This weekend I’m going to go see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. While I have seen their performances many times before, I have never ceased in my fascination with the circus, circus arts, and the aura of the big top. Although, many years have passed since the circus was in it’s original form. The circus we know today is an entirely different creation. Arena seating, expensive tickets, polished and pretty advertising campaigns, etc. The grit and mystery of the circus has faded into obscurity. Albeit obscurity always was rather welcoming to the cast of characters that the circus embraced.
Children of the past have often exclaimed “I want to run away and join the circus!” While others, tragically, were SOLD to the circus, warping their possibly once nurtured lives into a harsh reality of strict performance, confiscated wages, and possible abuse and neglect. The most heart breaking aspect is the thought that a parent could be so cold and horrified by their own offspring that instead of embracing them and loving unconditionally, they looked for the quickest out, with the highest price tag and never looked back.
One example of this behavior is the story of Violet and Daisy Hilton.
The girls were born in 1908. Their mother was a barmaid, and she was not married to the twins father. Being the era it was, she faced not only the shame of being an unwed mother, but also the horror of having “freaks” for children. She sold the girls to her boss, Mary Hilton. Hilton went on to exploit the girls for every penny they were worth in the entertainment world, accompanying their strict training with strict abuse.
But it wasn’t “all bad” in the height of their careers. Among several successful performances and tours, they landed roles in the 1932 film “Freaks” by Tod Browning, appearing as themselves. (Which is a classic by the way, do yourself a favor and watch that masterpiece.)
The twins did live a full 60 year life. Tragically in 1969, they were found dead in their home. According to reports, the cause of death was “Hong Kong Flu”. The eeriest factor noted is that Daisy died first, and Violet spent several days living connected to her deceased twin before finally passing away herself.
::shivers::
Several decades later, one of my musical heroes Amanda Palmer teamed up with Jason Webley to create a narrative side project called “Evelyn Evelyn,” a stage persona very similar to the famous Hilton Twins, only painting a much darker, much more unsettling portrait of life as conjoined twin performers. Wrapped up with a healthy does of dark comedy. [http://www.evelynevelyn.com/]
Peoples fascination with side-show “freaks” may have faded in the circus limelight because of the evolution of human rights, thankfully so. But I have to admit, I do love a good sword swallower. Not all “side show freaks” were “freaks” by scientific definition. Back in Barnum’s day you didn’t always have to be a bearded lady, or a poor disfigured soul in order to get stage time in the side show. The “side show arts” are actually a teachable practice, and are very much alive still today. Especially here in NYC. Specifically at the Coney Island Side-Show. Come Spring, do yourself another favor and go check out Coney Island Side-Show. It’s cast of characters features some very talented and very beautiful “circus freaks”.[http://www.coneyisland.com/programs/coney-island-circus-sideshow]
Despite all the spooky, and unsettling aspects from the past being absent from today’s bright, shiny, and prepackaged commercial circus, one can not deny the aura that still lingers. To the more observant soul, one may still sense the spirits of the circus’s dark past still lingering above the aerials of the big top.
