GREENSBORO, N.C. — There are no tigers or elephants; the only “animal” is an electric dog named Bailey. The clowns are still there, but they wear almost no makeup.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the self-proclaimed greatest show on earth, is back 7 years after taking down its big top for what was feared to be the last time. The circus, which had been touring with few interruptions since the mid-19th century, closed indefinitely in 2017 as it faced a plunge in ticket sales following its decision to stop featuring animals.
Now, as the circus hits the road again in an initial run of 50 U.S. cities, audiences are in for a human-centered show with a Gen-Z slant that may leave them unrecognizable.
The focus on performers — human cannonballs, acrobats and now BMX riders — was central to Juliette Feld Grossman's reinvention of the circus that began in 2019, three years after she took over as director of operations at Feld Entertainment, the family business that runs the circus. Irvin Feld, her grandfather, bought it from Ringling Bros. almost 60 years ago, and Feld Grossman, 40, has been immersed in the circus for as long as she can remember.
He knew the show needed to modernize, but he had a responsibility to continue “offering those experiences that became those lifelong memories,” Feld Grossman said. “Out of all that soul-searching, the answer really was that the artists are the heart of our show. “They are the people and people come to Ringling to connect with others.”
Those artists now include Lauren Irving, a 36-year-old veteran amusement park and cruise ship artist. Her performance of the Tina Turner classic “Proud Mary,” atop a stage rising from the center of the arena, serves as a big number every night.
Whether the comeback story will be completely successful is up for debate. Jerry Apps, author of “Tents, Tigers, and the Ringling Brothers,” is skeptical that a revamped circus can maintain its cultural relevance.
“It was clear that the appeal of those early circuses was a combination of animals, acrobatics and clowns,” Apps said. “I wish them the best, but today we find ourselves in a completely different cultural situation.”
Greensboro native Justin Verm had attended the traditional circus as a child. As he watched the updated show, he discovered that he didn't really miss the animals.
“It's crazy the ability that humans have to do what they're doing there,” Verm said.
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