Patina Miller, Diane Paulus, and Matthew James Thomas Photo

From: BWW Blog: Molly Tynes of A.R.T.'s PIPPIN - PIPPIN Goes to the Circus - Literally!

We have talked a lot in rehearsal about the traditional perception of the traveling circus troupe - about the ways in which we romanticize that life. In a way everyone secretly wishes he or she could run away with the circus and perform some unimaginable feat few others would dare even attempt. We've talked about the transient nature of the circus - how suddenly it bursts into town thrilling audiences with colorful displays and inexplicable tricks, and then just like that, it is gone again. There is an element of mystery in all of that. You find yourself wondering, "Who are these people? What do they do when they are not flying through the air or jumping throughburning hoops? Do they eat? Do they sleep? Do they perform ordinary daily tasks just like the rest of us?" They become almost superhuman figures existing outside the constraints of regular life.