Saturday afternoon I arrived at the park and found for the first time Pollito and his brothers performing in a new space which they had created near the park´s entrance. As I continued through the park, I met up with the puppeteer that works on the same patch as me, and we both looked across and watched as another new circus show was being performed on the following patch of park. It was wonderful, seeing a public space occupied by new and old artists sharing their shows with a family audience without a fixed price.
As I began setting up my show, another clown appeared and she had arrived prior to me, so I was going to have to wait for the puppeteer and the clown to perform first. Whilst waiting, my friend Mao arrived with his show. Realizing together that there was not enough daylight for us both to be able to perform our one man shows, we decided to merge for the afternoon and give the audience “The Best of Mao and TiTO”.
As we started Mao roved the park with his whistle announcing that we were about to begin, whilst TiTO danced and chatted with the audience and ushered in the new audience members. Our show began with a classic street theater routine. Mao went and hid himself terribly behind a tree. And TiTO went and hid himself behind a lady watching the show. On the count of 3, the two of us emerged from our hiding spots, and crossed one another running and jumping across the makeshift stage. Of course, the reception was good, but could be better, so we hid ourselves again, this time TiTO hid behind a girl that was passing through the park, and moved with her as she walked past. Again, on the count of three we appeared and ran and jumped across the stage, this time the audience erupted in applause and TiTO lost control and galloped away jumping park benches and almost running out of the park before Mao called him back.
Here the show began with Mao balancing a bike that he borrowed from an audience member, on his chin. Now TiTO was to perform a routine with the hula hoop, however a dog intervened. TiTO took the dog in his arms and began talking to it and then kissed the dog to the audiences delight and disgust. TiTO carried the dog off stage, but the moment he put it down, the dog followed him back and jumped up on him! Mao now announced that TiTO and the dog had prepared this show, and would now demonstrate the dog passing through the hoop. TiTO did a dog countdown, barking once, and then barking twice and on the third bark urging the dog to pass through the hoop. The dog advanced, then sat, and began scratching its ear as the audience broke out in laughter. TiTO began a new countdown, and this time the dog passed through to the crowd´s ovation. The dog then wandered off and TiTO finally performed the hula hoop routine.
This was then followed with Mao performing magic. Mao invited a bald man to take a seat on stage. Mao then covered the man´s head with three magic scarves, under the first scarf of course, was a thick black curly wig, and so as Mao unveiled the scarves, the bald man now appeared with hair! Mao used this man to help him up onto his giant unicycle and performed a fun routine amusing the crowd with his near falls. TiTO now followed spinning the hula hoop around his waist, one ring on his foot, two other rings on his wrists, and a spinning plate on a stick balanced in his mouth. On the first attempt the trick failed. TiTO came down from the rope cranky. Tossing down the rings. He then initiated the crowd to yell “What a load of pork” and as they called this out at TiTO, TiTO smoothly merged himself amidst the audience and slipped his hat onto a lady in the crowd, and began chanting with the audience “What a load of pork” but now at the lady that had been converted into TiTO. At this point one small boy yells out “Give him another chance!” TiTO hearing this directed his attention towards the boy. Grabbing back his hat from the lady and now encouraging the audience to chant “Give him another chance”. TiTO now returned to the slack rope, and repeated the trick, this time performing it successfully. Coming down to bask in the glory of success, TiTO made the use of the grass below, picking it and throwing it up like confetti.
Mao now explained that our show was not going to be free. But if you didn´t have money, it didn´t matter, we would invite you so long as you gave us applause. Here of course, the entire audience applauded, and Mao and TiTO exchanged a look of dismay, who was going to tip us? At this point TiTO assumed Mao would pass the hat for the children only. Trying to prompt this, TiTO suggested to Mao that now was the time for the “children´s game”. Mao took this literally and assumed TiTO had a children´s game to perform with child volunteers. It wasn´t until after bringing three children on stage, that Mao and TiTO realized that neither of two knew what to do. TiTO decided to improvise and tried a game of musical chairs, to which TiTO himself made the music with his mouth. This allowed him to also stop the music when he wanted and allowing him to be able to sit down first and always win. One the children got so upset and TiTO´s cheating ways, that she pushed him off the chair. Then took his hat and threw it at TiTO. TiTO like a professional soccer player now played up faking all sorts of injuries incurred by this provoking much laughter. Mao now awarded each child a prize (the first child a round of applause, the second a leaf that TiTO demonstrated could be used to fan oneself, and the third a stick we found on the ground which Mao said was a Magic Wand).
TiTO now performed his strip tease on the slack rope, and this was followed by Mao and his famous burning himself fire juggling routine. Both routines caused a lot of laughter and at their conclusion we now passed the hat (all notes being tucked into the the ladies underpants that TiTO was left in after the strip tease). Mao now announced that we would finish with out grand finale, but once again, neither of the two had any routines that were stronger than the previous two. Again, TiTO quickly improvised and invited six muscular men on stage. Mao then aided them in preparing themselves to receive TiTO who was to let himself fall into their arms from the slack rope. Once in their arms, TiTO invited them to launch him up into the air. After about three launches, TiTO fell from their arms to the ground, doing a silly trick on the ground and here bringing the show to an end. The generous audience now approached with their last coins and comments. One man says “You guys are a great duo, how long have you been doing this show together for?” TiTO and Mao both laughed, “The truth is we were just playing, we improvised the whole thing!”
The show was a tremendous success, principally because it was a lot of fun. Being able to improvise with a fellow street performer friend in the park for a generous audience is a complete pleasure. From the moment we began until the end we managed to incorporate different objects and people found in the very same park into our show. Many of the best moments came from these improvised interactions, and like true magic, they can not be repeated, existing only in that magical moment when they happened. To experience their true magic, I guess you have to be here!
For more info about Mao please visit www.elmao.cl
