Roll up, roll up:
The circus comes to town this week with a new reality show about the Weber family. Melenie Parkes reports.
The circus comes to town in a new reality series.
If you’ve ever contemplated running away to join the circus, the Webers encourage you to step right up.
In their new show, The Circus, the Weber family showcase daredevil stunts, backstage drama and even offer careers advice.
“I think it will open people’s minds to think, ‘Hey, let’s join the circus’,” says matriarch Marie Weber, who controls the day-to-day running of the business.
“There are a lot of young kids that are just lost that would actually fit really well into this lifestyle because there is such variety.”
The Weber family are the proprietors and stars of Weber Bros Circus, which began in Germany but has been based in New Zealand since the early 1990s. Marie and husband Harry have eight children, aged between one and 21, and the family’s circus legacy goes back several generations.
Marie says the family have discussed making their own reality show for many years because the way they live and work is, “something out of the ordinary”.
She also believes their family have the key ingredient so essential to a successful reality series – drama.
“There is always drama. And with more kids, the more drama that happens, and then obviously our extended family, which is all the cast and crew. So that brings more drama again.” Eldest daughter Kiarnna agrees. “You don’t just have one family as the characters, there’s like 50 of us,” she says. “And there’s so many different storylines that get introduced.”
The Webers are on the road with the circus 48 weeks of the year, touring extensively throughout New Zealand and also internationally.
The family have a home base but given their hectic work schedule, it’s their caretakers who spend the most time there. The school-age children have a teacher who travels with them.
Given the Webers’ long history with the circus, it seems only natural that the next
generation would also embrace the family business – and, so far, they all have. The older children all work in the circus.
“I think when you’re a child the only thing you want to do is be on stage when you’re in the circus,” says Kiarnna.
“My first actual act that I did, I think I was about 14 and I’ve been on stage ever since.”
Kiarnna is an aerial performer who works with silks, straps, lyra (hoop) and is training for a trapeze act, which she says viewers will see evolve in the series. Growing up in the circus, she says you learn how to perform all of the different acts.
“And on top of that, they’ve got to learn how to make fairy floss and popcorn too,” quips Marie. “You’ve got to be able to do anything when you’re in the circus.”
“You get to do the unglamorous jobs too,” laughs Kiarnna. “You have to be ready to pop popcorn one minute and be on stage the next.” But there are bigger risks than a burn from a wayward corn kernel when you work under the big top. Marie says while safety checks are their top priority there are still some hair-raising stunts that make everyone in the tent – audience and family alike – hold their breath. One such attraction is the Globe Of Death, where stunt riders perform inside a mesh orb. “My two boys are in the Globe Of Death and her (Kiarnna’s) boyfriend, so it is nerve-racking,” says Marie. “But the boys have been training for that since they were nine years old.” When they do have some rare downtime, the Webers like to play as hard as they work. Viewers will see them partying on private yachts and enjoying a somewhat lavish lifestyle in stark contrast to the gruelling pace of life on the road. They have even been called the Kiwi Kardashians although Marie says they don’t like to compare themselves to other people. “We have a tight bond. We live a glamorous life. But at the same time, we do the hard yards.” “We have a lot of fun,” adds Kiarnna. “I feel like we’re so busy all the time and we love to live life to the fullest.” “But it is absolutely a beautiful life,” says Marie. “And I think it’s one that viewers will actually be interested in seeing. I think it really showcases behind the scenes of the circus, which a lot of people are intrigued by.”
“There are a lot of young kids that are just lost that would actually fit really well into this lifestyle because there is such variety.”
– Marie Weber