Transnational Circus Performers in Manila: Foreign Troupe and Spectacle, 1880s–1890s

The modern circus of the 19th Century--Eventually reached the Pacific shores 

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the modern circus—born from Europe’s equestrian shows and America’s traveling spectacles—sailed across oceans and found a home in the colonial port cities of Asia. Manila audiences embraced the circus as a popular form of entertainment, eager to see marvels that broke the routine of daily life.

The first major circus to arrive in Manila was Giuseppe Chiarini’s Royal Spanish Circus. Chiarini, an Italian equestrian born in Rome in 1823, had built a global reputation as a horse trainer and impresario. By the mid-1850s, he managed his own shows and founded Chiarini’s Royal Spanish Circus, known for disciplined horsemanship. He toured the Caribbean and Latin America, famously building a 3,000-seat amphitheater in Mexico City and performing for Emperor Maximilian.

Giuseppe Chiarini (1823-1897)

In June 1882, Chiarini brought his circus to Manila, erecting his large tent in the Barrio de la Concepción, near today’s D. Romualdez Sr. Street in Ermita. He became an immediate hit with Manila crowds eager for exotic animals, acrobats, and equestrian displays. Newspapers reported that, despite high ticket prices and uncomfortable seating, the public’s enthusiasm left Chiarini with applause and profit. Reports from Spain even claimed he earned forty thousand duros in a single month.

Chiarini's circus in Barrio de la Concepción 1882-- In the land owned by thew Chuidan family

Even the press in Madrid reported about Chiarini's success in Manila -- July 14 ,. 1882, article from La Peninsula mentions : "a circus and equestrian show, directed by Mr. Chiarini, had opened its doors. In less than a month, it has earned more than 40,000 duros. At present, another company is about to arrive....”

A few months after the 1882 show, news circulated that Chiarini’s circus would return. Telegrams and press notices from Penang and Singapore soon announced a return engagement, stirring public anticipation.

By February 1883, Chiarini’s company returned with an expanded program, including the daring equestrian acts and Japanese acrobats. Nightly performances were scheduled that time around at Bagumbayan. Programs advertised a zoological spectacle with elephants, zebras, tigers, lemurs, anacondas, and other exotic animals. Ticket prices ranged from nine pesos for boxes to forty centavos for the gallery.

During this 1883 season, Manila society and newspapers were highly engaged. Discussions arose over the correct pronunciation of Chiarini’s Italian name, showing how the circus had become a topic of conversation in daily life.

Circus Chiarini's 1883 Program in the fields of Bagumbayan

The 1886 program also features an array of exotic animals

The 1883 season was a success and earned more than the 1882 season. While Chiarini was away, the Ridgway Circus from Australia and New Zealand performed in Manila, offering longer seasons at lower prices.

By 1886, Chiarini returned with an even larger show: thirty-four horses, lions, Bengal tigers, lemurs, ostriches, and trained tamers. The season included Sunday matinees with free pony rides for children and featured Filipino musicians in the circus band, some of whom would later join Chiarini on international tours. Manila papers and overseas outlets also reported incidents such as Chiarini being bitten on the neck by his own horse.

In September 1888, the Abell and Klaers Circus from Australia, led by acrobat Sam Abell Owen, performed in Manila. In late January 1889, Chiarini returned with a larger ensemble of animals, acrobats, clowns, and trapeze artists, including young Filipino acrobats on horizontal bars. By the first week of March 1889, the troupe was on a provincial tour to Lipa, Batangas, returning briefly to Manila in April before closing that run.

The 1890s saw an Australian era of circuses in Manila. The Goodyear Circus drew sizable audiences, followed by Harmston Circus, which presented rodeo and Wild West–style exhibitions in Tutuban. Harmston and similar troupes toured provincial cities such as Iloilo and Batangas, broadening the circus’s geographic reach. By the late 1890s, small towns like Pasig displayed posters for visiting foreign shows.

The succession of foreign circuses that visited Manila from the 1880s to the 1890s, led by Giuseppe Chiarini, showed that the city had become a vital stop in the Southeast Asian circuit of traveling spectacles. For Manila’s audiences, these performances offered encounters with a global culture of entertainment—from exotic animals to new genres of performing arts. Filipino musicians and performers began to join international companies, carrying their talents to Shanghai, Malaya, and other Asian cities, demonstrating that the influence of the circus extended beyond Manila itself.

POSTCRIPT

Circus Chiarinis 1886 Program

Chiarini's accident reported by "Diario de Manila ", dated 20. January 1886. "To the Public: Mr. Chiarini has the honor of informing the residents of Manila that, after the unexpected accident caused by a wild and vicious horse that attacked him furiously—resulting in serious wounds and bruises, and which has been the subject of countless comments in social circles—he will appear in person tonight at the circus. He will perform with several of his horses, presenting extraordinary equestrian feats, featuring (for the first time) the beautiful horse Don Juan--Note: The Circus is planning to visit Iloilo and Batangas soon.L. MAYA, Secretary."

The Abell and Klaers Circus from Australia, led by acrobat Sam Abell Owen, performed in Manila, September 1898.

The era of Australian circus in Manila featuring the Woodyear Circus

The Harmston Circus performing at Tutuban