Caitlyn Davey caught up with Phillip Gandey, the show director of the visiting Moscow Grand Circus, to find out what to expect this week.
Have you adapted the show at all for Abu Dhabi?
This is the world-premier for the Moscow Grand Circus in Abu Dhabi. We brought the Chinese State Circus to Abu Dhabi last year, to ADNEC, and they asked us to bring another one this year. I am very conscious of the audience, it’s a large family audience so there’s plenty of comedy in the show, plenty of thrills. Obviously, costume wise, we are very sensitive to the region – we haven’t got anyone in small or revealing costumes.
How does the Moscow Grand Circus differ from the traditional clown and animal shows?
We don’t use animals anymore. This circus showcases the best of Russian circus – the majority of artists, half are Moscow trained, half with the Russian State Circus so it does have a very Russian influence. We have traditional Russian dance in the show, traditional Russian music but alongside that, we also have some contemporary Russian performances. So it very much is an eclectic mix of old Russian and the best of modern contemporary Russian circus, but with a high emphasis on comedy.
How much input into the creative process do you have?
Everything, basically. This type of show, the artists are allowed to submit ideas of costume and different styles of music. It’s a bit like baking a cake, all the artists have their acts and we build the show, you have all the ingredients and it’s my job to mix them all together for the end product.
What kind of shows would you go to see when you aren’t working?
I love West End musicals and I love cabaret. I love cabaret in all its forms.
What’s next for you?
We would very much like to bring a modern contemporary circus here to Abu Dhabi. We brought the Chinese State Circus and we have brought the traditional circus with this show. I am always flying around watching shows and looking at performers. For me, one of the biggest adventures is taking productions to places where that culture has not been exposed to that type of show before.
The Moscow Grand Circus will be at ADNEC from September 25-28. Tickets start from Dhs150. www.circusabudhabi.ae.
