Terry Parsons Remembered

From the UK Telegraph
Terry Parsons, who died on September 8 aged 59, played a vital role in ensuring the success of Barnum, a musical loosely based on the life of the circus impresario Phineas T Barnum, by training its star performers in clowning and other circus skills.
Parsons had cut his teeth as a clown with the Ringling-Barnum "Greatest Show on Earth" circuses, and later, with his wife Danuta (famous as "The Spider Goddess"), became a circus trainer with the Big Apple Circus and its New York School for Circus Arts.
They were involved in the original 1980 Broadway production of Barnum, with Jim Dale and Glenn Close, and when the show transferred to London in 1981, they taught Michael Crawford and the rest of the cast. Their responsibilities encompassed not only the training of the performers but also the creation of rigging for aerial stunts and the safety of the artists who were required to juggle, clown, perform acrobatics and even aerial and high wire stunts.
Terry Lee Parsons was born on March 8 1946 and studied Theatre and the Arts at West Virginia State University. He went on to join the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus Clown College, from which he graduated to tour with the Ringling-Barnum "Greatest Show on Earth" circuses for some years, often as the character clown "Spike".
He met his Polish-born wife Danuta, a graduate of the Warsaw Circus School, while performing with the show. She became a specialist in aerial choreography and together they brought her Spider Goddess to the BBC Television series The Paul Daniels Magic Show.
Parsons acted as an instructor in the Ringling-Barnum Clown College, in addition to becoming head clown for a unit of the Ringling circus.
Terry and Danuta Parsons were involved in Barnum from 1980 onwards, and assisted various directors on different productions of the musical in America and in other parts of the world, including the Joop van de Ende production with Mike Burstyn in Holland in 1988. They returned to London in 1993 for the show's revival and subsequent tour, with Paul Nicholas in the leading role.
On this occasion, they were not employed only as circus trainers; Danuta acted as circus captain, and Parsons as technical stage manager and resident director for the tour.
Apart from the BBC television production of Barnum with Michael Crawford, they were involved in various American television shows, including Circus of the Stars and Highlights from the Greatest Show on Earth.
They also worked in parks and fairs, sports and trade shows, nightclubs and at conventions and shopping malls. At the time of his death, Terry Parsons was working as operations manager for Celine Dion's New Day show at the Colosseum, Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas.
His wife and their son and daughter survive him.

Last night the circus folk and show people got together to remember one of our own who left us way too soon, Mr. Terry Parsons. Everyone who knew Terry was quick to point out what a kind and helpful man he was. The clowns talk about what a great boss clown he had been and how he was both willing to share is knowledge, but knew when to let the younger clowns try their own thing and learn from their mistakes. On the Clown College e-mail list Terry and his wife have been remembered fondly and often.
Peggy King did a wonderful job of bringing everyone together for the event which she held at her home. Peggy is a wonderful host and is warm and welcoming to all who enter her home. Circus clowns spanning four decades were there. Earl Chaney, Danise Payne, Jimmy & Brenda Graham, Joel Heidtman, Skeeter Reese, Bill Whitter, Scott Linker, Ron Severini, Peggy King, Jeff Loseff, Richard Fick (designer of Danuta's spider-goddess costume) made a guest appearance via speakerphone, and others that I am sure I left out, but my memory is bad and I left early. Sweets and Stone of the world famous King Charles Troupe were there, Bulgarian circus families were represented as well as several former members of the talented Ringling dance squad. In short (ahem) every available circus performer showed up last night to swap stories, show movies, and tell Terry's lovely and talented wife Danuta what a wonderful man her husband was to have touched so many lives. Later, the members of Celine Dion's show arrived to also pay tribute to Terry.
Thank you Danuta for sharing your wonderful husband with us. He is loved and will be missed.