The Sprockets World Tour Circus has been touring around the world since 1997, and recently it arrived in Costa Rica. The family of three lives and travels in a 1962 Bristol double-decker bus that has withstood rough Pakistani roads, days of being grounded in Thai sands, the rupture of its main bearings in central Malaysia and the extreme altitudes of the Chilean Andes mountains. Yet the fantastic Sprockets circus has made it to Central America with as much splendor as ever. The European School in San Pablo de Heredia, north of San José, was happy to host this entertaining circus on its campus.
There was much anticipation among the students who had paid for this mystery circus and had caught a glimpse of the odd double-decker bus parked behind the school. It was painted bright green, with bold letters reading “The Sprockets World Tour 1997-?” Inside, one could see a rather messy assortment of paraphernalia scattered upon shelves and dilapidated cupboards, exuding the authentic aura of a circus family.
When the show began, Scott Harrison, who was born in England and has been performing since 1992, came rolling out on a unicycle, dominating the treacherous grass terrain. He hopped off when he had reached the “stage” fashioned from two tall poles with a long green sheet hanging from the top crossbar.
His wife, Isabelle Feraud, or “Izzy,” from France, quickly followed, and the loud applause from the crowd confirmed the audience’s giddy expectations. The show did not involve any dialogue, but this was compensated for by mysterious yet fitting music, which was constantly interrupted by the laughter of the entranced crowd.
The two began with comical skits that involved participation from the crowd, such as when they used children’s arms as clothes hangers. Soon they began juggling, and the act reached its climax when Izzy yanked our math teacher, Mr. Steve, out of the crowd. The two performers began juggling around his bewildered face. Then, Izzy spontaneously kissed Mr. Steve, sending the crowd into an uproar of laughter.
