Next weekend I have been invited to review an all-female clown troupe called Circus Finelli. After reading all the wonderful reviews, I can’t wait. Circus Finelli is a 40-minute comedy stage show filled with laughs, acrobatics, juggling, dance and live music. The theme is a “circus gone awry” in which each performer courageously faces disaster in her own way, transforming small problems into big catastrophes.You heard me correctly just now when I referred to these clowns as “her”. That’s right-all of the clowns in Circus Finelli are women. Described as “four crazy, unruly, unpredictable, yet multi-talented clowns”; there is Molly-the samba-dancing doctor’ Verka-the sexy, lazy juggler (my kind of clown); Luz-the havoc-wreaking accordianista; and Z-a woman so strong she had part of her brain removed to make room for more muscle.
Each member of the company is at least bi-lingual. Circus Finelli can be performed in English, Spanish, French, Czech, Italian and Russian, but the emphasis is on physical comedy. The troupe has preformed throughout the Czech Republic and has since been featured in many shows throughout the Bay Area.
Circus Finelli will be performing next weekend (Fri. 2/27 through Sunday 3/1; all shows 8 pm) at Stage Werx, 533 Sutter Street, San Francisco. (415) 730-3433.
For more information about these four very funny and talented women, visit the Circus Finelli Web site at: http://www.circusfinelli.com/.
"There's a cartoon quality to the sound effects and instruments that
texture the string of acts, but it's all dependent on live timing-
nothing like you've ever seen on TV or in the movies. There's lots of
comical juggling and acrobatics, thrown in with the real thing; humor
and excitement are inextricable."
--Ken Bullock, The Berkeley Daily Planet
"Fresh"
-San Francisco Chronicle
"Highly Inventive Comic Acts… full of absurd dialogue and physical comedy"
-Joel Schecter, Spectacle Magazine
"The Greatest Compliment Should be paid to the performers' ability to
react flexibly"
-Mikulas Bryan, Setkani Festival Review, Czech Republic
Circus Finelli "a no holds barred, off-beat, but perfectly timed
performance troupe. They're the highest level of physical comedians,
with perfectly coordinated comedic timing and whimsical, yet
impressive acrobatics just being the tipping point of their
performance… Filled with music, slap-stick, acrobatics and the
seamless chemistry of the four immaculately trained performers, Circus
Finelli has a rare synergy."
-Rashid Zakat, Philadelphia reviewer for Soulaquatics.com
