March 17, 1828. The celebrated clown, Joseph Grimaldi, rises from his sickbed. Once London’s most energetic performer, he’s gradually been crippled by decades of pratfalls and acrobatics. He can barely manage the short walk to Sadler’s Wells theater, where he’s about to star in a final show. Grimaldi dresses backstage as if he’s in a daze, burdened by a lifetime of personal sorrows. And yet, when the curtain rises, he’ll summon the old strength. He’ll entertain this last of his countless audiences and send them home happy – unlike the clown himself. Who was Joseph Grimaldi? And how did he blend humor, irreverence, and humanity to fundamentally change comedy?
Special thanks to our guests, Andrew McConnell Stott, author of The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi: Laughter, Madness and the Story of Britain’s Greatest Comedian, and Naomi Shafer, Executive Director of Clowns Without Borders USA.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Reflecting on History
History’s Undelivered Speeches
Special Announcement
The Donner Party Turns Deadly
Destroyer of Worlds (Replay)
Barbie for President!
John Muir’s Quest to Save the Great Outdoors
The USS Indianapolis’ Secret Mission Turns into Tragedy
Chasing Utopia
The Tupperware Queen
Two Fathers, One Fight (Replay)
Ma Rainey's Mic Drop
Mary Shelley Brings Frankenstein to Life
FDR Tries to Pack the Court
Bonnie and Clyde’s Final Ride
A Teenage Girl Saves France
The Spy Who Fooled the FBI
Bonus: The Coronation of King Charles III (feat. Katie Nicholl)
The World’s First Budget Airline Takes Off
A Concubine Rises to Rule China
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Food That Built America
Not What You Thought You Knew
Letters of Love in WW2