The Wedding Lunch - 1965
Among the many memorable clown entrées created by Charlie Cairoli, The Wedding Lunch of 1965 stands out as one of the most elaborately staged and hilariously chaotic. It was a perfectly crafted piece of comic theatre, built on misunderstandings, escalating mischief, and the impeccable timing of a master clown surrounded by a brilliantly chosen supporting cast.
The cast featured:
– The Bride: Little Jimmy
– The Groom: Paul King
– The Bridesmaids: Two Circusettes
– The Chef: A ring boy
– The Ringmaster: Norman Barrett
And at the centre of it all, naturally, was Charlie Cairoli—this time having “acquired” a new job as Head Waiter at the Tower Circus restaurant. For publicity purposes, the management arranged for a Lancashire couple to have their “wedding lunch” in the ring itself. The ringmaster invites Charlie to officiate the meal, and the scene is set for comedic mayhem.
When the wedding party enters, Charlie’s attention is immediately drawn to the bride’s “parents”—especially the mother, who is still wearing her curlers. Charlie takes an instant dislike to her, eyeing her suspiciously as the Chef places props on the side table: a coffee jug, cakes, a siphon, and the ever-useful array of clowning paraphernalia.
As the party takes their seats, Charlie notices a speck of dust on one of the bridesmaids’ chairs. Always eager to help, he removes the chair to clean it—just in time for the bridesmaid to sit down on the imaginary chair and fall spectacularly to the floor. In the tumble she loses her bridal headdress, and Charlie, unable to resist temptation, places it proudly on his own head.
The meal begins with the serving of mashed potatoes—white, firm, and gloriously “sloshing.” Jimmy, as the bride, approaches Charlie to investigate the preparation. Charlie pauses, looks to the audience, and teasingly asks, “Shall I?”The groom, Paul King, steps forward knowingly—he’s seen this before. Jimmy ducks at the critical moment, leaving Paul to receive an impressive faceful of potato.
With that target missed, Charlie moves on to the mustard pot—actually a wet flower filled with yellow colouring—and gleefully squeezes some into Jimmy’s mouth. Paul collapses into helpless laughter, bending forward over the ring fence, and this gives Charlie yet another golden opportunity. He reaches for the coffee jug and pours its contents directly down Paul’s back, to the audience’s delight.
Enraged, Paul grabs a pan from the table and brings it down on Charlie’s head. Charlie performs a magnificent stagger, lurching around the ring as though barely conscious. Sensing the perfect punchline, Paul places the wedding cake on the ring fence, calculating the exact spot where Charlie will surely fall. Twice Charlie recovers at the last moment, each time causing Paul to shuffle the cake forward, on his knees, adjusting its position with frantic precision.
On the third attempt, as Paul leans directly over the cake, Charlie collapses—right on top of him. Paul sloshes his own face beautifully into the icing, bringing roars of laughter from the audience.
Jimmy rushes to the aid of her “husband,” but Charlie grabs another cream pie and chases her around the ring fence. She escapes through the artist’s entrance, where the Chef is innocently standing. Charlie ducks out of the way at the final second—and the Chef receives the pie full in the face.
It is a perfect ending to a perfectly constructed piece of comic artistry.
The Wedding Lunch remains a favourite among those who saw it, and a shining example of Charlie Cairoli’s genius: timing, teamwork, escalation, and above all, laughter.
—Daniel Potier
