This live television play dramatises the tensions and relationships within a travelling circus troupe.
Plot details for this live play are not known. The story is set in a circus and features characters such as Madamoiselle Lolo (Joan White), Madame Elvira (Mollie Looe), a Lion Tamer (Vera Cook), the Circus Boss (Kenelm Foss), and the Ringmaster (Victor Platt).
This 1947 production is an example of early post-war television drama, broadcast live from the studio on two separate occasions before the advent of routine videotaping. The script was the work of Caryl Brahms and S. J. Simon, a celebrated partnership known for their satirical novels and witty dialogue; their involvement suggests a play built on sharp verbal exchanges rather than purely visual spectacle. Production was handled by Jan Bussell, a figure more famously associated with puppetry. The broadcast history, which includes several postponements, hints at the logistical difficulties inherent in live television production during this period.
Broadcast: BBC, 2 Performances, 14 April 1947
Written by: Caryl Brahms, S. J. Simon
Producer: Jan Bussell
Main Cast: Joan White (Madamoiselle Lolo), Mollie Looe (Madame Elvira), Vera Cook (Lion Tamer), Kenelm Foss (The Circus Boss), Victor Platt (The Ringmaster), Arthur Lovegrove (Art), Miriam Karlin, Stanley Lawson
