James Thiérreé a Master Showman and creator of worlds

When La Clique played in the Famous Spiegeltent which was set up in Sydney's Hyde Park back in 2008, I was lucky enough to get tickets. The show was created by James Thierreé, the grandson of Charlie Chaplin. I thought to myself, that is big shoes to fill - but I must say he filled them so much he had to curl his toes.  He didn't just get genes passed on from his grandfather, but also got circus in with the mothers milk. His mum Victoria Chaplin and father Jean-Baptiste Thiérreé ran Le Cirque Imaginaire and James began appearing in the show when he was 4.
The Grand opening image of the show where a coil of rope twirling and unfurling so large it would put even Derek Ives -Australia's own dark clown rope-master- to shame. It is breathtakingly captivating and formidable. This massive spectacle was followed by a heart thumping piece of physical theatre. Before long your intrepid showman was in tears.
I have been searching the tube on semi regular basis for footage of his epic creations, and yesterday I found it. I highly recommend this show, to anyone who has ever loved and lived.

Here is the link to his beautiful creation Au Revoir Parapluie. The link is for part one, once it finishes just follow the links to part two etc...

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

part 5

part 6

With your heart as a compass on your way, you’ll never go astray.

A few thoughts to expand on Lesson 4 from the Way of the showman: “The Showman reminds us of the inherent folly of all human endeavor.”

Look around and take in all the bizarre stuff we humans do. Most are consumed with their own peculiar endeavors. But not everyone has found their passion.

I had a chat to a fellow carny last night about retirement, which I find a strange concept. Why would stopping work be a good thing? If I had to stop talking, thinking, and doing shows it would feel like a punishment. I guess the answer is simple enough; a lot of people don’t like what they do. What they do for work they do because they have to. In this case retirement is the time where you can finally stop going to the factory or the office and just do whatever you want. This is the reality for many people.

As the Illuminated Showman Tom Waits said: “We are all gonna be dirt in the ground,” so what ever house of cards we’ve built will fall and crumble when the wind of life leaves. This is the inherent folly of all human endeavors. Pictured by a clown spending his fifteen minutes of fame in the spotlight, struggling to do something that in the end turns out to be a joke, pointless but fun.

So why do anything at all when it is all going to end? I think when you find what you love, not doing it because its going to end at some point in the future would feel worse than doing it and enjoying it along the way. Lets face it, if you have fun, live a rich life imbued with activities that feels meaningful to you and to those who share them with you, what more can we ask for? Meaning comes from you.

With no one else to tell us what the right thing to do is its best to follow your heart. If it feels right, do it. This is of course easier said than done. There is a lot of noise in the world and the heart’s voice is merely a whisper. But if you start listening for it, its in there somewhere. Whether we live only once, or some omnipotent agent in a world beyond placed us here for some reason or the other, we should make the most of the time given to us (thank you Tolkien.) Don’t wait till you’re retired, do it now.

You create your own reality, so make it a good one. 

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 25

It is paramount that you actually want to be on stage and that the crowd feels it. Once you can telegraph this you'll have a perfect foundation to build your act on.

Lessons from the way of the Showman - 24

Aim to discover one new moment each time you do your act. One reaction from the crowd that's new, an extra groan, an unexpected laugh - remember it and recreate it.
After 12 shows you'll need to lengthen your music or eliminate the weakest bits. You now have a natural selection happening. Your act is adapting and evolving.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - ?

Small room, big thoughts.

How many are there? Where do they come from?
The answer to the first is: I don’t know, but possibly endless; the second answer is: from two different sources. The first I will keep secret, for now.
The second is a peculiar blend of an inquisitive and exploratory mind spending too much time alone in hotel rooms. These refuges for weary travelers are like monk cells. The process of making them inoffensive to everyone has made them homely to none. There is usually only one chair and one desk and for some reason the mirror hangs right above the desk. So if I want to sit, I get locked in a face off with myself. This makes me think big existential questions. What am I doing with my life? Is my life shallow? Can you have a meaningful life with novelty acts and carnival fun as your foundation?
In times like that I pick up the complimentary pen and pad and jot down thoughts that are too big to keep in. I now post these on facebook as seeds for thought for other fellow followers of the Way of the Showman.

Impromptu Magic: The Penetrating Stick Match Trick

My passion has always been magic that you can pretty much do any time, any place using common everyday objects. I like this very magical effect because it's visual and can be performed surrounded (with just a little care). Please visit my web site for tutorials and lessons on sleight-of-hand magic and please subscribe to this blog and follow on Twitter for all of the updates.

Please send me an email or comment if you want me to upload a tutorial on any effects featured.

Private Sleight-of-Hand Magic Lessons via Skype with cards, coins, cigarettes, matches and more.