Page 22 - The Outdoor Showman July-September 2024

CIRCUS NEWS
Little Show, big heart
Two-and-a-half years on the road, and The Harrington Circus Show is hitting its straps.
It began in a brand-new 60-by- 40 red-and-yellow Big Top at the Showmen’s Club, Yatala , Queensland, in January 2022.
Kane Harrington, proprietor and clown- juggler, goes back several generations in the business. He put everything into it.
So did partner Camelia Brown, proudly from the Browns, another century-long family in the business. Kane’s father, Danny, and partner Michelle came
into the business when Danny’s Dad and Mum, John and Dixie, ran joints outside Perry Bros-Alberto’s Circus, then later Stardust and Weber Bros.
But it goes back longer. Dixie’s father was an Evans, and mother a West and that goes back at least to Bobby West’s circus, to the 1890s.
Danny is the (surprisingly good) Ringmaster and Manager of Shane Lennon’s second Hudson’s Circus unit, formed earlier this year in south-east Queensland and showing regional cities in New south Wales. Kane’s brother, Cody, was under-age World Juggling Champion, and now performs around the world with his partner. When they’re available, they also bring top- calibre acts to the Harrington show.
How it began
At the start, Kane and Camelia played bigger country agricultural shows. But Covid was rampant, and many country shows either tightened their belts or went out of business.
20 THE OUTDOOR SHOWMAN
They called it a Circus Show. And that’s what it is.
It’s almost impossible to travel animals now, even domestic ones, so they
got top human acts in, and gave the punters a fast-moving quality one- and-a-half-hour presentation.
Dancers, costumes, lighting and sound showcase the specialty sight- acts: passing-juggling, unicycle, aerials, square-juggling, hand- balancing, lots of good clowning.
The audience are all on chairs, nobody is further back than second row, and there’s a great sense of occasion.
Everyone’s involved, and close to the action. It seats 200, so they have to sell out often. Which they do.
A big part of the repeat business comes from word-of-mouth and local community media.
As they went along, they ploughed the money back into the business, and its shows.
They proudly show off their big new electricals, lighting and sound.
In a country town, you can see their over-tent lighting and front-of-house yard (eight food, ticket and game joints and kiddies’ rides) from a mile away.
As the country towns got wider apart, they added performers and staff. Now it’s up to 12 happy travellers, who all do put-ups and two-hour pull-downs, and night-time pull-down takes two hours.
Growing running costs made them decide to try two towns a week., and the first of 12 sets of truck-and- van (or trailer) sets off overnight.
You remember Howard Merritt? “The
Lighting visible for miles
Voice of Romance”, was for years with Joe and Jean Perry’s Sole Bros’ Circus?
In his later years, you’d ask him, “How are you, Howard?”
He’d always answer, “Tired, but happy.”
That’s the story of circus, and it’s the story of The Harrington Circus Show.
In July, they started a lower Queensland run, that took in Cambooya, then Pittsworth (2 sellouts) and Dalby (5)
in one week, Miles and Chinchilla the next, then Roma, Mitchell, Charleville and Cunnamulla by September.
All good country towns, all shrunk since Covid, and all fresh because older, bigger circuses can’t afford to
do one-night stands, split weeks, or even one-week stands. And nowadays, the families like to stick around capitals or major regional cities.
So, the Harrington Circus Show has a lot of territory to itself. And they’re lapping it up.
Boxing Fred Brophy
Fred Brophy’s Boxing Troupe continued showing under canvas throughout Queensland over winter. Sites include Plainland Porter’s Hotel, Mt Isa, Kilcoy,
Several types of corflute posters