A CIRCUS PARTY
A Circus Party may be made just as elaborate or just as simple as one wishes. If one is planning to give an elaborate affair, detailed suggestions can be found in “A Circus,” published by the Womans Press.[D] The following plan has been worked out to meet the demands of those who wish to give a rather simple circus party.
A typical circus barker stands at the outer door. In professional lingo he invites the guests to come inside. “Ladies and gentlemen, right this way, right this way! The cleverest collection of comical characters that ever came to town! Right this way, ladies and gentlemen, right this way! Nothing finer in the world! Don’t fail to see it. Right this way!”
The room in which the circus is held should be decorated to look like a circus tent, if possible. Stretch a piece of old canvas across the ceiling so that it gives the effect of a tent roof. At each end of the room arrange booths where refreshments are served. Pink lemonade and ice-cream cones should be in one, and perhaps “hot dogs” in another. Have peanuts distributed by venders throughout the crowd. Try to arrange all sorts of side shows. Display in one the freaks, such as the armless woman, an Albino, the dog-faced boy, the bearded lady, the tallest man in the world and others of Barnum and Bailey fame. Be sure that there is a good barker to “ballyhoo” them and to point out the peculiarities of each. Have one or two fortune-telling booths, perhaps a Gypsy palmist and a Turkish crystal gazer.
All sorts of throwing contests can be arranged to attract and amuse the crowd. For instance, in one booth have a row of cocoanuts suspended from the ceiling on strings. Give everyone three chances at hitting a cocoanut. If anyone succeeds he may keep the cocoanut as a prize. Or have a broken china booth where each person may take three chances at breaking any bit of crockery he wishes.
Or a game known as “Hoop-la” amuses people immensely. In the center of a roped-off ring place several prizes on small blocks of wood. The object of this game is to ring these blocks with ordinary embroidery hoops, which should exactly fit over the blocks. The person who throws a hoop so that it circles the block completely, gets the prize on that block.
Or have a tub or watering trough full of water, on which small shallow dishes are floating. The object of the game is to throw coins onto these dishes. The money that lands in the dish is doubled and returned to the person but any which falls in the water he loses. (Of course this game should not be played if the party is an invitation affair.)
A dart contest is always popular. Tack at the back of a booth a pack of playing cards. Give each player five small wooden darts with a sharp point in the end of each. The object of the game is to hit with these darts three cards of the same kind, that is, three Jacks or three Queens. If a player hits the three cards of the same kind in five trials he is given a pack of playing cards as a prize. Such games always attract people, especially if at each booth there is a lively barker who will amuse the crowd and keep things going.
To add atmosphere have all sorts of comical circus characters wander through the audience—clowns, a rube and his wife, a big fat Irish policeman, Charlie Chaplin, Sis Hopkins and others. Let them play all sorts of tricks on each other and on the crowd. Have balloon and confetti venders everywhere, dressed in bright costumes.
THE BIG SHOW
Of course no circus party can be complete without a Big Show. This also may be made just as simple or as elaborate as one wishes. Suggestions for a few acts are briefly described. If one wishes to give a more elaborate program, detailed directions can be found in “A Circus” mentioned above.
Stage the Big Show in the center of the floor and have the audience stand or sit around this ring. Use the barker who stood at the entrance as the ringmaster. In the most extravagant professional lingo he should announce each act, pointing out its marvels. There should be a band to help create the circus atmosphere. If a real band cannot be had, a kazoo or a vocophone jazz band makes an excellent substitute. Vocophones are papier-mâché instruments the size and shape of regular band instruments but made in such a way that by blowing or humming through the mouthpiece a most melodious and voluminous sound comes forth. They may be purchased from A. Schoenhut Company, Hagert and Sepviva Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, eight instruments for twelve dollars. Kazoos, small musical mouthpieces, are only a few cents apiece. Dress the musicians themselves in regular brass-buttoned uniforms such as bandmen usually wear, or dress them as a colored minstrel group with white duck suits, huge bright-colored ties and blackened faces. They should lead the parade and play the piano whenever such type of music is needed.
PROGRAM
The Parade.
All the performers used in the circus should enter, headed by the ringmaster, who leads his group around the ring several times and out through the opposite exit. First comes a jazz band followed by the clowns, who prance from side to side tormenting the other performers and doing all sorts of queer antics for the crowds. The freaks should follow them, and then the wild animals, led by their animal trainer, the acrobats, the jugglers, bareback riders and the rest of the circus outfit. After the parade the ringmaster may detain the freaks in the ring to display the peculiarities of each.
Animals.
If you can rent or make any animal costumes, be sure to have an animal act. It always amuses the audience if it is cleverly and realistically done. Have the ringmaster, who acts as animal trainer, put the animals through all sorts of stunts. He should have a long whip which he snaps vigorously as he shouts his orders. The lion and the tiger may play ball with each other, keeping up a constant roar as they toss the ball back and forth. The polar bear may ride a bicycle, the monkeys may have a boxing match. The act may be ended by having all the animals dance around on their hind legs to some lively fox-trot music.
Clowns.
Be sure to have a clown stunt. Use all sorts of clowns, tall and short, fat and thin. Have some of them do some tumbling or pyramid stunts, familiar to any gym instructors, and have others mimic them in a ridiculous fashion. They may end the act with a dance.[E]
The other numbers on the program can be any special stunts that lend themselves to circus burlesque. Two others from “A Circus” have been included below to show the type of thing which is always popular at a circus and which will not take any special time or work in preparation.
JATO, THE JAPANESE JUGGLER
Judged to Have the Jump on All Jugglers.
The act should be performed by two people who are able to put a lot of burlesque into it and play it successfully to the gallery. Jato, the juggler, dressed in Japanese kimono, balances his Japanese wife on his upturned feet. Of course she merely sits on his feet, balancing herself with the tips of her toes safely on the floor, but bowing and smiling as though it were a most difficult stunt. Then, with the aid of an invisible wire suspended from the ceiling, Jato balances such articles as chairs and tables on his nose. He must hook them cleverly to the loop end of the wire, as he arranges them in place, so that for a time the audience is in ignorance of how he does the trick. Finally, Jato carelessly leaves an object hanging in midair and thus discloses his secret. His wife quickly snatches it away as he bows to the amused audience. The old trick of lifting a supposedly heavy weight, which is finally allowed to bounce on the floor, may be included in this act.
DAISY, THE DARING AND DAZZLING TIGHT ROPE WALKER
Displaying Unrivaled Skill and Recklessness.
A tight rope stunt can be worked out by one, or even two girls, dressed in fluffy tarlatan costumes with tight bodices and short full skirts. Stretch a rope tightly across the floor. On it the performer makes her way across the ring, going through all the gestures and balancing movements of a real rope walker while the orchestra plays very melodramatic music. When she reaches the center, have the music stop while she makes a daring turn, presumably in midair. The orchestra starts up again with a bang. Of course there is much applause from the audience. She may even dance along the rope, finishing her stunt with a quick pirouette turn and a dainty jump to the floor. With many elaborate bows to the audience and to the ringmaster she leaves the ring.
As a finale have all the performers prance around the ring several times to lively music, throwing confetti and serpentine at the audience. This procession will make a very gay and appropriate ending for the Big Show.
Be sure that everything pertaining to your evening’s entertainment is gay, colorful and circus-like. Try to have the audience and performers catch the spirit of fun and jollity that makes a circus party go.