Ay yai yai!
A verdant field in the Cotswolds countryside is transformed into 1920s Mexico, with all the colour, sounds and tequila-fuelled energy a Gloucestershire gringo could hope for.
On arriving at the Fennells Farm site, near Stroud in Gloucestershire, the familiar view of the big top, with illuminated ‘Giffords Circus’ sign atop, could be seen – though this time I fancied it had a touch of the flaming sacred heart to it – and the burgundy wagons arranged cowboy corral-style around the perimeter were reassuringly as you’d expect them. But alongside the Cotswold ciders and beers in the bar trailer are mezcal and tequila, and the food wagon serves Coyoacán street food-style tacos, nachos and burritos.
Just when you think the Giffords team can’t top their creativity, comedy and high drama, they – steered by the supreme directorship of Cal McCrystal and the design genius of takis – come up with ¡Carpa!, and my mind is well and truly blown.
¡Boom!
Tweedy ‘Gonzales’ gets proceedings off to a frenetic start, entering the ring with poncho and Spanish guitar... and we’re crying with laughter before we’re even seated. Tweedy fans – and they are legion – will be reassured to hear he’s never too far from the ring, and appears variously as ‘Tweedy Kahlo’ (with black tape monobrow); a slightly unnerving ventriloquist’s dummy; and love interest (sort of). Front-row audience members be warned: this year’s production features a Tweedy participation act that is both hilarious and vaguely tuneful.
He stunned us all this time round, though, by his astonishing horsemanship. Who knew? Batons, canons, faulty ladders and rogue irons hold no fear to our daredevil comedy hero, but gymnastics on a brace of circus horses cantering round the ring? Tweedy, we raise our collective sombreros.
The legendary Donnert circus family – who were much-loved by dear Nell Gifford – are welcomed back to Giffords in the form of ‘El Bandaleros’, performing their acclaimed jockey and pas de deux, while Ewa Varadi Donnert’s quick-change act is pure brujería. With eyelids practically propped open with matchsticks lest I miss something, I still have absolutely no idea how she did it.
For edge-of-the-seat, adrenaline-filled action and superhuman feats, troupe ‘Los Pachangueros’ delivered their skipping routines, Russian swing (oh, lordy) and hair-raising (sorry) hair-hang acts with Cuban panache. The latter is performed by sisters Daniela and Isabella, who also play the part of sisters in the show... daughters to newly-discovered clowning comic heroine Adriana Duch Carvallo.
Hailing from Mexico City, Adriana is a diminutive, fiery Mexican madre, going by the name of Doña Rosa Francisca Juana Margarita María Magdalena de los Querubines Limantour del Rincón de la Calle Jiménez de Martínez y Rodríguez Cabeza de Vaca del Corral Florido... just hearing her utter her own name causes the audience to erupt into wild applause. Her many costume changes are a visual treat, capturing Mexican folk style at its wildest and most beautiful.
Every so often, when a miracle is needed, Doña Rosa prays to Santa María de Guadalupe and she appears, led by Padre Jacomo Milagro (Elena Busnelli and Giacomo Sterza, respectively – aka The Jasters). The holy vision of Our Lady always comes with a seemingly inexplicable feat, so we almost believe in her magic, until she reveals her true self in a terrifyingly brilliant knife-throwing act. Cue a big top full of open mouths swiftly covered by slightly sweaty fingertips.
Taking to the air are – independently – Anna Rastsova on the flying trapeze, and Randy Forgione Vega with his breathtaking aerial strap routines. And for fans of Robert Rodriguez films, El Mariachi himself – in the form of juggler Gordon Marquez – brings swagger, charm and faster-than-a-speeding-bullet batons and balls, concealed in a mariachi guitar case, of course.
Speaking of mariachi, the Giffords Circus band are back with a playlist of Mexican-infused tunes to keep the fiesta going. One of the standout performers has to be Leonie Evans with her vocals, guitar, bass and virtuoso mouth trumpet performances. ¡Bravo!
Giffords Circus’ ¡Carpa! is touring until October 2, but tickets are disappearing faster than a bottle of tequila at a Mexican wedding, so do yourself a favour and book now. It’s possibly the most fun you can have with maracas.
Remaining dates for 2022:
- August 4-8: Frampton-on-Severn
- August 11-22: Minchinhampton Common
- August 25-September 5: Marlborough Common
- September 8-19: Stratton Meadows, Cirencester
- September 22-October 2: Fennells Farm, Stroud
When booking your tickets make sure the magic doesn’t end when the last performer disappears through the curtains, and make sure you also book an aftershow dinner at Circus Sauce. Head chef and cookbook author Ols Halas will serve up a three-course feast using local and seasonal ingredients on large platters in a festooned tent under the stars... and you may even see a performer or two.
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