Send in the clowns ... quietly
Circus clowns in the UK have been banned from going onstage because council bosses say their trumpets fall foul of licensing regulations.
The troupe from Zippos Circus were due to perform in Birmingham but were painting on the sad clown faces after being told to drop an integral part of their act.
Birmingham Council told the circus the show could not go on unless the clowns dropped the musical part of their act, because there was one too many of them.
The Licensing Act 2003 forbids the playing of live music without a licence but while most authorities do not enforce the rule for circuses Birmignham was playing the straight man.
The odd news comes as a surprise given how much Birmingham council loves circus skills, for years they have been spinning around hitting each other with ladders and generally performing like clowns.
As a result the Zippo Spanish clowns, Nicol, Michael and Pappa had to cut the section of the show where they introduce themselves with a blast of trumpets.
Also gone was the musical accompaniment for a number of their stunts which were played out to silence.
A spokesman for the circus said: "I'm a big fan of silent comedy, but this is nonsense.
"Live music is an essential part of traditional clowning, for us to be
told that they can't play instruments, even in the three minutes of the show which features trumpets, is laughable."
"Circuses should be exempt from this ludicrous legislation."
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