Admit it: You’re not surprised that I haven’t yet shaken off the dust of the circus ring. And last week, as I closed up for the night, I suddenly thought: “I know -- the title for my next post! ‘The Roar of the Greasepaint’” !! On waking the next morning, I almost immediately thought, “Wait. That can’t be right – it makes no sense at all.” But in another world, the expression was exactly right and, what the heck, it’s still the title for this post.
And I’m still taken with the greasepaint and the crowds. You can blame this guy for my continuing impulse to run away with the circus:
He’s Duncan Wall whose book enchanted me in the last months of 2025.
This led me in January to splurge on a performance by a visiting Hungarian troupe (certified as Hungarian by my Budapest friend Y).
Frankly, I was disappointed that there was less of the traditional circus acrobatics, tightrope walking, and derring-do – and more of what these days is called “cirque-danse”. But my enthusiasm was undaunted.
I’d shared the run-up with old school friend JP and – here’s where things get really exciting! She has been for years an ardent family genealogist and has traced her own family up, down, sideways, across countries and continents. And she has a family link with the stunning Fern Andra, an early 20th century performer, actress, manager, producer – oh, so many roles she played.
Like so many women in so many fields, she’s been lost in history but – wow! She was amazing. For more gorgeous photos and details of her long career, scroll down in this link – a fascinating site in itself, dedicated to film personalities.
So how can I go wrong if I hitch my clown wagon to Fern’s star?
Right here, on these pages, Fern is going to bail me out with her own circus (yes, of my imagination). I’m sure that behind that beautiful face and those dark eyes, there’s a hard-driving perfectionist – so first she’ll need to hold auditions.
Here’s a preliminary stage:
Now on to the finale – “She Makes It Look Easy (Audition Series)” copyright 2026.
I’m trusting that JP will see this as a kind of tribute to her accomplished relative and also – through the magic of the DNA they share? – a tribute to the younger generation of her family -- bright, creative kids with all kinds of tricks up their sleeves, just like Fern.
Oh, I think the announcer is letting us know that there will be more performances in this series. See you next time.
