SUNDAY LOOK BACK: John Ringling North and the Prince: How a Great Circus Festival Was (or might have been) Born ... And the Record Setting Unicycle Act It Shockingly Snubbed ... It’s All on the Inside!

 

Aboard his private car the Jomar, John Ringling North, second from left, and Henry, far right, entertain Bette Davis during a Los Angeles date in the 1940s.

Deep into the January night of '56, before flying out to Hollywood the next morning to announce his engagement to Grace Kelly, Prince Rainier was pumping drums in the kingdom of Sarasota, jamming  with his saxophone-playing friend, John Ringling North at the M’Toto room in the John Ringling Hotel. The world that night may have seemed a perfect place for both.

 

North, the visionary dreamer in his youth

His brainstorm, Ballet of the Elephants, 1942, was choreographed by George Balanchine, scored by Igor Stravinsky

At the time of their jam session, the young prince was 32 and North's celebrity was at its highest peak.  He had played himself in a cameo in DeMille's 1952 blockbuster The Greatest Show on Earth.  His mug appeared in newspaper and magazine ads, and his legendary talent-scouting travels through Europe each summer were dramatized as a secondary plot in the new film, Trapeze, about to be released on May 30.

Six weeks later, the magical aura of it all came crashing down in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Faced with a  nasty and prolonged labor strike, and the ultimate surrender to the crippling economics of moving so giant an organization over rails, North struck the big top for good, and moved the show into tentless venues. For this, he was reviled by the fans, myself included, as something akin to the man who killed Santa Claus.

Ringling to Rainer

 

By the time the prince and Princess Grace were raising a family of three children — Caroline, Albert and Stephanie --- John’s new all-indoor version of Ringling was winning back big profitable crowds, partly by his importing the best performers he could get from eastern Soviet-block countries (keep this in mind too). North sold the show to the Felds in 1967.  And seven years later, Prince Rainier created the International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo, which soon became the most respected of all such tournaments.  North, now a nearly forgotten figure, served on the jury now and then, was introduced to audiences and modestly nodded in return.  And that was it.

\

 Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, in the judges box

Princess Stephanie, the youngest of the three children, grew up under the spell of her father's glamorous festivals, and it seems likely that this is where she became romantically involved, one after another, with two of its competitors. She first fell for married elephant trainer Franco Knie, into whose caravan she and three children from previous relationships moved. Two years later, she married Portuguese acrobat Adans Lopez Peres, then performing in Knie's circus. The marriage was also short-lived, but the circus had claimed Stephanie's wild bohemian spirit.  

After Prince Rainier passed away in 2005,  Stephanie assumed directorship of the festivals. She became not just an honored and steady figure of support for circus everywhere,  but arguably the circus world’s most fearless talent scout. Today, she and her associates comb the globe for the best acts out there, who appear at the festival only by invitation.  And today, politics evidently does not affect their scores, as witness the list below.

My biggest complaint (or regret) with the festival is that it does not enjoy world wide coverage, nor am I aware of any efforts out of Monte Carlo to seek such. Circus art is the only major entertainment not honored, at least annually on a televised awards show here in the states.  The movies and Broadway.  Pop music. Television.  Even ballroom dancing and dog shows are televised. The circus?  The prospects were not helped any by Irvin  Feld taking  out a one-ring tent show featuring acts from Monte Carlo. It did not last a season.

Okay, the following list shows the number of Gold Clowns awarded by country.  I would love to see a list for Silver Clowns.

 * 21. All countries of Europe together

14 former USSR countries all together
14 China
10   Russia
10 North Korea
7 Italy
6 USSR
 5 USA, shared with Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, Italy, Algeria
4 USA alone (Bale, Nock, Gatto, Carl)
4 Switzerland
3 France
2 Canada
2 Spain
2 Ukraine
2 England
2 Germany
2  Hungary
1 Portugal
1 Bulgaria   
1 Romania  

Circus Therapy in America.

The U.S., I have long observed, is not a primary source of world-class action.  Don’t look for a dramatic turnaround anytime soon. If anything, the situation will only grow worse, no matter how many new “circus schools” on campuses emerge, given the woke choke that has them in a vice.  Forget about gymnastic power and skill. Look for more slow-moving narrative, including "character arc," equity equilibristics pushing gender-bending contortion and self-annihilation on the static trapeze. Real circus has no time for such gilded nonsense.  Have I lost you yet?  Now, let’s get our hopes high again.

They're Back! 

 

 

      Fanfare for the Colossally Snubbed 

Unicyclist wonder Wesley Williams, who competed this past January at Monte Carlo, beyond setting a world record riding the highest bike, must have been left thunderstruck for failing to earn even a bronze clown. I have seen Wesley’s act on You Tube, and was engaged by his feats and winning personality.  Since not awarded by the jury, he became qualified for special recognition by any of the sponsors, and two of them so honored him.  What he accomplished in my view is equal to a quad.   And, yes , I wasn't there to see it myself, so whom am I to?  ...

Let’s see if Kenneth Feld books him for the return of a reformed Ringling.  Of course, Wesley might say no. Or Feld might fear that so perilous an act could upset the snowflakes and ballet larks he may be being hoping to attract to his no-animals circus. 

The festival will endure as long as Stephanie endures.  And however controversial her screening procedures or judging criteria  may be, of this I am sure: Were he alive today, John Ringling North could well understand and appreciate the attention she gives to such far off places as North Korea.   The “ageless delight,” as Ernest Hemingway once called it, lives on in the darkest corners of the world.  And those  daring mortals who excel despite all hardships deserve our warmest accolades and support.

first posted 6.12.23

And the Winners Are! ...

GOLD  Turkmenistan’s Djiguite riders, China’s National Acrobatic Troupe, and the gravity-defying Flying Caballeros.

SILVER The Scandinavian Boards and the Martini Family’s enchanting exotic animals brought awe to the ring. Pastelito and Junior also earned this distinction, proving their comedic brilliance to be world-class.

BRONZE The Triple Breath High Wire trio, with their serene mastery of the tightrope, joined Duo Acero and Wolfgang Lauenburger in this category.

THREE GOLD CLOWNS AT MONTE CARLO TO ...

Charles and Alexandre Gruss for their horse juggling act

The Kolev Sisters, Michelle and Nicole, for their hand-to-hand performance

The elephants trained by Elvis and Cvetomira Errani

Sunday Between Pages: Circus Books that Never Die, and You Don't Need a Mask to Read Them ...

Update 1.31.21 Lately, for those who read my blog, you will know I have been immersed in my favorite books in researching Ringling history. The subject is infinitely complex, deep, never ending, as witness this list.  There were so many brothers and so many stories and so much drama. Two of them, one newly added to this last, I have reread.  

To put their dominance in another perspective concerning American big top history: How many major books are there out there on Barnum & Bailey?  On Adam Forepaugh?  The Sells Bros?  On the American Circus Corporation shows? On Polack Bros.?  Circus Vargas?  Even, to be inclusive, given there principle source of income in the USofA, Cirque du Soleil? How many?

The following post came out  five years ago.

****************************************************************************

Circus books.  What makes for a good read?   Prose or scholarship?  Please be aware, there are many books I have never read.  I rarely buy books, but read them from the library, if they are available.  These personal favorites are here primarily because they entertain me and I find them generally trustworthy.  All doubtlessly contain errors.  It's the bigger picture that counts.

Books that fail to make my list strike me as agenda-driven, giving undue or disproportionate attention to favored figures or to fringe groups or social and cultural "studies."  Others come off as irresponsibly incomplete, such as Linda Simon's vividly-written The Greatest Shows on Earth: A History of the Circus, so exciting at the outset, so limp and empty at the end.  Example?  She completely ignores the entire Russian-Soviet circus scene -- a colossal blunder.  And it suggests, the best reason I can come up with, a political bias against Communist countries (she also, as I recall, ignores China).

Yes, books about the Ringling juggernaut tend to dominate anybody's list, as they do mine, because that's the circus in this country that everybody wants to write -- or read -- about. 

Be warned:  "scholarship," no matter how many footnotes or end notes, is only as good as is the objectivity and honesty of the author in bringing it all to the table.  Even then,  any quoted "source" -- an interview, a passage from another book, press releases and program magazine materials  --  may itself propound misinformation.  Most troubling is the compromising writer who excludes knowledge in order to serve a preset narrative. 

New to the list, an overlooked gem.  In my recent Ringling research tear, I took it out and am re-reading it. Published in 1950, Harlow is absolutely wonderful in how he narrates the boys' circus dreams from the first kid show onto the Big Show.  And it gives me renewed respect for how they learned to work together so well. I feel in greater awe of them than ever, how they merged so intelligently, allowing each other autonomy.  Al was first and foremost the leader, but others, too, lead.  Of course, Harlow must have drawn most of their early years from Alf. T. Ringling's 1900 tome, Life Story of the Ringling Brothers. I want to give it another read, full or selective.

My top of the list.  I discovered Earl Chapin May's classic at a very young age.  Loved the way it is written, the fast-moving parade of actors on the stage of circus history.  I still refer back to the book, time and time again.   May coined the phrase  "the ever changing, never changing circus."  Too bad the book came out in 1932, just before a war among Ringling heirs for control of the circus was about to be waged.

Barely in my teens, I found This Way to the Big Show (1936) high on a library shelf in Santa Rosa, took it down, checked it out, and was fascinated.  Dexter Fellows, one of the most colorful circus press agents ever, flaked mostly for Buffalo Bill and later for Barnum & Bailey under the Ringlings, when Otto was at the helm. He paints a richly detailed account of how circuses operated, including a juicy chapter, The Customer is Always Wrong, on how con men worked suckers in so many clever ways.  First rate coverage.

 *Update 12.29.20  I have re-read parts of it again.  This time, I was struck  by Fellows' vivid account of his tense dealings with Otto Ringling, who rode press agents hard for all the free passes they fought for and gave out.  It is eye-opening, for I had always thought of Otto as a dull bland sort of book-keeping genius. Here, he comes across as anything but, fully in command.  And this ads to my respect and regard  for the collective strength and power of those five remarkable bothers. Here, we see  Otto up close, in a way no scholar looking back through secondary research could ever hope to capture.  High recommended for Ringlingphiles.

Possibly the most entertaining circus page turner of all time.   Its author, Connie Clausen, joined the Big Show as a "ballet broad," during the boom years of  John Ringling North, who himself, so it is written, discovered Clausen on a Sarasota street in 1942, and talked her into joining the show.   And what a tale she tells!   

Famed Ringling equestrian director Fred Bradna,  sharing memories and inside information with writer Hartzel Spence, offers a vibrant account of his life with the circus.  The man who blew the whistle to keep three rings and four stages in constant motion, Bradna offers incisive critiques of the greatest ring stars.

  
Henry Ringling North, adoring brother of John, fashioned, with Alden Hatch, a warm and wonderful history of his Ringling family story.   Like most books, not error free. Still, a major and generally trustworthy valentine to North's famed uncles.

Gene Plowden's cheerfully informative  chronicle of the Ringling Bros. story contains a compelling subplot on John Ringling, most famous of the five brothers, who outlived them all, only in the end to rule recklessly and lose all of his power.  A haunting tale of the arrogance of success in a world of  dazzling risk takers forever on the brink of disaster   How I wished that Plowden had made the life of John Ringling his central premise, for this is clearly where his heart was centered.

Reader beware:  Like too many circus books, and that surely would include some put out by the academics (Linda Simon, mentioned above, is a college professor), Robert Lewis Taylor's captivating Center Ring, one of the most literate books ever penned about circus, is perhaps as much fiction as fact.  Example: The song  "Lovely Luawana Lady," as featured in the movie The Greatest Show on Earth,  never became, as claimed in these well-paced pages, "nationally popular."  Nonetheless, Center Ring's profiles of major Ringling players during the heady days of the John Ringling North era, which originally appeared in the New Yorker magazine, make for a deliciously good read.

Let us now cross the Big Pond to the land were circus was invented.  Antony Hippisley Coxe's A Seat at the Circus is a must-read for fans of tradition-rooted artistry.  The author, a proper English gentleman, shares with us in elegant fashion, his fastidious knowledge of the various ring acts, of what to look for and how to judge measurable achievement.  He has little patience for the embellishing spectacle that marked American three ring big tops, and, before that, early British circus shows, too.

Continuing, away from the states, and with a bright new book cover --- this one hits the jackpot --  UK Journalist and critic Douglas McPherson (The Stage, Daily Mail, Guardian) takes a refreshing, in-depth look at the contemporary circus scene in the land were circus was invented. And he serves its history well.   Right Now. Today.  Remarkably, McPherson became something of a circus fan, not as a boy, but well into his adulthood, and so he brings a fresh perspective to current issues shadowing the big tops.  Example:

"As with horses, the elephants don't need to be oversold with gimmicks.   Just walking into the ring and marching, stopping and turning to command would be enough."  Given recent Ringling plans to retire its performing elephants, how brilliantly McPherson's suggestion resonates, now more than ever. Heck, I can  actually, yes, see myself thrilling merely to a parade of pachyderms!

  Ringmaster, by Kristopher Antekeier and Greg Aunapu is a bold rarity among circus books, offering a candid look behind the scenes during the Irvin and Kenneth Feld era – doubly amazing considering how shrewdly effective are the Felds in manipulating the media to buy their grandiose press kit fictions — from fans to willing authors.   In these stark pages, fraught with depressing work conditions and low morale, the staring antagonist is Gunther Gebel Williams, who reveals a nasty controlling nature.  For Antekeier, his first season goes from euphoria to disillusionment, and so, rather than re-sign for another tour, he walks away. And writes a remarkable book. 

For all true Ringling fans, Jerry Apps offers a meticulously researched study of how the five brothers worked so well together to build arguably the most famous circus in the world.  We follow them season by season.  The book is particularly rich in correspondence between the brothers, illustrating how they planned new shows and scouted acts.  Lushly illustrated, too.  A serious center ring treat.

Fast, breezy, as light as a souffle out of the oven. Maybe I'm on the fence a bit, but this delightful sampler of Big Apple Circus history and lore comes from its founder and ringmaster, Paul Binder, who puts aside his scholarly bent to charm us with effervescent memories of life in and around New York's "own circus."   It's a hit and miss affair, leaving out things I wished he had discussed, like his short-lived circus school.  Maybe he will follow up with another book, let's hope.    The Binder parade bounces and shines with brevity.  And what a nice little one-ring charmer to end this post on.

first posted 4.15.15 World Circus Day is Coming, So Let's Talk Books

Showbiz David’s 2020 American Circus Evidence of Life Awards

   At UniverSoul last month

What is there to write about a season that wasn’t ?  That it will stand out in American circus history as, yes, the season that wasn’t?  And what’s to look forward to in 2021? As Nellie Hanneford so simply stated, when I reached her by telephone, “It’s out of our hands.”

And the sooner it’s back in, the better.  But even then, I wonder.  There should be plenty of Americans hungry for the kind of down-to-earth live entertainment that circus can offer.  And if the Feld of Felds does make good on his promise to bring back The Greatest Show on Earth, that will be, by far, the best thing that could happen to the big top scene here. For, Ringling-Barnum symbolizes American circus. When it died, so in the minds of many did circus die.  A successful return could work wonders for an institution that is closer than ever to the abyss.

How does 2021 look to the trouping wounded?  I dialed their numbers, sent out e-mails seeking their thoughts on what lies ahead. My rankings here are partly based on the responses received; also on my knowledge of each show’s history; and a gut feeling.

2020 American Circus Evidence of Life Awards         

1.  UniverSoul

No need to call them.  The sight of an actual tent in the air anywhere over the U.S. marks a milestone. They pitched theirs for a perilous period last month down in Texas.  Whether the crowds pitched back is another matter. Photos I have seen show only a few strays in the seats. But something is better than nothing, right?  My hat's off to you, Cedric Walker.

2.  Cullpepper Meriweather

Why so high on this list?  They are small enough to have, I assume, the smallest nut, and they’re run by pros, and have been around for a long time.  

From Cullpepper’s Jim Royal:  “Show owner/manager Trey Key is monitoring the situation daily.  We are in touch with our local sponsors and ready to set the route.  Everything hinges on the pandemic. I know, no surprise there.” 

  3.  Royal Hanneford           

I’d never spoken with Nellie Hanneford before, such a sweet soul.  She tells me they are working on dates, and she nearly mentions one in particular, but I do not press. These days, “in particular” could mean a whole season.  

4. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey

They should be at the top, and soon, they might be again – if Kenneth Feld follows through on his announced plans, through brainstorming sessions with many people, to create the return of Ringling, originally projected to happen in late 2021.

From VIP Stephen C. Yaros, in reply:  “Thanks for reaching out to Feld Entertainment. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, our plans to relaunch The Greatest Show On Earth have been delayed.  As soon as we have more information to share, we plan to do so.  I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas.  Cheers.”

Money is no problem for the Felds.  Only key issue, as I see it, is when best to strike.  I’d say, when Americans feel safe enough to sit next to each other at a circus.  Feld has good reason to maximize the potential for a groundswell of grateful yes-give-us-the-real-circus patronage.  Was the stage ever better set for a circus named Ringling to roar back in triumph?

5.  Big Apple Circus

It’s presence remains, I’d venture, even more  murky, as witness what you hear when you dial their number.  At the other end, a recorded message from a cool sounding guy: “Hey there, thank you for calling. Please leave us a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.” No name of voice or circus. Us Circus?

The guy, answering my e-mail on the upbeat,  turns out to be Jack Marsh from Circus Flora — the Flora that played a hand in the last Lincoln Center date show before Covid came calling.

“Yes, life is here, indeed!!"pipes Jack.  “Obviously hard to have a crystal ball right now, but all plans are for BAC to re-launch once the world will allow. Plan A right now is to target Lincoln Center in October, our usual time frame.... Fun plans are underway.  Fingers crossed for the industry we both love.”

His name stands above the imposing title, Executive Producer.  So I e-mail back, and toss Jack be nimble some questions:

 Is Gregg Walker still in charge?
      “Gregg is moving on to greener pastures.”
Is Walker’s company still involved in any way?
      “I don’t have precise details on the arraignment but Remarkable has some ownership of the           company, as do other investors.”
Who is your CEO?
      “That’s not a position we have right now”.  
New Owners?
      “No, no ownership changes to report.  Be careful about assumptions!”

Jacks seems to be a splendid fellow. See how much space he got here?  He even offered to set up a chat, which might have been very interesting, but I did not wish to take it that far.  Given Jack’s fluidity, I might have ended up with so much inside stuff, that I would feel guilty not writing a book about it.  So politely, I declined.

Since they can’t seem to live without Lincoln Center (their Achilles heal),  they might not be too welcome back come October. Broadway is still looking uncertain about 2021. 

6.  Carson & Barnes

Both circus Vargas and Carson & Barnes are about equally inaccessible by either e-mail or phone. I am graciously awarding an edge to  C&B because they answered my e-mail of yesterday with this lovely reply.  "Hello David, Thank you for contacting us! Someone will respond to you very soon about your inquiry."  Well, I am still waiting.  

Whereas, however...

7. Circus Vargas

Didn't get back to me at all.  When I dialed there number, I was sent into a loop-the-loop extension chase down into a hole.  No reply to my two e-mails.  So I must relegate them to this bottom slot.  You have come to the end of the rankings.  You may now take your mask off, kids.

                                                              
END RINGERS: This is the year when we lost Circus Report for good, when Spectacle suspended publication due to lack of subject matter to cover ... When the Brits showed us how to could keep a dozen or more circuses on the road for a few months.  From the land that gave us circus, I would hope for that.  Kudos to them!...  A year when Italy, which had suffered devastating covid deaths, warmed my heart by staging a great circus festival, in which star Italians inspired before masked-in audiences. ... The year when Cirque du Soliel went into and out of bankruptcy, as if anybody cares.  I have grown weary of the Cirque style.  And I believe many Americans have, too. I mean, really,  does "character arc"do that much for any of you? ... Feld Family: You are our last great hope, so don’t let us down this time!... And I almost forgot, when cyber courier Don Covington stuck in there, continuing to find all sorts of stories related to circus and sending them out and keeping me on the list. Thank you, Don!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

Circus Websites 2013 Ranked: Showbiz David Takes a Look, Surprises Himself: Visuals, Routes and Ticketing Take Center Ring

Yesterday, all their troubles seemed so far away ...

Cirque du Soleil's Kooza

How could I have guessed they would stack up like this?  You can be surprised.  Not always do the Big Players with Big Bucks come in First.

I’ve looked at regularly touring U.S. circuses (foreign based, as well), that are out at least six months every season. Three elements turned out to seem the most critical, so to these I paid particular attention:  1.  Making a case in photos or videos for seeing the show;  2  Routing information; and 3. ticketing.

I ranked six categories, assigning to each up to 5 points.  So the highest possible total score is 30 points

1.  Immediate visual impact of the home page — how much did it make me want to go farther
2.  Ease of seeing all options for easy access to any.
3.  Routing information
4   ticketing options, ease of using the software.  I went only as far as reaching the point where credit information is required.  I did not mock check beyond this point.
5   photos and/or videos of the acts. 
6   last impression, looking back, how enthused the website make me feel about seeing the show

Worth noting:  There may be a case to make for the overall navigational fluidity of a website fostering a more impressive experience for the viewer.  For example, the acts that are featured in a streaming Carson and Barnes' photo slideshow might not register as strong an impact were they each to be pulled up individually.

ABOUT THE PHOTOS:  All of these images were downloaded from the their respective websites.

In a Word:  To each website, I have assigned a one word summation of its principal appeal, or lack of.

So, here goes ... Drum rolls! ... Trumpets! ... First on parade -- The Best Circus Website!

1  CARSON AND BARNES  

total score: 26

In a Word: Ticketing.  A magnificent makeover from the last time ranked.  This socially savvy website is so warm and welcoming, it grabbed my attention and pulled me in and then charmed me with a lavish though well organized spread of lovely flaring circus colors,subtly rendered, and all of the necessary information right there.  The immediate towns are listed, and there's a strong compelling photo slideshow of featured acts. Best of, this one offers perhaps the easiest ticketing system of any of the websites.  Kudos to the Byrds!

Circo Hermanos

2  Circo Hermonos Vasquez

total score: 25

In a Word: Glamor.  A lovely embracing home page which spells class. The vital information is clearly placed for easy linking to.  Routing and ticketing are top notch.  I found the photos good though not great, despite which, it's a show I would much like to see.

3  Cirque du Soleil  

total score: 24

In a Word: Brilliance.  Even with its opening page taking centuries to appear and the sprawling website's state-of-the-art videos a challenge in patience to surf, all of which suppressed the score some (blame it partly, I suppose, on my average PC), Cirque’s stunning imagery shines deep and high and  wide. There are so many shows, but if you know the one coming your way and want to look it up and get tickets, those two essentials are well presented and super easy to navigate.  I tested the Kooza video and was blown away.  Cirque's reigning brilliance animates an otherwise unwieldy landscape.

Hip Hop dancers at UniverSoul Circus

4  UniverSoul Circus 

Total score: 22

In a Word: Splashy.  A jazzy captivating splash of action and promo footage featuring customer feedback on the lot.  A bit of a jumble, yes, but the route is clear to find and study, ticketing seems a tad cumbersome but surely doable, photos are strong enough.  And yet, I was left fairly dazzled but with a nagging sense of overall act content being maybe less than the sum total of what initially comes into flattering view.

Okay, in polite alphabetical order here ...

Magic at Circus Vargas

5.  Circus Vargas (tie)  

total score: 21

In a Word: Appealing.  They do a generally good job, focusing heavily on illusion acts, creating a fairly strong impression. It’s just a little disjointed.  The images were quite impressive, but up front, there were too few of them, lending the sense of incompleteness.  Latter images of talent rectify that fairly impressively..   Route and ticketing work fairly fine.

Tabares at Cole Bros.

5  Cole Bros Circus (tie)

total score: 21

In a Word:  Vibrant.  Johnny Pugh’s cyber pitch opens with a terrific big top interior composite glorified with circus action.  Opening page is graced with an ingratiating photo of the man himself, one of the nicest guys who ever ran a circus -- so far as I know. This website has a modern sparkle similar to Carson & Barnes.  Average photos of perhaps too many standard acts flow by slowly and somewhat stiltedly, casting, overall, the impression of a good show, though perhaps a little too predictable.


6  Ringling-Barnum 

[website images not downloadable]

total score: 20

In a Word: Impressive. A strange experience from the Big One —  home page stands there with the imperial grandeur of China’s Forbidden City at the gates.  But getting into it and moving around can feel like crow-barring your way against doors that refuse to open, or opening doors that lead nowhere: Examples: I could not view the "About the Show" teaser videos, and, looking for information on the double wheel act in Built to Amaze -- the room remains empty, all except for a sign that reads Stars of the Steel Vortex.  Who they?  These setbacks are score suppressors.   Knock knock, Feld Entertainment!  Is anybody there?   Still, all in all Ringling does a fine, if somewhat stodgy, job, of organizing its various shows, and it offers, for each, a wealth of stills to pull up and view.  Not so welcome are the  tiny spaces accorded for information about the artists, which can test one's patience.  Routing is the best of any website, you open up a brilliant pictorial map of the country and find an arrow closest to where you live. From there, it’s a fair breeze.  Ticketing takes you to Ticket master, and you know all about that.  Even then, I left with a feeling of strong sustained confidence in our nation's longest running entertainment phenomenon.

On fire at Kelly Miller

7  Kelly Miller   

total score: 19

In a Word: Promising.  Spectacular opening, weak finish.   A dazzling array of large mesmerizing photography up front creates the sure image of a major circus. These opening frames are breathtaking.   From there, it’s somewhat downhill.  The route is clear to study, but, worst of all, this is one of only two websites under review here that do not offer on-line ticketing, the other being Zoppe.  This deprived the total of score of up to 5 additional points.  Giving them even just 3 more for ticketing would have tied Kelly Miller with UniverSoul, for a 4th place ranking.  The site ends up showing off too many smaller photos, many redundancies and some from previous seasons, shrinking the overall impression from spectacular down to average. 

No photos yet from Big Apple, but rich artistic renderings: The Dusov Troupe

8  Big Apple Circus  

total score:  17

In a Word:  Muddled.  Opening page does not exactly scream "Circus!"  How ironic that arguably our nations finest big top should put out a website so fraught with cumbersome options, not all that easy to get through and around.  Institutional gridlock? Maybe I’m being unfair, but they open in a few days, and then onto the all-important Big Apple date next month, for which tickets are now actively on sale, so you’d’ think there would be a slate of flattering photos on line.  I could not find a single one. Went back a second time. Same result.  Going into the website is a bit slow, there are numerous items organized into square shapes, with little immediate circus imagery to catch the eye.  Route and ticketing are technically fine, but during seat selection, I ran into a stumbling block that took time to outwit, reminding me of the on-site box office computer glitches in times past that made waiting in line an infuriating ordeal.  I could have marked them down for this, but I gave them some slack.  And still ... here they are. 

At the Zoppe Family Circus

9.  Zoppe Family Circus

total score:  14

In a Word:  Friendly.  They don't have many dates and don't offer ticketing, but they perform the year around, and they are a likable bunch.  The big plus here is a short but charming video made in 2010, which fairly sparkles with homespun magic and a big heart. 

10  Walker Bros Circus

[website images not downloadable]

total score:12
In a Word:  Obscure.  Home page in rich reds pulls you right in, and that's about all there is, Peggy.  You can see their route if you try, and you can even buy tickets in a reasonably easy way.  Photos leave something to be desired.

11  Culpepper & Merriweather Circus

Total score: N/A  The website,such as it is, refers you to their face book page, and that's as far as I got

And that's a ranking wrap!

Your comments are, of course, welcome

First posted September 21, 2013