Roll up, roll up - Gandey’s Circus is back in town!
It has been described as ‘a seamless blend of circus magic with the glittering glamour of Hollywood’
It certainly promises to be a show that demands your attention – a rollercoaster of madness that promises to captivate the entire family. From crazy comedy to the graceful acrobatics of the flying trapeze, every moment is a spectacle.
‘We are the benchmark which is why the Isle of Man Arts Council support us. We have been going for more than 130 years,’ said Binky Beaumont, tour director at Gandey’s World Class Productions.
The company is an entertainment giant, encompassing not just the circus but a number of other world class productions including the Chinese State Circus, Cirque Surreal and Spirit of the Horse, some of which have also visited the Isle of Man. The circus has a brand new cast for 2024 featuring acts from their shows from all around the world. As Binky explained, they have plenty of star performers to choose from as they have four or five shows on at any one time . He said: ‘At the height of the season we employ nearly 400 people in several large productions across the world playing to an audience of up to 50,000 each week in total.’
He went on: ‘Gandeys have been bringing shows to the Isle of Man since the 80’s. We play to more than 10,000 people each visit and it is a highlight of the tour for our cast who cannot believe we go to such a lovely island.’
And, when it comes to choosing acts to bring to the island, he added, there is one that must be included: ‘For the audience on the Isle of Man, with the history of the TT, we couldn’t not bring the motorbikes.’
This time they are featuring four riders in a big metal cage ‘racing round it like idiots’.
When it comes to racing around, all the performers are on the tightest of schedules on their tour around the UK, Jersey and Guernsey. They will perform in the Isle of Man from Thursday April 18 - Monday April 22.
Binky said: ‘This spring tour opened last Friday at Trentham, for the kids’ half term, then goes it on a 16 week tour of the UK with a different venue each week.
‘We are bringing a team of nearly 60 people to the Isle of Man after the sell out run at the Manchester Trafford Centre for Easter, We finish a show there on the Sunday night then the whole cast and 16 trucks are on the boat to the Isle of Man to get set up in time to open here on the Thursday night.
‘The pull down and loading happens over six hours after the last show finishes, then we move Monday morning to build up and reset and that takes 48 hours, with over 250 tons of equipment and 50 plus vehicles and trucks to move the team.
‘It takes a huge operation to get these shows ready and put them on: from the choreography and rehearsals, to the transport logistics, marketing and administration.
‘People don’t realise the work that goes on behind the scenes it’s a big operation.’
Gandey’s Circus performances on the island have been supporting Hospice Isle of Man for many years: when people book tickets there is the option on the site to make a small donation to Hospice, who also do a bucket collection at each show.
l You can watch a taster video of the show at https://gandey.com/project/gandeys-circus/
Book tickets for the show online at https://www.gandeyscircus.com/book-now/