Circus Knie, which started 100 years ago as Switzerland’s National Circus, has found a rather unique way to celebrate their centennial–by touring a musical called Circus Knie: das Musical  which highlights their history. The show, which has been years in the making, debuted on March 12th in Dubendorf, Zurich under a big top and will run until December of 2019 in various locations in Switzerland. It boasts about 40 performers and over 200 costumes (designed by Stela Verebceanu and Sonja Salado), with plenty of circus acts to accompany the songs. Lead performer Judith Jandle (who plays Antonia Staufer) spoke about her role in the musical with Martin Ganeider of Broadway World Austria earlier this year.

Whether or not you get the opportunity to see the musical, you can certainly read about the Knie history (in German) or English. Rolf Knie is the impetus behind this musical, which chronicles eight generations of circus performers and their impact on modern day circus in Europe. Rolf Knie is the writer, director, and producer as well as a 6th generation of Knie circus performer. Although he had much to do with the creation, he worked with many talented people in the industry to produce this show, such as choreographer Simon Eichenberer and stage designer Peter Rothe. The Swiss press has been excited to share information about the production with the rest of the country. The behi...