IF Take That weren’t the nation's favourite boy-turned-man band, the director of Blackpool Tower Circus would give them a job in an instant.
He’d have Gary Barlow as his ringmaster, Howard Donald and Mark Owen on unicycles and Jason Orange as the trampolinist.
“They are naturals,” said director and producer Laci Endresz, who taught the lads all their tricks for the Take That Circus Tour, which is in Manchester tonight and until Sunday.
“Jason is honestly up to professional standard on the trampoline and Howard is also fantastic on the unicycle.
“They are such determined boys. There was no way they were going to let themselves not be good at it,” he said.
For a month before Take That’s biggest-ever tour kicked off back in June, Laci and the Blackpool Tower Circus acts who feature alongside Take That in the tour practised five days a week, literally teaching the four lads the ropes.
“Howard bought them unicycles for Christmas so they had been practising a bit, but there were lots of tumbles when we started off.
"I had to hold them as they learned, much like a dad teaches a child to ride a bike,” he laughed.
Gary doesn’t do as much of the physical performing as his band mates due to his back injury ahead of the Comic Relief Mount Kilimanjaro climb. Laci advised him against pushing himself too far.
But he said Gary did have a surprise for fans during the extravaganza — which cost £10 million to stage. He is keeping tight-lipped about what it is.
“There is an act with every song, including two trapeze artists, a trampolinists, a high-wire act, a flaming hoop act performed by my wife and a 17-year-old unicyclist,” said Laci, who will be in the audience at Lancashire Cricket Ground tonight. “My favourite is the opening song with the stilts, and I also love Shine. It has seven acts on stage at once.
“This show will go own in history. It is fantastic and has to be seen to be believed. I don’t think there has been anything like this ever before.”
Born in Hungary, Laci is a fifth generation circus family member, graduating from the Hungarian Circus Academy to spend 25 years on the flying trapeze.
Father of Mooky and Bubu the Clowns, Laci also runs circus shows worldwide. This year, his 19th at the seaside resort, he presents Blackpool Circus and Magic Shows which run until November.
Laci Take That for being so down-to-earth and said they were a pleasure to work with.
“I’ve got a story for you, he said. "The acts are from all over the world, mainly China, and so they don’t know much about Take That. On the first day they practised alongside the lads for a whole morning, thinking they were Take That’s understudies because they were so lovely and laid-back. They couldn’t believe they were celebrities.
“The lads made a point of getting to know the names of everyone they work with from the circus and they know them off by heart.”
“They have been to see the shows in Blackpool many times. Gary comes a lot with his family. They love circus. This tour has done a wonderful thing for circus to bring it to nationwide attention again,” he said.
“They are like brothers and Gary is the eldest. They share a dressing room and they just work so well together.
"I joked with them that if they ever give up their day jobs I would love for them to work for me.”
l TAKE THAT CIRCUS TOUR — Lancashire Cricket Ground Manchester, tonight Saturday and Sunday, before the grand finale run at Wembley Stadium finishing on July 5.
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