Viva Brighton Issue #58 December 2017

CIRCUS
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Acrobuffos
The lingua franca of clowning
“I call it feeding a dragon,” Christina Gelsone says
fondly of her and husband Seth Bloom’s new project,
Air Play. The pair, otherwise known as the New
York-based clowning troupe Acrobuffos, perform
without words but their stories are dazzlingly
evocative. “You start out with this cute little egg and
then it becomes this massive thing that’s bigger than
you.” The ‘egg’ in question became a whimsical meld
of dance, clowning and circus, underpinned by the
sculptural artistry of Daniel Wurtzel.
“When we saw these beautiful moving air
sculptures, we reached out to Daniel. In circus,
aerialists and jugglers do wonderful things in the
air: clowns are there to ground you, to bring you
back to humanity after these stunning feats. It was
a puzzle to marry this visual high art and popular
entertainment together.” Seth’s laugh echoes his
wife’s. “Years of bashing our heads against the wall,
experimenting, trying to see what would work.”
“So,” I say, sheepishly, warming up to what seems
an inevitable question. “How exactly does someone
become a clown?”
“There’s a huge range of clowns – those who perform
at birthday parties in wigs, Charlie Chaplin
and Harold Lloyd on film, or clowns like David
Shiner and Bill Irwin who don’t wear makeup or
floppy shoes. But we want to make contact with the
public so they can laugh,” Seth explains, “And, we
don’t speak. When you don’t say anything, people
have to pay attention in a different way – to watch
to understand what’s going on. It allows us to create
a different poetic space for the audience.”
“You haven’t answered the question!” It’s a shame
that Christina’s laugh isn’t bottled and used in every
show. “I started as a dancer. Seth started as a juggler.
And then we were clown partners before the
kissing started… We’re lucky; we’re going on tour
for 200 days but not leaving anyone behind. Home
Photo by Florence Montmare
is wherever we are – we can work anywhere and eat
all the world’s great food.”
A worthwhile reason for choosing any profession;
but how does the world today feel about clowns?
“The ‘big stuff’ is funny everywhere – falling
down, getting spit on by water, slapstick, chases.”
Seth muses, “It’s the small jokes that change culturally.
In the US the rhythm of comedy is quick,
but in Germany we can slow down, people are
more patient, and in Spain and Portugal people
love silent clowns.”
“In Korea,” Christina adds, “they’re so effervescent;
the audience giggles at the tiniest things. Air
Play is made for the whole world – but it might
be American at its very roots, like musical theatre.
People put strange food on their bagels here, they
mix everything up; the show is a melting pot of
forms. What’s really exciting,” she enthuses, as if
the prospect of soaring umbrellas, dancing kites and
a giant snow globe weren’t enough, “is that we’re
customising the stage at the Dome, clearing out the
area where people usually sit and building most of
the stage there – so there’s a semi-circle around us.
It’ll feel just like the circus.” Amy Holtz
Brighton Dome, 21st-26th December
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