Stanevsky, Mechislav Antonovich

He began to perform at the age of 13 in the booth Dombrowski (Poland). In the 1890s he performed under the pseudonym Gambetta in the provincial circuses of Poland and Russia as a carpet clown. He was a gifted comedian parodist, played several instruments and sang. Replaced in the clown ensemble Bim-Bom , Felix Cortesi, who died in 1897.

In the clown duet “Bim-Bom”, Stanevsky managed to create a different stage image, different from Cortezi, of Bom, a cheerful gentleman who went on a walk. He came out dressed in a tuxedo, with a huge chrysanthemum in his buttonhole, in a top hat. Perfectly owned comedy techniques; performed humorous and satirical couplets (this was new for the Russian circus). Under the influence of Stanevsky, Bim ( I. S. Radunsky ) also changed his stage image. The duet Bim-Bom was very popular. Their numbers were repeatedly recorded on phonograph records, films were shot with their participation, some of them were voiced using gramophone recordings. In 1901-1904 Bim-Bom toured the largest circuses and music halls in Europe - in Paris , Berlin , Prague , Budapest . In 1916-1919, Stanevsky owned the trendy Café Bom on Tverskaya (later Café Stall Pegasus was located in this place).

Bim Bom in Poland

In 1920, Stanevsky went to Poland and first performed solo in the circus of Stanislav Mrochkovsky in Warsaw. Around 1922, Ivan Radunsky again joined him and the duet was resuscitated. The artists continued their collaboration with Sirena Record and made a number of recordings of the new repertoire for the studio ^[1] . Later, Stanevsky kept the circus with his brother Bronislaw (1889-1956) and simultaneously performed with his son Eugeniusz (died in 1941) with numbers of the musical eccentric clownery under the same pseudonym Bim-Bom.

He was buried in Warsaw at the Powązki Stare cemetery ^[2] .

• Who are Bim and Bom?