The Greatest Show On Earth
Mar 19 '00
It wasn't a perfect evening. For one thing, the lions are gone. Tigers, yes. Lions, no. Perhaps this is old news to some. It has been several years since I attended either version of The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Still...I wonder why there are no more lions?
The trapeze artist missed her Grand Finale in two admittedly valiant, yet unsuccessful, attempts. I had never see a circus performer fail before, though presumably, since the fact remains that they are human, it does occasionally happen. After all, everyone has an off day.
Putting these two relatively minor issues aside, the 129th Edition of The Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus is still an amazing sight to behold, for ladies, gentlemen, and children of all ages.
We, (meaning myself, husband and three oldest children ages 5-9) attended the 3/8/00 performance at the Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, MD. The tickets we purchased were a Family Night special, and we paid $7.50 a piece for them. They were mid-arena- -good for viewing all three rings- and located directly underneath the upper balcony seating. The troupe performing that night was the Red unit, as opposed to the Blue, which follows a different touring schedule and performs an entirely different show.
From the moment we walked through the turnstiles, the circus atmosphere was already evident. Each child in attendance was given a free large circus poster upon entering the arena. Men were hawking programs, cute picture-for-a-fee opportunities were available, and there were vast displays of outrageously-priced souvenirs that many parents were trying to prevent their children from noticing....ha!
During the hour prior to the performance, the arena floor was open to all for a pre-show. Upon locating our seats, we proceeded to take our children down to the floor, so they could see some of the performers and animals up close. There were clowns, acrobats, highwire and tightrope performers, ready to pose for photos and sign autographs.
In the first ring, an elephant was doing some up close tricks for an interested audience. That is, until he performed an unexpected trick that needed immediate clean-up. The impromptu act made the elephant's spectators disperse rather quickly, as you can imagine! The second ring had a clown show...with two of them performing their antics to a crowd of enraptured children, and the third had an extremely skillful juggler demonstrating her talent.
At last the announcement was made that all should return to their seats. The Greatest Show On Earth was ready to begin!
The ringmaster, Jonathan Lee Iverson, had a rich, yet smooth, baritone voice which was most effective while greeting the audience and announcing the opening number. A talented singer who never intended on a circus career, I was shocked to learn he is only twenty-three years of age. He conveys maturity well beyond that, both in his voice and his demeanor. He is the youngest ringmaster in the circus' history and, in our opinion, does an excellent job of it.
The theme of this year's Red version is "Carousels." The opening number, which replaces the traditional circus parade, was an entertaining white and gold display of glitter and pageantry, peppered with the zany exuberance of the clowns. The circus ensemble paraded around the arena floor atop horses and elephants, and in carousel-appointed floats. This was done among people walking in the elaborate costumes of carousel animals. It was an impressive and fitting opening to the rest of the evening's performance.
Here are some of the highlights from the evening's entertainment. This is not a comprehensive rundown of the entire show, but rather an overview of some of the more outstanding acts.
ACT I
*Clowns,clowns and more clowns, all set to the music of a circus song which was performed outstandingly by the Ringmaster.
*A troupe of jugglers, who demonstrated their skill while standing on the backs of trotting horses. How do they manage to keep their balance and juggle at the same time?
*Three simultaneous animal acts involving dogs, cats, and white doves. How she got cats to perform tricks on command is beyond me. The fact that they did this alongside the doves without a trace of aggression made this even more impressive.
*A trapeze act that included the aforementioned ill-fated Grand Finale. Nevertheless, it was still a good act. I am hesitant to criticize anyone who is able to perform on a trapeze...not me, not ever!
*Eight beautiful ladies from Russia, hopping on Pogo sticks! Yep, you read that right. Throw in several handsome young men for a joint act involving martial arts and acrobatics, and it makes for a very entertaining act.
*The dancing horses. In all three rings, with three separate trainers, these are always graceful and beautiful to watch.
*The aerialists. These are the people who twist themselves every which way, while on swings that hang high above the floor. I am always struck by the bravery of anyone who has nerve enough to do ANYTHING from great heights, so my hat is off to these very talented people.
*The Living Carousel. More of the same types of costumes and pageantry from the opening number, but much more elaborate. This time all the performers come together in a choreographed number to actually create a living carousel, as the title states. This was absolutely beautifully done.
After The Living Carousel, there was a 15-minute intermission. Everyone made a mad dash for sodas, cotton candy, and the rest rooms. As usual, there was a long line gathered outside the Ladies room. Why does this always happen with the Ladies room, but never with the Men's? It must be one of life's greatest mysteries.
Act II
*More antics from the ever-delightful clowns!
*The tightrope walkers, (or dancers might be more apt). This is the one act that had me biting my nails. This was performed without a net, the wire strung over the tiger cage, WITH THE TIGERS IN IT! These performers are very courageous, extremely skilled, and I certainly hope they are also well insured. They jump over one another and stand on each others shoulders while walking across this wire that didn't look at all thick from my observation. Very, very impressive act.
*The tiger act. I have to be honest here. This was the one part that I was not all that impressed with. To start, as I stated earlier, there were no lions, just tigers. The act was very brief and lackluster, not at all like the ones I remember from the past. The trainer is Mark Gebel, son of the famous trainer, Gunther Gebel-Williams. He is billed as being the youngest performing animal trainer in the show's history. Perhaps more time and experience will make the difference for him.
*Another clown act where a hapless clown is trying to catch a horse labeled "Taxi." The horse doesn't want to be caught, and therefore this makes for a hilarious little episode between the two of them. Other clowns try to help, to no avail.
*An impressive acrobatics act, with performers from China, Hungary, and Russia. The performers first do their acts separately in each ring, then come together afterwards for an international human pyramid.
*The elephants! This one needs no explanation, other than they are always intelligent, adorable and fascinating.
*Wheel of Wonder, another heart-stopper. Performed by an acrobat named Wilson Dominguez, this act is done on an oversized, and elaborated wheel, that looks like a combination giant version of a hamster's wheel, and double Ferris wheel. He gets onto the outside of this contraption and runs while the whole apparatus is turning. At one point, it looked as though he was starting to slip. While the skill that goes into these acts amazes me, I have to say that they make me more nervous than anything else, but that is just me.
*The Human Comet. This is one of those highly intense, death-defying acts that would be comparable to the man being shot from the cannon. The fellow that performs this act, actually erupts into flames and flies down from the top of scaffolding onto a giant pad. I presume it is an asbestos suit that he wears, as he is immediately proclaimed to be fit, and takes his bows.
*The Globe of Death. This is an act that involves motorcycle riders inside of a huge, caged, steel globe. It is performed by the Urias family. First a single rider performs and then is joined by one, then another. Then as their Grand Finale, a woman is placed in the center of the globe while the motorcyclists chase one another around her. Talk about blind trust!
*Lastly we have the Grand Finale, another display of pageantry, performed by the entire circus ensemble.
A word about souvenirs: Much of the merchandise is greatly overpriced. The quality can vary. I have to say that while viewing some of the toys, comparable merchandise can be found in your local dollar store, for much less money. If you do happen to attend a performance, and really want to indulge your child in a souvenir, the elephant cup is about the best value you will find. It is a large cup, made from durable plastic. The handle is made up by the elephants trunk. At $6.00, it comes with a colorful snowcone at the time of purchase. This was the one thing we found that actually looked like it might have some longevity. You may also wish to purchase a program. Other than that, I would advise skipping the souvenirs, if possible.
Also, I recommend discussing the subject of souvenirs with your child, before leaving your home. If the ground rules are established ahead of time, this will help to prevent whining and tantrums later.
Concessions are also very expensive. I strongly urge you to make sure your family attends with full stomachs, to cut down on the desire to purchase food. This way, you can probably get by with just buying a large box of popcorn, $6.00 (ouch!), and a large soda to share.
All in all, it was a magical evening, as the circus always is. Especially so when viewed through the eyes of children. As always, The Ringing Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus puts on a thrilling show, with topnotch performers. I would have to say, that while it wasn't a perfect experience, (but then few things are), it is one that everyone should enjoy immensely.
Both the Red unit, with it's Carousel theme, and the Blue unit, with an entirely different performance, are currently touring the United States, primarily in the East at this time. Check your local newspapers or arenas for more information, or visit www.ringling.com.
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is a classic experience for all. It truly deserves the title, "The Greatest Show On Earth."
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
mom2twinz
|
|
Member: Mary
Location: Whiteford MD
Reviews written: 72
Trusted by: 56 members
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.