Circus Vargas: Authenticity Under Tent

There is no air conditioning, the restrooms have wheels and the clowns do double duty hawking souvenirs. In fact, compared to its flashier kin--Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey--Circus Vargas is a pretty modest setup indeed.

Pitching their massive tent in parking lots and ballparks across the country since 1969, Circus Vargas, which runs Friday through Monday in San Juan Capistrano and Tuesday through Aug. 30 in La Habra, puts on a performance that is probably closer to America’s original “mud shows” than the extravaganza hosted by Ringling Bros.

For one thing, from their perches on bleachers and folding chairs under Vargas’ signature red-and-blue-striped big top, audience members are brought in closer contact with entertainers than they are in an arena setting. Elephants rumble by a few feet from your nose (which, depending on you nasal sensitivity, isn’t necessarily a plus), and aerialists whiz by literally overhead.

On the downside, audience amenities are relatively few: Refreshments are limited to the popcorn-and-peanuts variety and, especially in the summer months, it can get pretty darned stuffy inside that tent. But hey, authenticity has its price.

According to marketing director Jody Oyafuso, highlights of the 23rd anniversary tour include the Russian swing act, which features a six-person Bulgarian troupe performing acrobatic stunts on an apparatus she describes as “a variation on a teeterboard and a swing,” and aerial Hula-Hoop artist Louisa Valencia, who will balance 20-plus hoops while perched on a trapeze. The Motorcycle Globe of Death adds to the thrills and chills with a pair of bikers careening at high speeds inside a small circular cage.

Wayne Ragen and his big cats, the Vargas clowns, a Brazilian dog act, and a six-elephant chorus line are also featured in the two-hour show, which kids can preface with a visit to a mini-midway stocked with pony and elephant rides and carnival games.

Locals are also invited to watch the raising of the big top beginning at about 11:30 a.m. on opening day in each city.

What: Circus Vargas.

When: Friday, July 24, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 25, at 12:30, 3 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, July 26, at 12:30, 3 and 5:30 p.m.; Monday, July 27, at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, July 28, at 7:30 p.m.; and Wednesday, July 29, and July 30 at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Where: July 24 through 27 at corner of Junipero Serra Road and Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. July 28 through 30 at the La Habra Marketplace, Imperial Highway at Beach Boulevard, La Habra.

Whereabouts: To the San Juan location: exit the San Diego (5) Freeway at Junipero Serra Road and drive west to Camino Capistrano. To the La Habra shows: exit the Riverside (91) Freeway at Beach Boulevard and travel north to Imperial Highway.

Wherewithal: $8.50 to $18.50 all shows. (Discount coupons for children are available at Alpha Beta stores.)

Where to Call: For San Juan Capistrano shows: (714) 489-0356. For La Habra shows: (714) 489-0356.