This article was originally published on stlpublicradio.org on June 4.
The word circus conjures several interpretations, a different idea according to every one’s experience. Many of those definitions, as Circus Flora teaches us, can brilliantly oppose each other in both harmony and balance – and that the chess player can appreciate.
For years, the St. Louis-based summer tradition has walked a tightrope between themes of Ringling - with its peanut-scented, animal-driven spectacles announced to the center (and only) ring - and the modernized Cirque du Soleil, whose bright lights and flashy costumes mesh with choreography. Circus Flora has always lingered somewhere between, uniquely designed around a new storyline each year that keeps its tradition fresh with each new season.
“It’s hard to say where we land between those two reference points,” said Jack Marsh, Circus Flora’s artistic director. “We have the appearance of that circus big tent, the ring filled with sawdust, the horses and the dogs and all the other performers - so we’ve got that classical feel. But we also have this focus on narrative and storytelling. We blend a lot of worlds and also create our own thing; I don’t think anyone is focused on the narrative side of circus as we are, at least in the U.S.”
Now in its 28th season, Flora’s latest installment -- The Pawn -- uses chess to drive a storyline vehicle that is packed like a clown car. Using theatrical war drama inherently provided by the King’s Game, then fueling the show through the differing characteristics of an entire 32-member cast of pieces, The Pawn has opened up an idea of circus that leaves its audience wondering why a relationship with chess took this long to forge. ...
