It was in mid-2017 that Feld Entertainment made the difficult decision to halt tours of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Shortly after, a movie musical from 20th Century Fox reinvigorated interest in the life of P.T. Barnum with The Greatest Showman. And so, at long last, the man who invented the three-ring touring concept’s legacy is back in the game with a brand-new show, kicking off on September 29th in Bossier City and continuing on to Cleveland, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore, Orlando, and more. The act that transformed Feld Entertainment into a touring arena juggernaut with brands like Disney on Ice and Marvel Universe Live is back with the one that started it all. I had the honor of getting to visit Feld Entertainment’s headquarters in Palmetto, FL, to sit in on a dress rehearsal and meet some of the show’s stars and creative team. “The Greatest Show on Earth” is back!
“We call our space the ultimate playground,” explained director Dan Shipton, who, like the show’s namesakes, co-directs the show with Ross Nicholson. “We want to inspire people to go home and play. And so that's what we've done with our set. We've got three islands that allow us to reach the whole 360 audience. And the reason we wanted to do a 360 audience is to really encapsulate our performers with the audience, but also put the audience right at the heart of everything that we are doing.” There’s not a bad seat in the house, and with this approach, no matter where your seats are, you’re close to the action. And while the shape of the outer rings may no longer be circles, Barnum’s spectacular legacy is carried out through this new show. “Even though there used to be three rings, it's in the back of our heads, but that hasn't been the reasoning behind everything. Ultimately, it was to create this amazing space that almost felt like what would happen if you were a kid and you had a box of toys, and you tip them upside down on your bedroom floor, and you start to play with them.”
Finding the “toys” that spill out onto the “playground” was casting director Giulio Scatola. With a show that no longer includes live animals, he was tasked with scouring the globe for performers that amaze and astound. “We don't have acts anymore in the Ringling show; we have performances,” revealed Giulio Scatola. “In one performance, we have two or three [troupes] at the same time, something that has never been done before because it was important to give the message of bringing people together.” While the show contains some classic circus performances like jugglers and tightrope walkers, Giulio was primarily focused on adapting the show to fit modern trends. “It's a brand new audience. It's brand-new kids and grandkids. It's people that have technology entertainment at their fingertips. So what we needed to deliver was something that is paced fast and have them leaving with wonder, asking, ‘Wow, how did that happen?’ And to bring them back because they miss so many other things that are happening at the same time.”
While there are a lot of new sights and sounds in the show, the legacy of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is in good hands, some of which have literally been part of the show’s fabric for decades. “This is my 24th circus,” shared Dawna Oak, senior director of costumes. “This show is completely different than what we've done in the past. It's much more performer-oriented. It's about the people. It's about where they've come from, who they are, what their story is, what they do. It’s very focused on the performers, which is very different than how we've ever done it before.”
“I started riding the unicycle after I saw Ringling Bros. when I was six years old,” revealed Wesley Williams, who rides several different types of unicycles during the show, which get progressively taller and more complicated. In the show’s story, Wesley has been dreaming of joining Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey forever, a dream that’s finally coming true with his first day on the job. But here’s the thing – it’s a true story! “I never missed a single edition of Ringling until they closed. And that kind of closed that chapter of my dream.” And so, with a skill best served in a circus environment, Wesley joined other traveling shows, which is how he ended up performing for Kenneth Feld in Monaco. “There's so many people that I saw when I was little because I loved Ringling. To come here and to see some of the [circus] families, some of the important people like Dawna Oak, the costume designer who I messaged when I was 12 years old, wanting her to make me a costume, I can't really sum it up in words, but it's simply magical. And I hope that that comes across to every other six-year-old child that walks through the doors to see The Greatest Show on Earth.”
“I said, ‘No, I can't really do that, but I can help you,’” recalled Dawna Oak about Wesley’s initial request for a costume as a child. They kept in touch over the years, but it wasn’t until Wesley was cast in the show that he and Dawna finally got to meet face-to-face. “I feel like he's an old friend, and he is wonderful. He is a joy and a delight and game for anything, and probably one of my easiest performers. I think we have a handful of what I would call traditional circus people and a few that I've worked with.” Another special moment for Dawna was dressing Skyler Miser, whose parents were both human cannonballs. “[She] was born on the show, and I worked with her parents, and now I'm getting to work with her.”
The new show is a music-filled spectacle, with singer Aria serving as the defacto ringmaster, played by Lauren Irving. “My background has always been in music and performing,” Lauren shared about her first circus role. “I remember listening to everything from classical music to Whitney Houston growing up, and then I got into chorus in school. I studied vocal performance, changed to musical theater, and it's just evolved into this hosting, singing, audience-loving kind of a thing for me. So this is truly the perfect role, and I could not be more blessed and thankful.” In addition to an original song that welcomes audiences to “The Greatest Show on Earth,” Lauren gets to perform some well-known hits, like Rihanna’s “Diamonds.”
“To now be part of a cast of 75 performers who are doing all kinds of amazing things is really exciting,” added Alex Stickels, who plays Stix, the drummer who accompanies Aria’s big numbers, and who also keeps the beat for some of the most rhythmic performances. At one point in the show, he performs from an elevated platform suspended by wires. “The platform definitely does move. As I'm playing, I'm slightly moving in all different directions, and it's a whole other element to contend with while I'm up there.”
The Greatest Show on Earth: Reimagined is about to debut, and another new element to the show is the addition of LED components that make it possible to experience the show like never before. “We're introducing IMAG, so image magnification, to be able to watch close-ups on the screen so you can really engage with the performers in a way that is relevant to today's audience,” explained director Ross Nicholson. During the dress rehearsal, the screens offered a close view of the footwork for the tightrope walkers, something I hadn’t seen before. “We can't ever be in a situation where people can't see, or people feel like they're too far away from the action. So we've created a show that means that you are never too far away from something exciting, something fun. Visually, you are always going to have something that's relatively close to you.”
Model of the stage for the 2023 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
The new Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus kicks off on September 29th. Visit Ringling.com/tickets to find out when The Greatest Show on Earth is heading your way. See more behind-the-scenes fun in our video about the return of the circus.