Showtime’s hit political series “The Circus: Inside the Biggest Story on Earth” was filming in Richmond on Tuesday, inside Perly’s Restaurant & Delicatessen, a traditional Jewish New York-style deli at 111 E. Grace St.
The film crew rolled in at about 7 a.m., setting up their gear for host and co-creator Mark Halperin’s interview with Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who arrived about two hours later.
“I’ve known Governor McAuliffe for a long time and he rarely does interviews with national media, unless it’s in Richmond. We started planning this episode on Saturday, and we took an early flight from Boston to Richmond this morning as a part of our tour of five states in five days,” said Halperin, a senior political analyst for MSNBC and former co-managing editor of Bloomberg Politics.
Halperin said he and McAuliffe discussed what it’s like being the governor of Virginia in the era of President Donald Trump.
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“(McAuliffe) sat next to the president at the National Governors Association dinner last month, so we also talked a lot about his conversation with him,” Halperin said.
McAuliffe shared Halperin’s excitement.
“‘The Circus’ could not have chosen a better venue than Perly’s to showcase Richmond’s fantastic dining scene. I was proud to share a great meal there with Mark,” McAuliffe said in an email.
“The Circus” launched in early 2016 as a near-real time plunge into last year’s presidential campaign. Halperin, co-host John Heilemann and political strategist Mark Mc-Kinnon went beyond the usual cable news network reporting of the election, often getting direct access to the candidates as they followed them around the country. The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered this month, focusing on the in-and-outs of the Trump administration.
Dining has always been an important part of “The Circus.” Episodes usually start off with the show’s hosts exploring a local eatery on their travels and getting into the nitty-gritty of political analysis over well-cooked food.
“We all love food, and as a political reporter, one of my first thoughts when I get an assignment is where can I eat,” Halperin said. He discovered Perly’s last fall, when he stayed in Richmond after covering the Vice Presidential debate at Longwood University.
“I loved it. This is one of the best breakfast places in the country, and I tweeted about them,” Halperin said.
Constantine Giavos, son of Perly’s co-owner Johnny Giavos, noticed Halperin’s tweets and last week invited the reporter to film at the restaurant, just as the crew was planning its trip to Richmond.
Rachelle Roberts, wife of Perly’s co-owner and chef Kevin Roberts, said McAuliffe and Halperin ate and talked in a booth while their staff and crew sat at the bar, eating “a little bit of everything.”
The episode airs on Sunday at 8 p.m. on Showtime.
