For more than seven decades the circuses enjoyed tremendous popularity in the Soviet Union. How did the circus—an institution that dethroned figures of authority and refused any orderly narrative structure—become such a cultural mainstay in a state known for blunt and didactic messages? Miriam Neirick argues that the variety, flexibility, and indeterminacy of the modern circus accounted for its appeal not only to diverse viewers but also to the Soviet state. In a society where government-legitimating myths underwent periodic revision, the circus proved a supple medium of communication. Between 1919 and 1991, it variously displayed the triumph of the Bolshevik revolution, the beauty of the new Soviet man and woman, the vulnerability of the enemy during World War II, the prosperity of the postwar Soviet household, and the Soviet mission of international peace—all while entertaining the public with the acrobats, elephants, and clowns. With its unique ability to meet and reconcile the demands of both state and society, the Soviet circus became the unlikely darling of Soviet culture and an entertainment whose usefulness and popularity stemmed from its ambiguity.

This book is about Soviet Circus artists who have become popular in Britain, France, the U.S.A., Cuba, Japan, China, Belgium, Holland and many other countries. Oleg Popov, the " Sunny clown; " the trainers Vladimir and Yuri Durov; Valentina Surkova the gymnast; The Vlzhanskys tightrope-walkers; the Bubnov sisters known as " the dragon-flies; " Valentin Filatov with his " Bear Circus; " the trainer Margarita Nazarova; and the magician Kio ... all appear in the following pages in their own stories or reminiscences and in articles by well-known writers, producers, and critics." The Past Recalled" describes memorable events in the lives of Anton Chekhov, Alexander Kuprin and Maxim Gorky. A. Fevralsky's article on Mayakovsky's circus pantomime " Moscow in Flames" is particularly interesting. This section also contains some of Vsevolod Meyerhold's and Sergei Eisenstein's ideas about the circus.

In this monumental work, Laurence Senelick and Sergei Ostrovsky offer a panoramic history of Soviet theater from the Bolshevik Revolution to the eventual collapse of the USSR. Making use of more than eighty years’ worth of archival documentation, the authors celebrate in words and pictures a vital, living art form that remained innovative and exciting, growing, adapting, and flourishing despite harsh, often illogical pressures inflicted upon its creators by a totalitarian government. It is the first comprehensive analysis of the subject ever to be published in the English language.