An Artsy, Offbeat Circus Comes to Town

South Street Seaport will soon have a new, and temporary, tenant. It is Spiegeltent, a combination of traveling circus, performance venue, and beer garden that will be set up today and stay through October 1. The colorful canvas structure (with bars aplenty) will feature acts — from rock bands to sword swallowers — selected by Vallejo Gantner, artistic director of P.S.122, and Tommy Kriegsmann, the tent’s programming director.As festivals go, this has a decidedly offbeat vibe.”It’s like being on the set of Baz Luhrmann’s film ‘Moulin Rouge,'” Ross Mollison, a member of the tent’s production team and a producer of the long-running off-Broadway hit “Slava’s Snowstorm,” said. “Our shows combine the thrill of the circus with the sexiest, most outrageous aspects of cabaret, “Mr. Mollison, who recalled falling in love with Spiegeltents during his travels through Europe, said. “We mostly picked groups and performers with downtown credibility and serious artistic experience, who are best in intimate surroundings.”Among the hundreds of shows selected by Mr. Mollison and his production team are funky music groups like the Brazilian Girls, the British country rock band Menlo Park and the Hysterics, and folk singer Vienna Teng. They will take the stage next to a sword swallower and a Ukranian contortionist, and deejays King Britt, Tortured Soul, and Rich, and Indian percussionist Suphala will preside over dance parties.The hope of the programmers, Mr. Gantner and Mr. Kriegsmann (who has presented emerging artists at theaters such as Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York Theater Workshop, and P.S. 122), is to create an eclectic, artistic lineup that can transform South Street’s reputation from a tourist destination to an extension of New York’s downtown music and theater scene. As a touring tent that can be broken down and reassembled within 24 hours, however, its impact may be short-lived.“Everything is so well designed that it all fits together like a giant puzzle, the round stage, even the balloon canopies, and intimate booths,” Mr. Gantner said of the structure, one of the few remaining Spiegeltents that still tours the world. “The crew builds it from the inside out, without using any nails.”Decorated with colorful leaded glass, mirrors, teak, brocade, and velvet, the Spiegeltent is lit by an art nouveau chandelier. Originally designed in Belgium more than a century ago, it seats up to 320 people around its stage. Spiegeltents were originally used for traveling dancehalls and wine tasting events. Legend has it that Marlene Dietrich sang in a Spiegeltent in Berlin.“It’s wonderful that these tents are handcrafted and built by descendants of the same Belgian families that first made them.That link with the past adds so much to the performances,” Sarah Johnson, director of the Obie and Bessie award-winning “Lava,” billed as the “Whole History of the Earth,” said. Ms. Johnson’s show takes its inspiration from the earth’s geologic and evolutionary history. “Spiegeltent is perfect for [Lava],” Ms. Johnson said, because “it’s created for a circus-like environment, with acrobatics, dance, wrestling, trapeze, and theater, set to music and video.”Indeed, some shows in the lineup seem custom-built for the tent. “Absinthe,” a variety show, even owes some of its talent to venues much like Spiegeltent. Brett Haylock, creative producer of the group, which has long toured innovative arts festivals, gathered much of his cast from circuses, burlesque, vaudeville, and cabaret.”I found them in German nightclubs, the London underground scene, and the Ukranian circus,” Mr. Haylock said.”I call it a variety show on acid,” he said of the group’s performance style.”It’s great on the round stage, with the audience close-up, able to see every detail. It’s very intense.”“Absinthe” is among a number of acts, including “Lava,”singer Diamanda Galas, and John Epperson’s “The Passion of the Crawford,” slated to play throughout Spiegeltent’s run.The venue will offer traditional family fare as well, such as David Gonzalez’s “Funhouse for Kids,” a mainstay at the New Victory Theater, and sounds from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Spanish Harlem Orchestra.But Mr. Epperson’s show “The Passion of the Crawford” is more typical of a Spiegeltent show. A re-creation of Joan Crawford’s 1973 interview with John Springer, host of the show “Legendary Ladies of the Screen,” the show features Mr. Epperson lip-synching to sound collages, while wearing a bejeweled black gown and an upswept hairdo. The soundtrack for “Passion” consists almost entirely of the interview, during which Crawford bemoans the state of Hollywood.“It’s not just campy,” Mr. Epperson, acclaimed for over 20 years for his portrayals of other famous divas in the persona of “Lypsinka,” said. “I see Crawford as a metaphor for all 20th-century celebrities, stars like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, who also had addictions to drugs and alcohol, and could be as wonderful as they were terrible.”Asked if he found it exhausting to play such an over-the-top character, he responded,”Not at all. Being in Spiegeltent is like performing in a salon among friends.”Through October 1 (Fulton Fish Market, Pier 17, South Street Seaport,212-279-4200).

An Artsy, Offbeat Circus Comes to Town

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