A Bizarre Circus Comes to Town: Building Spiegelworld’s Empire — No Nails, No Screws, Just Gravity Required
Returning to New York City for the first time since 2008, Spiegelworld brings its new show Empire to the Times Square area for a summer residency through Sept. 2. This circus-meets-burlesque-meets-cabaret production is not housed in a Broadway theatre, but in an Art Nouveau-decorated spiegel (German for "mirror") tent that dates back to Belgium 100 years ago. The tent, assembled on a vacant lot, with an entrance on West 45th Street near Eighth Avenue, is composed of hundreds of pieces — though no screws, nuts or bolts are used. The structure relies on the simple physics of gravity and friction to keep it in place. Producer Ross Mollison, director Wayne Harrison and performers "Oscar the Impresario" and "Fanny" were on hand over three days as Playbill documented the assembly of the unique tent. For more on the show, click here. To purchase an exclusive Playbill Club discount, click here.
