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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1989)
6 B45-J od lot dcpc, e£ l'Akc; wdsaliij unbiirgi the nuti ay tiea iat some 5 actobe evermaj .fast f ( >t gene f sal ■A n eat 'ably litt anoteis es; on ispmij adding lothing. CniKl 14,15! glandfc credent; it fast fo ie nece«; lUtrienti ils y prole: ed dailji 'erage m 60 petti nendedt romenti velsofsi it these Thursday, October 19,1989 The Battalion Page 7 Tricks performed by dogs were one of the circus’ highlights. Here, poodles dressed as clowns hop around the center ring. ids n stenih rovide tsyclie gieeo trotips ids ap- Fama- dcom- pve, 1 k and all ini guar ds isn' : Fsper- at'tlK bean- blu« ited. IC Ft of in m, o' 11 sow A circus performer rides a 13,000 pound elephant into the center ring. Performer Alan Gold shakes the paw of one of many tigers in a caged arena in the cen ter of the circus tent. The circus also fea tured tricks with several other animals. Circus Vargas visits Bryan Show proves disappointing for some spectators Review by James Johnson Photos by Mike C. Mulvey Of The Battalion Staff Editor’s note: The name “Circus Vargas” conjures up images of laughing clowns, smiling children, death-defying trapeze performances and entertaining animal acts. It was with many of these preconceived no tions that The Battalion last week decided to dedicate its weekly pic ture page to the California-based traveling circus. We thought our efforts would produce a lighthearted story about an enjoyable day at the circus. We were wrong. Both our photographer and our feature writer, along with many other people who attended the circus this weekend in Bryan, found themselves enjoying the circus much less than they had expected. We feel compelled to report about the circus the way we — and many others — found it. With the exception of a few inter esting performances, it would be dis honest to label last weekend’s Circus Vargas as “entertaining.” In short, it was a sneak preview to ultimate boredom. If the way the circus was managed was any indication of what audiences can expect of future public enter tainment, we could be in for an ex tremely expensive letdown. If I ever had any doubts before about the stereotype of carnival peo ple, the arrogance and suspicion that was evident in most of the circus’ staff had me convinced it was true before I left. It all started when I entered the circus tent. Workers started hound ing me in three different languages, wanting to see my ticket stub. They were scared to death someone was trying to get in without paying. In looking hack, it’s a little ironic when I recall several toddlers begging their parents to take them home be fore intermission. In all fairness, some of the trapeze and acrobatic acts were enjoyable. But just when it seemed there might be a positive turn of events, some high-pressure salesperson would en gage in a screaming match, trying to ram overpriced souvenirs down spectator’s throats. Older spectators didn’t seem to appreciate the noise since it began to drown out the pre-recorded big band music which, for some specta tors, highlighted the evening’s festi vities. Fortunately, professionally de signed costumes and a salute-to- America theme revived the audi ence. As impressive as the costumes were, however,they couldn’t make up for the amateur performances given by the performers who wore them. For a moment, it was like Deja vu. I felt like I was in junior high again watching teen-age pep squad girls out of unison making fools of them selves. The improvisational kicking and bouncing the show girls did were far from the precision routines they should have been. Most of the girls were gorgeous and probably could have fooled the audience, but because of the con fused expressions on their faces. even some children were not fooled. After a while, my feelings of dis appointment began to turn into sym pathy for the performers. I was em barrassed /or them. Members of a group known as the Mayans perform an acrobatic stunt. Part of the May ans’ show involves the creation of geome trical designs with their bodies. One of the more interesting at tractions involved three men, called the Mayans, who formed human geometrical designs using their strength, concentration and agility. It managed to trigger some oohs and ahhs from the audience. Other en joyable acts included various zoo ani mals that performed stunts such as balancing, sitting and taking bows. These performances were refresh ing for the sake of maintaining chil dren’s attention. Aside from the attractive cos tumes, patriotic music and talented animals, the event may have caused some spectators to think long and hard before ever again spending $8.50 on a show that could have been twice as entertaining for half the price. Trey Hellmond, a Bryan resident, said the show also could have had better seating arrangements. “They sent me to an awkward seat,” Hellmond said. “Most people were sent to the two opposite ends of the tent and most of the acts were in the center. For what they charge here, they should use that money to do something about it.” Mary Peron, a Hearne resident who hadn’t been to a circus in more than 10 years, said there were some parts of the performance that were amusing, but she thought the show cost entirely too much and came up short overall. “When you consider how much (money) they bring in from even the small souvenirs, it bothers me that they would still charge such an un usually high price for admission,” she said. She added that the money could be used more efficiently towards quality entertainment. Some acrobats do deserve recog nition for their bravery during tra peze stunts near the show’s conclu sion. But before the show ended, the exit sign was beckoning those who spent their hard-earned money on a show that was, at best, mediocre. Clowns model several elaborate costumes during a patri otic section of the show.