Bring on the Clowns

Book excerpt: "Down the ages clowns have captured the laughter of adult and child alike with their absurd dress, bizarre antics and a brand of humor whose universality has stood the test of centuries. In this extensive study of clowns and clowning, Beryl Hugill draws the parallels between ancient and modern clowns and traces the story of clowning from its origins in the ancient world of Egypt, China and India, through the padded buffoons of Greek drama and the dwarfed and deformed figures that populated royal households, to the era of court jesters, and describes their function and role in society and the form of their entertainment. Here in one major performance are all the world's clowns - carpet and run-in clowns of the circuses, the splendidly dressed white-faced clowns, the hobo clowns; Beryl Hugill reveals the secrets of their techniques, tells why they use the dress, make-up and props they do, and describes the great individual acts of the international world of the clowns."--Amazon.