I admit that the first time I walked towards the Circus, I felt a bit like I was "stealing". From myself the experience of absolute surprise, because I had seen the place during the works about two weeks before it opened, and from my son who accompanied me, since I pretend I have no idea what this new place in Larissa is, the city's largest circus that opened to welcome music and entertainment lovers, as announced by its official page before the grand opening.
I had told him that we were going to have our first night out at a musical theater. Perfect. I wanted to see it Circus Entertainment Hub, as he would see it, probably to balance my own "stealing".
"It's like we're on Broadway," he said as we entered, stopping by the stage. It has never gone natural. On Broadway. Neither do I. But it hardly matters; we all know what he meant. And he was right. For the first time, a stage of such specifications opens in Larissa.
I already knew that.
What I did not expect was that it would be such a strong feeling, the experience when I would see the music-theatre scene live. How the place sucks you in, the spectacle; even before it starts. And the electricity in the atmosphere. The stage, the photorhythms, the effects, the world...
Why did you choose the name Circus? I had asked the initiator and owner of the place, Vassilis Liapis. "Because in a circus you don't know what to expect. Because there's a big switch of emotions from number to number. Because it has something mysterious and enigmatic. And we made a space that will accommodate everything. Like a real circus. It's not just a name, for me the circus is a feeling."
As soon as you walk through the door of the Circus Entertainment Hub, you understand what Vassilis was saying. You understand the dynamics, the non-static nature of the space, the ability to host and above all to transform to host completely different artistic, musical or theatrical, cultural and conference events.
That first time my son and I saw Balafa. He didn't know him. It's not the kind of music he listens to either. But he was captivated by the sight. Because in this space the spectacle can work.
"I want us to come all the time" he told me. "I don't really care what we hear or see. And I want to play on that stage at some point."
Circus accomplished its mission as a circus. It made us feel. He beat us…
And good for him! Finally… something happened in town.
*Photos: Kostas Manziaris
