Nouveau Cirque (Paris) - Revision history

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‎Charles Debray's Nouveau Cirque

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‎The Twenties

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 File:Antonet_et_Beby.jpg|Antonet & Béby (c.1930)
 File:Alfredo_Albano.jpg|Alfredo Albano (1930)
 File:251_rue_St_Honore.jpg|251 rue St. Honoré today (2023)
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 File:Seating_diagram_Nouveau_Cirque.jpg|Seating Diagram (1923)
 File:Antonet_et_Beby.jpg|Antonet & Béby (c.1930)
 File:251_rue_St_Honore.jpg|251 rue St. Honoré today (2023)
 </Gallery>
 [[Category:Circuses|Nouveau Cirque]][[Category:History|Nouveau Cirque (Paris)]]

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 File:Nouveau_Cirque_Plan.jpg|Nouveau Cirque's Plan (1886)
 File:Nouveau_Cirque_cross_section.jpg|Nouveau Cirque's Water Basin (1886)
 File:NC_Cocomat_Removal.jpg|Removal of the Esparto Mat (1886)
 File:NC_Leopold_Loyal.jpg|Poster featuring Léopold Loyal (1886)

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 ==Charles Debray's Nouveau Cirque==
-As Parisians wondered about the Nouveau Cirque’s future, two business entrepreneurs, Messrs. Tison and Debray, appeared out of the blue in September and took over its management, just in time for the opening of the 1907-1908 season. Amazingly, and although Charles Debray (?-1927) remained on the Parisian circus scene for almost twenty years, circus history doesn’t seem to have kept any record of them prior to their involvement with the Nouveau Cirque (and also with the Cirque de Paris, formerly Cirque Métropole); it has not even recorded the first name of Tison, who passed away in August 1908. [[File:Cirque_Métropole.jpg|thumb|400px|right|The Cirque Métropole (1907)]]
+As Parisians wondered about the Nouveau Cirque’s future, two business entrepreneurs, Messrs. Tison and Debray, appeared out of the blue in September and took over its management, just in time for the opening of the 1907-1908 season. Amazingly, and although Charles Debray (?-1927) remained on the Parisian circus scene for almost twenty years, circus history doesn’t seem to have kept any record of them prior to their involvement with the Nouveau Cirque (and also with the Cirque de Paris, formerly Cirque Métropole); it has not even recorded the first name of Tison, who passed away in August 1908.
-−
-Even though early programs of their Nouveau Cirque directorship mention "Direction: Tison-Debray," a small poster for the "Nouveau Cirque de Paris" heralding wild animal acts in the ''Parc des Attractions'' of Paris’s 1907 ''Exposition Coloniale'' (Colonial Exhibition) in the Bois de Vincennes mentions in a subtitle, "Établissements Charles Debray," which seems to indicate that Debray's company had taken full or part ownership of the circus of the rue Saint-Honoré&mdash;and also that Tison was nothing more than a silent partner.
+[[File:Cirque_Métropole.jpg|thumb|400px|right|The Cirque Métropole (1907)]]Even though early programs of their Nouveau Cirque directorship mention "Direction: Tison-Debray," a small poster for the "Nouveau Cirque de Paris" heralding wild animal acts in the ''Parc des Attractions'' of Paris’s 1907 ''Exposition Coloniale'' (Colonial Exhibition) in the Bois de Vincennes mentions in a subtitle, "Établissements Charles Debray," which seems to indicate that Debray's company had taken full or part ownership of the circus of the rue Saint-Honoré&mdash;and also that Tison was nothing more than a silent partner.
 In his seminal book ''La Merveilleuse Histoire du Cirque'' (1947), the great circus historian Henri Thétard, who had indeed known the Nouveau Cirque of that era, devotes only a couple of lines to Debray, whom he somehow dismisses as an insignificant director. The fact that neither Tison nor Debray were circus men and, furthermore, that they didn’t have any recognized show business credentials, may explain the lack of interest circus and entertainment historians (and journalists) have showed them&mdash;not to mention that Debray’s management of the Nouveau Cirque and the Cirque de Paris was not a resounding success on a circus point of view. Debray was first and foremost a businessman, not a circus enthusiast, and his priorities were not of an artistic nature.

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 File:Nouveau_Cirque_-_Siberie_Poster.jpg|Poster for ''Sibérie'' (1906)
 File:NC_Ski_Norvegien.jpg|Ad for ''Les Skis Norvégiens'' (1907)
-File:Skis_Norvegiens_NC.jpg|Ad fir ''Les Skis Norvégiens'' (1907)
+File:Skis_Norvegiens_NC.jpg|Ad for ''Les Skis Norvégiens'' (1907)
 File:Noce_Chocolat_Houcke.jpg|Ad for ''La Noce de Chocolat'' (1907)
 File:NC_Expo_Coloniale.jpg|Poster for the Nouveau Cirque's Exhibition at the Exposition Coloniale (1907)

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 File:NC_Soiree_a_Blaga_Park.jpg|Postcard for ''Une Soirée à Blaga Park'' (1911)
 File:Moriss.jpg|Moriss (c.1915)
 File:Jean_Houcke.jpg|Jean Houcke (c.1920)
 File:Nouveau_Cirque_Course_aerienne.jpg|Postcard advertising ''La Course Aérienne'' (c.1920)
 File:Enrico_Lola_Pissiuti.jpg|Enrico & Lola Pissiuti (c.1920)
 File:Heinrich_Wagner_1921.jpg|Heinrich Wagner (1921)

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 Of course, cage acts were only part to the Nouveau Cirque's offerings. At a time when the Fratellinis were still attracting large crowds to the Cirque Medrano, the Nouveau Cirque welcomed the Parisian debuts of a wonderful clown duo that was on its path to stardom, [[Antonet]] & [[Béby Frediani|Béby]]. Antonet was considered the true heir to the legendary Foottit, although they were quite different in appearance; if their characters in the ring were indeed both authoritarian, Antonet was much more elegant and refined. He had been the partner of one of Europe's most creative augustes, [[Little Walter]] (Alexandre Ulrich), under whose tutelage he had learned his craft.
-Béby, Antonet's auguste, was not new to the Nouveau Cirque: He was Aristodemo Frediani, of the legendary jockey act, the Fredianis. Although he had been, with his brothers, an equestrian star of first magnitude, his had always wanted to be a clown and this is what he did as soon as he retired from the family act. Béby had a strong presence in the ring; his silhouette, square and heavy, with a few surrealistic touches in his attire, was naturally comical and he was extremely funny without having to force his effects. His association with Antonet was a perfect match (in the ring at least). Antonet & Béby gave Parisians a good reason to go to the Nouveau Cirque: Debray had finally found his stars! This may have been just a stroke of luck, however, for the uninspired Debray had remained true to himself in his programs: His headliners were fairground thrill acts, and he even hired cage acts from small traveling menageries.
+Béby, Antonet's auguste, was not new to the Nouveau Cirque: He was Aristodemo Frediani, of the legendary jockey act, the Fredianis. Although he had been, with his brothers, an equestrian star of first magnitude, he had always wanted to be a clown and this is what he did as soon as he retired from the family act. Béby had a strong presence in the ring; his silhouette, square and heavy, with a few surrealistic touches in his attire, was naturally comical and he was extremely funny without having to force his effects. His association with Antonet was a perfect match (in the ring at least). Antonet & Béby gave Parisians a good reason to go to the Nouveau Cirque: Debray had finally found his stars! This may have been just a stroke of luck, however, for the uninspired Debray had remained true to himself in his programs: His headliners were fairground thrill acts, and he even hired cage acts from small traveling menageries.
 Sadly, in spite of the favorable postwar conditions, Debray had proved unable to offer anything really fresh beside his new clowns&mdash;but Antonet & Béby couldn't bring back the Nouveau Cirque's old glory by themselves. Then, in 1923, [[Gaston Deprez]] revived the venerable Cirque d'Hiver and restored it to its original splendor. The Nouveau Cirque had now to contend with two very successful circuses, Medrano and the Cirque d'Hiver, as well as with the Cirque de Paris, which had finally managed to create a clientele for itself on the Left Bank. Debray had apparently missed his opportunity, and his cheap brand of circus and variety became completely obsolete in 1924 when the [[Empire Music-Hall Cirque]], whose model was Berlin's famous WinterGarten theater, opened avenue de Wagram, near the Place de l'Étoile, with a brilliant mixture of top variety and circus acts.

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 ===The Twenties===
-The war finally came to an end on November 11, 1918. The immediate postwar era was a boon for the circus industry. Charles Debray took notice and the Nouveau Cirque at last began to pay attention to genuine circus acts of some consequence&mdash;notably animal acts. In addition, at the beginning of the 1920-1921 season, he took again the management of the huge Cirque de Paris, which had had its share of managerial problems and had spent the war as a movie house. Debray brought avenue de la Motte-Picquet his own brand of variety shows interspersed with a few circus acts. This was not a good recipe for a house that had no intimacy, and Debray’s tenure lasted only one season. (He was succeeded by Gaston Rousseau, who put the Cirque de Paris back on its tracks.)
+The war finally came to an end on November 11, 1918. The immediate postwar era was a boon to the circus industry. Charles Debray took notice and the Nouveau Cirque at last began to pay attention to genuine circus acts of some consequence&mdash;notably animal acts. In addition, at the beginning of the 1920-1921 season, he took again the management of the huge Cirque de Paris, which had had its share of managerial problems and had spent the war as a movie house. Debray brought avenue de la Motte-Picquet his own brand of variety shows interspersed with a few circus acts. This was not a good recipe for a house that had no intimacy, and Debray’s tenure lasted only one season. (He was succeeded by Gaston Rousseau, who put the Cirque de Paris back on its tracks.)
 [[File:Antonet_et_Beby.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Antonet & Béby (c.1930)]]Meanwhile, artists from the defeated ''Triple Entente'' coalition were again allowed to perform freely everywhere in Europe&mdash;although at the beginning, they found it safer to appear under non-German sounding aliases. In Germany, the Mark had completely collapsed and [[Carl Krone]], the [[The Hagenbeck Dynasty| Hagenbecks]] and other directors of major circuses with large menageries were in desperate need of foreign currency; the solution was to send some of their animal acts to perform abroad. Since these attractions had become more affordable now to other European circuses than before the war, the Nouveau Cirque presented a stream of exciting wild animal acts in the early 1920s.