17. Phare – The Cambodian Circus
06.10.2023
I had no time pressure when I came back to my hotel from Angkor Wat and I took things slow…until my generous temporal buffer miraculously evaporated into nothingness and I had to rush out of the door and pedal very hard to make it to the circus in just 15min. I am a pro in being behind schedule and then exerting an inconceivable amount of energy to get back on track. Not efficient but successful in 99% of the time. :-)
The tent was relatively small with a ring for the artists of only 8m-8.5m in diameter. It reminded me of campsite circuses I visited in my childhood. Around 95% of the audience were foreigners.
The show began 7 minutes after the official start scheduled at 8:00pm with the master of ceremonies telling a bit about the the story called “White Gold” (referring to rice) the artists were about to perform. In essence, someone gets blessed with a lot of rice by the gods, tries to use his wealth to impress a girl, then has to deal with envious challengers and everyone gets greedy, the abundance of rice stops, people are sad and at the end the gods are again in people's favour and rain down rice from heaven. I might have summarised the plot completely wrong – be it as it may - that’s how I remember it. In my defense, the story wasn't that clear at several points or I am just a moron who can’t grasp a narrative that’s acted out on a stage.
If you are buying a ticket and expect world class acrobatics, compare it to Las Vegas shows or to Country XYZ Got Talent performances that go viral on Youtube – you will be bitterly disappointed. At the end of the show the master of ceremonies explained that the artists all came from difficult backgrounds and Phare is supporting young people with facing hardship by giving them a purpose and home in the circus school. This should put things into perspective. The show was advertised online to last 3 hours but in reality it was over after 65min. You should see the ticket price more as a donation to a good cause rather than expecting to pay for crazy stunts you have never seen before. Having said all that, it was still a nice experience. The live music made by 3-4 musicians on a strange oversized double decker trolley was very good and the use of rice was very creative.
At the beginning a guy took rice from a big pile in the centre of the ring and drew a pattern. During the show the rice was swept to the side before new rice rained down from the circus tent ceiling with the help of a huge tarp strapped to a square steel tube structure that could be lowered and lifted by a cable. At some point a guy jumped onto the tarp that got hoisted upwards and later on he initiated the rice rain shower by opening small holes in the tarp. If you roll your eyes not understanding what I meant – check the photos. There were other unique things happening like a painter that live performed on top of the musician's vehicle. 8 already finished drawings were placed on easels at the edge of the ring. At the end those drawings were pushed into a grid which they mounted underneath the tarp and before they tilted it slightly forwards. After the final act the gap in the center was completed by the artwork the painter had done during the show. I guess each of the 9 pieces had somehow ties to the story but again, I didn't really get it.
Upon leaving, people in the audience got the chance to take images with the performers in exchange for a donation and on the way out (which is the same as the way in), everyone had to pass through a souvenir/merchandise shop. Reminded me of the airport concept funnel people through a maze of duty-free shops. lol Most of the products for sale were made by local artists that might be handicapped by a disability or not. The profit supports the work of the circus project and of course the creators of the goods.
All in all it was a tad underwhelming but keeping in mind what the circus is about, I have no regrets and I am happy that my financial contribution will be used to help people in need. Besides that, the experience made for some nice photos and a new blog post for you. :-D
