[dropcap]M[/dropcap]aybe up close the outfits weren’t stitched to perfection, but from the spectator seats they were dazzling:  Scarlet jackets with black pants and shiny boots, gold satin blouses, filmy sequined skirts and dashing leotards. Trapeze artists flew from rope to swing in star-spangled costumes, defying gravity while the audience gasped.  The band played; hawkers hustled through the crowd selling roasted peanuts  and monkey puppets; eighteen clowns and a dog piled out of a V...