Doktor Schneide
There were riotous scenes on Tuesday night in the Greek port of Piraeus when demonstrators poured onto the streets after watching a performance held at the Karaiskaki stadium in the middle of the city. Tempers flared when the locals became angry at a performance of a London based troupe of international clowns because they felt it failed to live up to its much-hyped expectations.
One demonstrator, Vangelis Papaonstrikeios, complained ‘We were incredibly excited at the prospect of actually seeing in the flesh world famous names in clowning and buffoonery, such as Flappyhandski, Squiddlydiddly, Direjourou and the Great Mannone! Imagine our disgust when they bumbled into the arena not wearing their customary baggy trousers and oversized, rotating bow ties, but in football kits instead.’
Another disapproving spectator, Andros Retiredatfortyios, said ‘I admit at times my children thought they were extremely funny, as they did a lot of falling over – usually because they ran into each other – and my youngest loved the way they continually looked around with their confused, comical expressions. But I’m very disappointed that although they had red faces for almost entirely all of the performance, they didn’t wear their large red clown noses.’
It was all too much for one parent, Stavros Paynotaxios, who fumed ‘It was disgusting. I took my kids to see the clowns drive about in their funny little car and to run around in their over-large shoes, but all they did was to put on a pathetic pantomime of goalkeepers and defenders. I will definitely be asking for my money back.’ Shaking with emotion, he went on, ‘I know we’ve got our troubles – what with the country gone to the dogs and all – but enough is enough!’
In response to the fiery criticism, the director of the troupe, Monsieur Arsene Chipperfield, said ‘I didn’t see the incident as I was trying to keep our little Russian clown away from the custard pies. But judge me at the end of our European tour – which coincidentally is our next performance.’
