer in Australia - currently 40c+. Summer is not a good time to make money in this country with a tent show!!!

The figures quoted there are a bit ethereal by all accounts but then, the bloke that has been quoting them over here had strong links to Circus Royale.

The percentage of bums to seating capacity quoted for Lennons and Webers is just plain wrong.

Ben Trumble, on another blog a while back, used the phrase "you've got to park it somewhere" in relation to US circuses. That is the philosophy of Aussie circus owners during the month of January. Show near a beach somewhere for a few weeks at a time, your crew can have a break and if you do a bit of business at night you've got a bonus.

Anonymous said...

PS: Are you guys enjoying your winter in the US?????

Wade G. Burck said...

Steve,
You can't pass up a chance to inquire about the mango's can you? In two weeks had one day that warmed up to -11 below zero. By the time I got sun tan lotion on, it had dropped back to the normal -17 below zero so cocktails and sunbathing were out of the question.
Wade

Anonymous said...

-17???? That would shrivel your mangos!! LOL If you've got to give up anything then the sunbathing might have to go. Anonymous said that your tan came out of a bottle anyway!!! Or was it your glow? LOL

Seriously now [for a change!]: You've often discussed insulated "beast wagons" and who [if anyone] in the US or Europe has got them. In Australia we don't understand the need for the question - it never gets that cold over here. We've never experienced cold so bad that a thick bed of straw and the animal's own combined body heat couldn't keep them really warm.

Anonymous said...

Wade Mon Cherie;

A Big Hello From Los Angeles,
to all yours Bloggers.
today it was 80 degree,
a fantastic day.
al your videos are great Thank you,
sincerely Mireille.
Pss... your French is improving allot...

Wade G. Burck said...

Steve,
You may have slightly misunderstood. I was not asking about insulated beast wagons in the United States. We don't have them and not many since the shows went into buildings in the 1950's. The animal go inside a heated building. Ringling built beast wagons in 1992 that go in heated exhibition buildings connected to the main arena or in a heated tent if the weather should go to cold. The animals are transferred into rolling cages for the show. UniverSoul is the only other show I know of that uses a beast wagon, and they go out in mid Feb. No show in all of the United States has their animals in anything other then a heated building or heated tent through the months of Dec. and Jan.
I wonder if you took an empty cage and spent the night with a blanket on a pile of straw in a beast wagon in Dec. or Jan. if you would be warm? I saw them in Romania with the doors frozen shut the next day. Water pans couldn't be left in as they froze the next morning. But they are sure working on regulations for additional space for the animals health.
Wade

Anonymous said...

Maybe they don't have ice at Monte Carlo???

Wade G. Burck said...

Steve,
They have ice over most of Europe in Dec. and January. Of course there is ice at MC. How do you suppose they keep the cocktails chilled mate? LOL
Wade