VAUDE_VISUALS

Here are a few visual highlights from this past weekends performance of THE ROTTEN PLANTAINS.
A collection of wild and wonderfully funny clowns that put together an evening of insanity and delightfully funny chaos.
Pictured below are the cast members that come from far and near!

Patrick de Valette - Paris/ Claudio Carneiro – San Paulo  / Julie Ferrier - Paris / Fred Blin – Paris

(Wayne Wilson and Daniel Passer – Not pictured – Will be in the next weeks shows!)

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Guest Artist this past weekend – Arnaud Maillard  &  Amy Gordon – Brooklyn NY

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Patrick de Valette and Fred Blin start the show off.

Patrick de Valette and Fred Blin acting out a fantasy.

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Julie Ferrier

Julie’s character is so wrapped up in her discussion of ‘art’.

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Claudio Carneiro

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Patrick de Valette

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Julie Ferrier

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Amy Gordon – GUEST ARTIST

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Arnaud Maillard – GUEST ARTIST

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Julie Ferrier roller skates herself atop of an innocent audience member in a wonderful routine.

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The Rotten Plantain’s cast take a bow!

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The show was an amazing, hysterical, collage of clowns on their day off!
IT will be running again at 45 Bleecker St Theatre starting on August 26th for 4 Performances ONLY!

Thur Aug 26th at 10:30

Fri Aug 27th at 10:30

Sat Aug 28th at 10:30

Sun Aug 29th at 7pm

Get your tickets HERE.

Welcome to The New York Goofs 2010 Showcase

Larry Pisoni escorts a traveling young man into the world of the side show and carny.

Jay Stewart headed up the show as MC and all around ‘jokester’.

Hilary Chaplain and Dick Monday perform a very odd piece of mime!

A very funny lady with skills and talent  to boot! She performed several pieces in the evening and all were hysterical and artistic.

Jay Stewart, Hilary Chaplain and Evelyn Tuths perform a finger puppet circus act.

Joel Jeske and Hilary Chaplain perform a ‘squeeze’ and ‘hug’ piece that takes them to the floor.

Tiffany Riley cried her heart out for the audience.

Hilary Chaplain performed a ‘diva’ singer who was carrying more than she expected!

Chet Monday juggles up a storm for his debut performance with NY Goofs.

Evelyn Tuths performed a ‘dancing senior citizen’ with an affinity to drink a little ‘brew in between her steps.

Joel Jeske

Joel Jeske performs his ‘executive in peril’ piece. A wonderful dark humor that hits home with his great silent skills.

The NYGoofs cast club juggling with Hovey Burgess

The male cast members juggle clubs with Circus teacher/historian Hovey Burgess

Chet Monday

Chet Monday adding to the upbeat motions on stage with his dance moves.

Dick and Chet try and keep up with Tiffany.

Dick and Chet  try and keep up with Tiffany.

NY Goofs 2010 Performance Finale and Curtain Call from Jim Moore on Vimeo.

Hovey Burgess has been teaching circus skills for as long as I can remember…he is a really great teacher. You can ask the thousands of students that have passed thru his classes.
He talks about his work in the circus world and his teaching and amazing library of circus and circus related books.

Part 1 – Interview with Hovey Burgess by Jim Moore from Jim Moore on Vimeo.

CIRCUS is a new six-hour series that takes you on an unforgettable trip with the legendary Big Apple Circus. From the big top to the “back lot,” explore a distinctive world with its own rules, lingo and no fixed address. Follow the diverse characters who make up the Big Apple family and find out what it really means to live life in the ring. Premieres in November, 2010. (PBS Press Release)

I mention this because my first posting of my new series CLOWN  UN_MASK was Glen Heroy.

http://vaudevisuals.com/2010/02/the-clown-un_masked-glen-heroy/

He has a terrific place in the documentary showing off all his delightful talent.

©2008 Dan Piraro

Tonight we saw the Golden Nose Awards Ceremony. IT was a festive evening with Golden Noses going to Eric Davis for “Clown of the Year’. The “Clown Organization of the Year” Golden Nose Award went to Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit. Michael Christensen accepted the award. The Audience Choice award for Best Clown Act went to “Otto and Lewis” and the award was accepted by Brian Foley. His partner Matthew Duncan was in St. Louis getting married. The Audience Choice Best Clown Character went to Brett Alters for his – Squeeks the Clown.

Host and Producer Christopher Lueck leaves the stage a proud man!

Christopher Lueck (and Amanda Pekoe) have  produced the show for the past 4 years and has presented over 400 clown acts during that time. The entire clown community would come out for these shows which happened the 3rd Monday of every month. Christopher announced during the March show that he was going to not produce the show any more and the Golden Nose Awards Ceremony would be his last ‘hurrah’. It was a splendid evening with great performers and organizations getting their just awards. It will be missed!

Great Job Chris. We will Miss You!

The February NY Downtown Clown Revue was GREAT! Lots of variety and enormous talent on stage.

We had Dave McKay from Toronto, Summer Shapiro from San Francisco and Peter Musante from the Blue Man Group. We had Claire Wedemeyer from Chicago and Rob Lok with his two estranged partners Christina Gelsome from Acrobuffos and Erin Schmahl.

If you click on the picture of the MC Christopher Lueck you can see all the photographs from the show.

Click on image for Gallery Launch!

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS © 2010 Jim Moore / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

One of the most interesting performers that I have photographed recently is Glen Heroy. He is a cameleon! In one show he is Dame Edna and in another show he is Elton John.(along with many others.) He plays the spoons like nobody I know and is an amazingly funny clown. I ask Glen to work with me on a new project I am doing. THE CLOWN UNMASK. A photographic study of the eccentric clown performer as himself and in character.

I am posting 2 shots of him in character personas. I did a photograph of Glen in a nice quiet apt. with beautiful window light.I think the visuals tell the story about a very talented and extremely versatile performer.

Glen Heroy as Dame Edna at the 2007 New York Downtown Clown GOLDEN NOSE AWARDS

Glen Heroy relaxes with a smile!

He worked with the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit for many years.  And has worked in the ring with The Big Apple Circus. Along with all his character performance work currently he also works with The Maestrosities. (The Coolest Band Ever!)

It is performers like Glen that inspired me to photograph clowns and eccentric performers in the first place. I look forward to seeing him again soon  on stage and off.

Today I was at the Danny Kaye theatre located in Hunter College. It is a very warm and beautiful theatre. The sunday show was a benefit for MAKING HEADWAY. The audience was very receptive to the Hey-Ya Brothers. Joel Jeske, Christopher Lueck and Michael Richter. An amazing mixture of chemistry with these ‘brothers’. I was so moved by the show and the performers extremely sensitive and hysterically funny relationship to the audience ‘volunteers’. They had them all playing and clowning around with smiles from ear to ear. A performer’s ability to communicate with an audience member while performing and making that person relate with belief… is a note worthy quality of a seasoned professional. I did hope to see the variety show I had heard about and they delivered with such ‘gusto’.

The Hey-YA Brothers © 2010 Jim Moore / All Rights Reserved

The show had many different little adventures that the audience suddenly realized they wanted to go along with. A pie throwing piece was hysterical when the ‘Brothers’ convinced a loving dad to accept the fact that his 6 year old child was going to have the privilege and pleasure of throwing one pie into their face. I think it would have been one of my most memorable moments had it happened to me.

The slack wire act by Michael Richter was delightful and well crafted. Rings, unicycle, comedy and the hard to imagine feat of walking on a slack wire.

The show was paced well and the ‘Brothers’ used an easel and titled placards to keep the show going. I enjoyed the ‘STALL’ card as one of the brother’s had to prepare for the next segment.

If you have any ideas about variety and slapstick that ring true to your heart then make sure you see the Hey-YA Brothers when they are in town!

Had fun at the Big Apple Circus and found Joel Jeske after the show chatting with BAC’s favorite grandma!