People are always looking for something new and improved.
So how has a franchise managed to remain essentially unchanged for well over a century and still capture the attention of so many people each year?
Circus juggernaut Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has made few changes in its 135-year existence. And for its anniversary tour, The Greatest Show on Earth is doing a little more to incorporate the audience. The new and improved show comes to Washington’s Verizon Center tonight through April 2.
“We’re one year older than baseball. Things need to be done to keep fresh,” says Melinda Rosser, a Ringling Bros. spokeswoman. “Childhood obesity is becoming a more and more serious problem, so we’re going to show the audience how our performers get and stay circus-fit. We teach the audience an exercise dance routine and some will be brought out onto the arena floor and get to show off what they learned.”
Coming to Washington is the circus’s Red Tour, one of three touring units Ringling Bros. sends out each year. The Red Tour presents the three-ring circus we all remember from childhood with a few minor adjustments.
This year’s show will feature the newest ringmaster, Tyron McFarlan and 2001 “America’s Best Clown” award winner, Bello.
“Bello is a clown of all trades. We call him a comic daredevil,” says Rosser. “Bello has that eight-inch-high red hair, all his, all clown. He is interwoven throughout the show, doing his own bits and showing up in other acts during the show.”
Kicking off the excitement this year is the married team of Brian and Tina Miser, who will shoot themselves through a double-barreled canon, a feat that has not been attempted in over 30 years. The show also added the Windy City Acrobats, a group of performers from Chicago who do high-energy jumping routines, intertwined with an acrobatic game of basketball against the clowns.
Ringling Bros., which prides itself not only on its beautiful cast of animals, but also on its dedication to the care and conservation of animals including the Asian elephant, has been under fire from animal rights groups such as PETA for animal mistreatment. The circus has denied all accusations, citing its animal care policy and Center for Elephant Conservation, a $5 million breeding facility in central Florida.
“Not everything in their propaganda is accurate,” Rosser says. “When they talk about circuses, how they do this and that, they clump all circuses into one. What a smaller circus might do, we may not. They make us guilty by association.”
The show’s Blue Tour now features the stage on one end of the arena, eliminating the 360-degree experience but allowing for better seats and more room for the animals to perform, a tactic designed to enhance the live experience. Washington is likely to see the new Blue Tour next year. It is still unclear whether the new format will become the norm for all three touring units or if Baltimore will ever see the three-ring circus again, but circus-goers can expect even more changes the next time around.
Show up one hour before showtime and walk onto the arena floor for a free all-access pre-show, where ticket holders can take a shot at some daring circus feats.
Tickets are $12 – $80. For more information, call (202) 661-5066.
Contact reporter Michael Barnett at diversions@dbk.umd.edu.
