Philip Astley: Father of the Modern Circus
Today we celebrate Philip Astley (1742-1814), generally acknowledged to be the father of the modern circus, and by extension, one could argue, all the modern variety forms, be it vaudeville, minstrelsy, sideshow, burlesque etc etc etc. The reason for the the "modern" qualification will be obvious to any aficionado of the ancient world, or at […]