The magical story is about King Neptune's daughter, a mermaid who runs away to join a human circus, told with jugglers, contortionists, tightrope walkers, clowns and talented dogs.
Behind the tarpaulin at Weber Brothers Circus, the tale of Emma Herbert (who plays the mermaid princess) is even more fascinating. A
member of Britain's aristocracy, Herbert is Lady Emma, daughter of the Earl of Pembroke. In her late teens Herbert began working with an unusual London performance group called the Mutoid Waste Company. Looking like they'd all walked out of Mad Max, their outdoor shows and parties were based around the creation of scrap-metal sculptures. Tiring of her angle grinders, the aristocratic daredevil also learned trapeze tricks.
That was 12 years ago. Herbert has swung from the rafters above a variety of audiences, from folks at London's Barbican Theatre to thousands of music-and-heat-maddened clubbers at Manumission in Ibiza. Her star role with Webers is her first in traditional circus. She says aerial acrobatics "is something I fell into by accident, no pun intended. But now I feel like a professional. I feel like I'm at the height of my career," she says, laughing. "Pun intended."
Weber Brothers Circus plays at Ellerslie Racecourse until tomorrow, after which it begins a national tour.
