Pablo Fanque's Fair (A Seminal Phrase in Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite)

"Pablo Fanque's Fair", good heavens, just what does it mean?

If you have had the good fortune to trip across this phrase on more than a few occasions over the last few decades, I would only conclude that you are one of the lucky ones. Certainly Winston O' Boogie had his flashes of poetic brilliance and this song is no exception. Accompanied by the three other boys that hailed from that place called "Liverpool", "Pablo Fanque's Fair" is an oblique reference that might otherwise have heightened a sensation, that could quite possibly, have come to be called, "much more than just erect".

In fact, some scant research indicates that the dubious phrase in question refers to none other than Pablo Fanque. It turns out that Pablo Fanque was the first British circus proprietor who had ancestors of African origin. According to the historical archives, it is reported that Fanque was born in Norwich, England in 1791 as William Darby. The circumstances surrounding his early life have however been subject to debate. Some accounts indicate that Fanque was an orphan who had been born as the son of an African born butler. Other accounts indicate that Fanque was one of seven children raised in a home for the working poor. Nonetheless, we do know that Fanque trained as a circus performer under the direction of William Batty, and acquired a considerable reputation for flaunting, posturing, tumbling, rope dancing and a complete repertoire of equestrian tricks.

As a renowned performer and eventual proprietor of a circus in what has been called the golden age of circus performances in Great Britain, it can only be assumed that Fanque's encountered considerable hardship in his climactic rise to fame. Yet some historical reports indicate that the circus may have actually originated in Britain not long before the performances of Fanque became quite popular. At least one report has attributed the origin of circus performances in England to Philip Astley who was born in Newcastle upon Tyne as the able son of a humble English cabinetmaker. He became a Sergeant Major in the " Fifteenth Light Dragoon Regiment" which was a British cavalry troop founded in 1746.

It may be interesting to note that in the years that preceded Fanque's performances large venues were established to showcase a full range of acts. One example was the "London Hippodrome". It brandished a host of routines that included menagerie, circus and urban theater. Equestrian acts, elephants, polar bears, acrobats and aquatic spectacles flooded the entertainment stage on a regular basis. In recent decades the "London Hippodrome" was converted into a restaurant/night club. It has hosted a wide variety of entertainers including Tom Jones, Eartha Kit, The Jackson Five, Ella Fitzgerald and Neil Sedaka.

Gerald Marchewka is an American freelance writer currently living in Lviv, Ukraine. Gerald's most recent book, "Straight from the Heaven's: Li Bai's Poetry in Retrospect" featuring the Illustrations of Seb Fowler is now on sale at Lulu.com Questions about Gerald's projects may be forwarded to geraldmarchewka@yahoo.com

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