This Morning I Kissed My Laptop ...

Why,? Having owned a Dell Vostro  XP since 2008, the one I still use to write drafts on, horror of horrors  yesterday the cursor started jumping around, up or down while I was typing.  This is what happens on my Dell Latitude, but I blame myself for buying it reconditioned.  Never again.

As for my most recently acquired  laptop, another Dell, it is so damn stiff and resistant to my touch, but has no problem allowing torrents of pop ups and roll bys and screen-hording BILL GATES GARBAGE to rampage freely.  Is there an AI version of this founding MS shark?  Yes it is time to try HP or X.  

So this morning on my pet PC,  I composed the draft of a press release. NOT ONE CURSOR RUNAWAY.  All keys landed safely in place.

And so I kissed  My Vostro,and touched it lovingly and told it I would never fire it up so many times during the day, as I had yesterday.

We type in the shadows

No going on line 

As long as it works

you'll always be mine.

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF A MEDIOCRE DAY AT THE CIRCUS

FROM SHOWBIZ DAVID SHOCK THERAPY DIVISION

You’re on your way to THE CIRCUS.  Like all the times before, your expectations are high.  This could be another Big One.  This might get it right, might run the acts in a steady confident flow. Might offer a few Big Moments.   You’re hoping to be thrilled.  You’d settle for GOOD. that too much to ask for?   Not GREAT but simply good.

Or worse?  How not to be let down on the other side of the canvas?   How not to end up nit picking away,  pitting every act on the bill against Francis Brunn (OK, Anthony Gatto?). La Norma or the Hannefords.

Here is my advisory for fans who suffer from Chronic Circus Comparison Syndrome (CCCS), to blot out the past in order to take on the present. Do  a clean sweep of your brain.  You want the show you are abut to see to be as magical as the the first circus you saw. So the exercise is to clear your mind of all that has gone before.

No, I do not advise a pre-performance lobotomy. There are some less destruct measures you can take to achieve a better outcome.   Are you ready?  

* BAN YOUR MEMORIES FOR THE DAY Think anything else.  Think the many ways in which I’ve made a fool of myself on this blog.  In this way, you may enjoy acts you have long dismissed out of hand as garden variety fodder. Even this takes conning yourself into the mind set of a five year old.   

* START WITH A CLEAN SLATE Let the acts color it their way, not yours. Your biggest challenge is pretending you have never seen any of them or their like before.   

 * BUY THE BEST SEAT IN THE TENT If you are about to endure schlock showmanship, at lest suffer it in maximum comfort by investing in a chair close to to  the ring.

* DO NOT READ THE PROGRAM before or during the show If there is one.  I want you to be surprised by the unfolding parade of wonders — not affected by any advance grudges against anything you're about to see --  until after the show.    

* BRING EAR PHONES as a backup soundtrack, in the event the first notes from the band (or, CD player) put you in a funk. No, No, not that crap!  Nothing can affect our attitude towards an act as much as the music.

* LET THE FUNDAMENTALS SHINE  Okay, the show is on!   If there is an opening ensemble splash, these almost always please. Let the performers entertain for you, let them show you what they can do, not what you want them to do.  These feel good openings will give you a fair idea of the talent level ahead. Doubts already?  You might try shifing your mood into gratuitously grateful.   

 

* ADMIRE THE STRIVING YOUNG HEART  You will now and then see them out there.  Give them a break.  Give them a chance. This business does not promise anyone a fortune, and we all have to start somewhere. They are the future of circus.

* LOOK TO THE CHILDREN  Look and listen to them, let their reactions be yours. You were one of them once, just as tickled watching the clowns stage a slap happy boxing match. How you marveled at the cleverness of it all!

* BRING A DATE  Preferably, the one  you are hoping to have your own circus with, some time after the show — if not during intermission.  Dare you tarnish your chances by  coming off as either a hopelessly infatuated circus fan  — or uppity critic who can’t shut up? No, No! Keep the ghosts of circus days past in lock down.  

* WITHHOLD ALL OPINIONS  Express yourself in applause and smiles, hold the date above the show.  In Virginia  several seasons ago, with  my sister, two nieces and one grand nephew, we took a chance on a show I’d never heard of, Do Circus Portugal.  After the show, I first asked them what they thought?  They had little to say other than pointing out some flubs over a few carping laughs --- being more critical than I.  Now my turn. I praised a young man on the bill for two outstanding turns — marvelous juggling and  dazzling rapid fire two-person quick costume changes. Below, an act with Do Portugal I do not recall seeing.

* IF ALL ELSE FAILS   Try this killer exercise.  Close your eyes for ten seconds.  Imagine the worst circus you ever saw. I will kindly refrain from making known mine. Okay, now open your eyes and resume watching.  Better? 

Heck, I can't wait for the next circus I see in person, I’m going to try taking my own advice  Already, I’m trying it against my phobia for an act fit for the Gong Show: You will stop trashing hula hoops. ... I will stop trashing  hula hoops ...

3974 

Monster Jam Invades Ringling ... Big Apple Circus Opens (and May Close) in Boston ...

  How blunt.  How crass an image. 

 A quick look at the websites of each reveals that both are at least hanging in there.

New Ringling  appears to be sticking to the rollout style, and bringing back key acts, with Wesley Williams retaining top billing.

The hot bot mutt, Bailey Circuit, that played so well with audiences, will be  back, joining a monster truck in what looks like an amusing stint in AI land.

If you were hoping (well I was) for a return to clown faces and  animals, let go of that one.

By sticking to his rollout format, Feld must be doing well enough to double down on more of the same and, with the Monster elements  obviously a play  to his core base. 

Ah, what a lovely scene at Big Apple. And so elegant the area lighting 

Big Apple seems a sure bet to open in Boston. Tickets already on sale.  Gotham, next?  Website issues not a peep about Lincoln Center.  Never have I known  a  circus  without knowing the name of its owner(s)  Current lords:

 Presented by EMC Presents BAC, The Vazquez Family, and The Gold Group

I goggled Lincoln Center.  AI so far has posted two scenarios,  take your choice.

AI:  No, the Big Apple Circus is not currently playing at Lincoln Center; the circus is playing in Boston from October 9 to November 2, 2025, and they may or may not return to Lincoln Center for a future show

AI:, Yes, the Big Apple Circus is scheduled to perform in New York City in late 2025, with a show listed from December 22, 2025, in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center. The "Hometown Playground" production, which ran into early 2025, featured traditional circus elements like acrobats and aerialists, with tickets available through various resale sites and through the official website. 

 AI Bonus:  Douglas McPherson, googling across the pond, ran a search for the best circus critics.The names of two came up: Kate Kavanagh and Charles Dickens!

SUNDAY MORNING NOW, AT THE FAIR: Horse Racing Goes Silent, But the King of Carny Rides Twirls On and On

At the fair in the 1950s 

Today in Santa Rosa CA, the annual  Sonoma  County Fair will be coming  to an end. Maybe a softer and sadder ending than usual, for this year, a big fair-time event, horse racing, was off the bill.

In my boyhood, I especially loved the first two of the day, for those were the harness races. Loved the gallant snap of the trotters dashing around and down the final stretch. The intensity was a little quieter, and yet more compelling.

They've  been gone for many years.

The racetrack itself, which I would often visit because we lived only a few blocks from the fairgrounds, gave off a cool somber elegance. And at one time, the Foley and Burk Carnival wagons winter quartered in the flower building.  A few were left outside, at the edge of the racetrack.  One was loaded with the  heavy wooden floor sections of my favorite of all rides -- The Whip. 

Going to the fair in my daring teens, the best I could risk at the race track windows was two dollars to show, and sometimes I came out ahead by a few dimes. 

There are fewer race horses in Northern California, owing to the fact that, with the recent closing of Golden Gate Fields, all of the tracks are gone. Which means fewer horses for the county fairs. And more betters have been walking away from the windows to wager on line.

One thing that still reigns on the midway is a classic carny ride indestructibly appealing. I have marveled at its  endurance and yet am not surprised.  It has something that most other rides do not. Do you know what?  Angela Ramirez of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat certainly does.  She penned a feature report --  "Looking for this year’s can’t-miss carnival attractions? We have you covered." She rated The Top Five Standout Attractions.

Number One: Tilt-A-Whirl!

Yes, oh yes, Angela, this king of carny rides has something that you nailed. Quoting you:

"This classic carnival ride delivered unpredictable fun with every spin, I hopped in expecting a gentle spin — and ended up gripping the bars in front of me for dear life. The Tilt-a-Whirl looks tame form the sidelines, but once it got going, the sudden intense twirls while circling the platform made the experience unpredictable and exciting. This is a ride I would hop off just to get back in line again."

You can never predict which way this one will lurch and spin -- to the right or to the left. 

How many unpredictable rides like that can you name?.  

When I go to the fair, I always hope to spot the Tilt-A-Whirl, and it's still there. Sometimes, yesterday is better than today.

 Now, if they could only bring back the trotters ... 

"Tilt, rock, and spin on this family classic! No two rides are ever the same!" 

 

-- perfectly composed ad copy 

Once Upon a Time in Barnes City, Los Angeles ...

Remember Barnes City, L.A.?

Of course you probably don't.   It was once a briefly promising winter quarters for the big 4-ring Al G. Barnes  Circus.

City-hood officially granted on Feb. 13, 1926.

But the vision of Barnes flamed brightly for only seven months before getting crushed in slow motion by a series of devious maneuvers to send it packing. 

Barnes City rose  on the edge of Culver City, in the shadows of movie giant MGM.  Installed its own town hall.   Soon Culver city wanted to expand, likely a ploy to 86 the lions, tigers and daredevils grabbing a lot of noisy attention.  An affront to celluloid fantasies?

After a fractious public debate over the intruder, and even a vote that favored Barnes City 145 to 128, the courts stepped in and Al G. Barnes, said to have been  "a victim of local politics, and one of L.A.'s shortest-lived municipalities," stepped out. 

Ah yes, all circuses have to leave town sooner than later.  

Artificial Intellegance and Me: One Day Acclaimed, the Next Ignored

A few days ago, I posted a flattering answer AI produced when I did a mock search, who are the best circus critics?

AI: Identifying the "best" critic of circus shows is subjective and depends on individual preferences for their style, focus, and overall perspective  However, some individuals are widely recognized for their insightful and comprehensive critiques of the circus world:    David Lewis Hammarstrom: Author of "Inside the Changing Circus: A Critic's Guide," Hammarstrom is praised for his in-depth knowledge of the history and evolution of the circus, coupled with an ability to provide both glowing reviews and sharp critiques. His work is considered a valuable resource for understanding the art form.

 

Okay, high acclaim?

 

Since then, I have tested AI by rephrasing the same question in different ways. Example:  Who are considered the best circus critics?

 

AI's response:

  
David Carlyon:
Janet M. Davis: 
Bruce "Charlie" Johnson

 

Actually, that answer does not surprise me. 

 

Now, would you expect this blatant inconsistency from a real human being well versed in circus, had you addressed the same two test questions to them on different occasions?

 

This leads me to conclude that among other things, AI hasn't a memory. In fact, is rather dumb and fickle, an indiscriminate collector of random facts to produce an answer in mere seconds.  In its coverage of my work, AI quoted from a press release, lending the impression it was from a review! 

 

Another mock test to AI;

 

Question:   Who moved Ringling Bros. Circus from tents to arenas?

AI answered:

 

The decision to move Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from traditional tent shows to indoor arenas was made by John Ringling North, who was the President of the circus in 1956. He and the circus manager at the time, Arthur Concello, made this shift in response to factors like competition from other forms of entertainment, high labor costs, and a lack of suitable outdoor spaces. This move to using permanent venues like stadiums and arenas, with pre-existing seating, began in 1957.

I rephrased the question.  AI answered:
 

Irvin Feld is widely credited with saving the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. In the 1960s, the circus was struggling financially, but Irvin Feld, along with his brother Israel, purchased it in 1967. He then transformed it by moving performances from tents to indoor arenas and establishing a more profitable business model. He also founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1968 to preserve the art of clowning.

 

Final thoughts for now.  The speed of AI is a frightening omen. How could it be tragically used to collect information for serious purposes, when its answers might lead to catastrophic results?  

SNIFFINIG OUT CIRCUS A LA CARTE IN BITS AND BOTS: ARE YOU READY FOR VIRTUAL?

  Cirque Italia Water Circus 

A recent article in Bandwagon declaring 2024 “A Year of Revival for the American Circus,” works overtime to include anything that incorporates circus acts, either at the center, or in the shadows of experimental. The writer, Rodney A. Huey, is remarkably charitable in admitting into his feel-good survey practically anything that drops or alludes to the C word at the ballyhoo — and even some, like 7 Fingers, that technically don’t. But then, neither does New Ringlng.  

In olden golden days gone by when circus was circus, big tops awesome and little tops charming joined the April parade of gilded caravans down sawdust trails, throwing up fresh white canvas, sending giddy banners galloping gaily into  the wind. Red wagons convened onto open fields where canvas was spread, laced up, and raised skyward. And a magic city was born.  A city of amazing acrobats and animals, rowdy clowns and blazing spectacle.  Bring it back, you know who!

 Cirque Ma'Ceo

 

Being there in the middle of it all was a unique sensation.  We went in guilt-free, no pickets at the marque shaming what we were about to be thrilled by, and came out hopelessly addicted to the likes of Francis Brunn, the Cristianis, La Norma ...  

 Cirque Paranormal promises vampires and creepy clowns

And once upon a better season, they all gave you a circus, period, and you know exactly what I am talking about    At one time in this hyper competitive nation, even the smallest shows laid claim to three rings.  

Now today, a show may rig its aerial trappings from the wings of a theater, spot the props in public parks or on cruise ships, even at concert halls, purpose being to draw some kind of a crowd.  These specialized adventures are what some call boutique circuses.

Le Grand Cirque

 

Seven Fingers Passagers 

Full menu circus sill thrives in  Russia and parts of Europe.  Italy still loves the animals, and the Monte Carlo Circus Festival still celebrates the best of them with Gold Clowns.  In the  UK, all but two or three shows are now all-human. A few circuses stateside (Culpepper, Hanneford,  Loomis) still dare to feature exotics.  Some take a middle road with domestics, like  Zoppe Family Circus, which does not draw protesters to its collaboration with dogs and horses.  

 Cirque Ma'Ceo

Among the animal-free  shows, some can’t resist parading the banned in the safer, more cowardly form of costumed performers ---or bots.  Ringling’s insertion of a small robotic, mutt, conveys a promising insecurity at the top.

Here is where the Bandwagon story rumbles down the runs and then, instead of heading for an open field, chases a wide-ranging array of amusements (cerebral to carnal) that use circus primarily as a draw. Huey  brings on  the word “fusion’ in order to grant these entities the making of a grand revival. But the word feels like a strained euphemism in order to cast a wider net for triumphal image-building.    

In fact, “circus” as we have known it, was invented in an act of fusion, when London horse rider  Philip Astley added rope walkers, clowns and acrobats to his equestrian exhibitions in an open field.

Cirque Kalabante

Huey places the new Ringling acrobatic show at the center of it all, reporting on its “resounding success” (his source, Feld Entertainment) The article was published before New Ringling shut down to spend the greater part of a year planning its next edition. Given the near impossibility of our ever knowing what sort of business Ringling actually did, there is the rather bleak image of angry Yelp Reviews, averaging 1.5 stars, and of Reddit threads revealing skimpy crowds, i.e. "Recent tour stops seem to be struggling to get people in the door, especially for evening shows."  I find this plausible given a call I made to  the 20,000 seat Crypto.Com arena in L.A, where the show played, and was told that the average attendance had been between six and eight thousand per show. Like all the fan magazines, in this instance, Bandwagon can’t bring itself to function beyond a press release.

In the meantime, what I mostly see is circus a la Carte, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It gives you more options to consider.  Hard core circus fans prove themselves to be, at least in public posturing and feel-good reviews, quite willing to gratefully embrace what still parades as a circus

It could be worse, I suppose.  The insane rise of AI will not doubt one day bring about the first  virtual circus show. Are you ready? Don’t throw away your tapes and movies just yet. And stay tuned to dog-loving America’s Got Talent on TV. First episodes usually push circus acts. Wonder why?  
 

 Old Ringing, 2017

SEND BACK THE CLOWNS! The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of The Re-imagined Ringling, from REDDIT

I'd never gone to Reddit before for reviews to quote, but to my surprise,  under a thread headlined  The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly of The Re-imagined Ringling, I found a slew of even-handed comments by people who, for the most part, seemed neither aggrieved  circus fans or the PETA crowd, itself never missing a chance to spread more anti-traditional circus hate. These  voices reveal much that we have only been able to speculate about. 

So I am posting these here for a few days, and will then move the post down deeper.          

Highlight Quote:

"The robot dog Bailey was met with mixed reactions. I have never witnessed hundreds of people mass-discussing something all at once, which was bizarre."

u/Skater73 avatar
Skater73 6mo ago

I'm deeply concerned with the lack of audience showing up for these shows recently. I saw the new Ringling back in March, and the audience was quite large on a Saturday night. However, recent tour stops seem to be struggling to get people in the door, especially for evening shows.

I have seen a lot of advertising on TikTok, YouTube, and local media outlets but not much in the way of physical billb live in a mostly rural state with an older oards, fliers, etc. This is a major mistake for our area, as we population that likely won’t see much of it.                                               
    
hexualattraction
4mo ago

I was working at a stadium and Ringling came through. I didn't get to sit and watch the whole thing like a normal patron, but I did see quite a bit. I believe Equivokee - the three guys doing physical comedy are in fact clowns, like trained as clowns, but I believe since the US has such a bad association, they had them pare down the things that folks associate with clowns.

For example, even board games from Europe that feature clowns get stripped of them with localization, in order for the American market to engage/play/buy them.

All this to say, I think if Ringling performed outside of the us, clowns would be more apparent,and that it's kind of an American thing that they've been stripped out.

I did find the competing acts to be strange, it felt like so many talented people were sort of shoved off to the side, I think to try to keep peoples focus somewhere, but it felt pretty disrespectful to the performers.   

r/circus icon
Go to circus r/circus•
6 mo. ago

 The robot dog Bailey was met with mixed reactions. I have never witnessed hundreds of people mass-discussing something all at once, which was bizarre. I will personally miss the animal acts, but I am interested to see what can be done with similar technology as Feld Entertainment has used puppets and animatronics in other shows.

The Bad: For a show focused on human talent, it’s incredibly disappointing to see the removal of time honored roles such as arena clowns and ringmaster. There are several show guides and physical comedians which were entertaining in their own right, but it mostly felt like a hollow attempt to distance the new show from its past.

The stage direction is somewhat confusing. During the BMX stunts, a Chinese pole act was taking place on the opposite side of the arena. As someone else recently mentioned in this subreddit the circular overhead screens were missing, which would have been nice as I could barely see it even from the lower level.

The sound was a bit muffled, which often confused the audience resulting in lukewarm responses. I have no experience with entertaining but I imagine that can be a real confidence killer

Other notes: I attended Sunday’s performance midday and some friends attended in the evening, the arena was less than half full on both occasions. Historically our city has produced a good turnout. I am unsure if this decline in attendance is due to the retirement of traditional acts, loss of relevance, cost, or other factors. The show will be in town this weekend and the following with approximately two shows daily Friday-Sunday, so maybe the others will fair a bit better.

Our friend’s six year old daughter was attending for the first time and lost interest several acts in, they did not return after intermission.

r/circus icon
Go to circus r/circus•
6 mo. ago

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the re-imagined Ringling 

conclusion: Like many others I am left feeling a bit mixed. The performers were excellent, but the show itself needs work in several areas.

Ringling may have a difficult time living up to the expectations of longtime fans and retaining first-timers after the revival tour. I will be returning when and if it is renewed, but my friends and their daughter may not.

Needless to say, it is vital for Feld Entertainment to be receptive to feedback if they hope to remain relevant and continue turning an audience. 

ccb621
6mo ago

Aside: Why not post this after you’ve seen the show and have more to contribute to the conversation?

The animals will never come back. They are public relations and logistical nightmares.

I attended a show in Oakland, CA. The arena was not very full. The tickets were about $225 after fees for my family of three. We’ve paid more for Cirque du Soleil and far less for Monster Jam (for almost the exact same seats). 

Cirque remains the pinnacle for me. Ringlimg isn’t there. The show was too kinetic and distracting. There were screens with performers’ names and countries glaring just at the performances were beginning. This would be fine if there was one act; however, at one point there were three separate acts happening simultaneously! I had no clue who to watch.

This was barely okay for aerials. I think they had straps in the center with two folks on silks to the sides. This was downright insane when they had an aerial performance and folks jumping through hoops. 

I felt like they were trying to toss in a buinnch of acts to make folks feel they got a good value. In reality it felt cheap—quantity over quality. I recall at one point wondering why the show hadn’t ended because it just felt so long. 

I don’t think everyone needs to follow Cirque exactly, but it might help to learn a bit from their model. A story or through line connecting the performances would greatly help the flow and progression feel less frenetic.

I hope they make it work. I saw one of the last performances of the old company in Providence, RI, and it was quite good, so I know someone can help write a better show.

 No-Commission-242
4mo ago

I won't waste my money again.  I knew that there would be no animals,  but didn't know that there wouldn't be any clowns.  I've got my memories from when I was a kid and I'll have to live with that.  It's bad that I built it up to the grandkids and had to look at the disappointment on their faces.  All of the people around us felt the same.  Take them to Chuckie Cheese and everyone will be a lot happier,  plus you can get them much better souvenirs.

SUNDAY MORNING NOW: The Show Must Go On ... or Must it? ... Big Top Ballyhoo Shuns the Old ... Circus Reviewer Reveals Crowd Size ...

12,557 page views on 5/6 - my most popular post ever

RINGLING IN RETREAT? - One bot mutt for sale? Has appeared with the Greatest Show on Earth.

What is happening to Ringling? To Circus or not to circus? That may be the pressing question dogging Kenneth Feld for the next ten months while he  creates an  “all new’ edition.  How new? How different from the first? Does he need ten months in hiatus to figure it out?  Thriving entertainments usually have next year’s model in the works, ready to take up the parade when the current cast leaves it.

Seems severe to me. As I understand it, when a company closes down for an extended period of time, usually the reason is too re-invent itself or its product line – in order to stay in business.  Ringling closed down mid-way in the 1956 tour when John Ringling North struck the big top for good and made known his plans to move it indoors. Some fans hoped he would change his mind.  No luck. He had foreseen a more viable future ahead.

If the Felds have been reading the outcry of unhappy Ringling customers on Yelp (average 1.5 stars), they  can’t ignore the enthusiasm most Americans still evidently feel for animals and clowns. When you take away two of the three staples of circus, up goes a roar from the masses. The last to cry ‘no!” on Yelp:

Thalia H.

Norfolk, VA  Mar 22, 2025

"I've never been so humiliated in all my life I'm going to the circus in New York City at Madison Square Garden for many years as a child every year I never missed a circus there were animals and clowns I don't know what Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is doing now with these acrobats nobody wants to see acrobats a circus is not a circus without animals and clowns it was a waste of my money I am so disappointed I don't know what in the world to do I will never attend another Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus again without the animals and clowns."

"Humiliated" That's a new one. From AI? 

I have no idea what their business has been. I only know that when Ringling played the 18,000 seat Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, according to an inside source at the arena who took my call to inquire about business, they were drawing between six and eight thousand per show.  

Strategic blundering?  Even the smartest of showman can make big mistakes: When  Feld removed the elephants from the show, winning high cheer from animal rights hysterics and their fawning media acolytes, I was left dumbfounded by his not having at the same pivotal moment also removed the big cage act as well.  This gave PETA sanction to continue harassing customers outside the arenas.  Give them a dog and pony show, and they'd come off looking like fools.

And then, six years later, when Feld unveiled his comeback edition., I was left equally baffled by his wholesale elimination of clowns and animals.  Will ten months in circus rehab give him pause  to consider a more fulfilling outcome?

What to expect? At the moment, even Keneth Feld may not know.  But he has plenty of time to bring off perhaps the most spectacular comeback in show business history by reinstating the dazzling  totality of what Ringling once stood for.  It is not irrational to imagine dogs and ponies and horses and kitty cats, among other domestics, bringing back a major part of  “the greatest show.”  When I saw the last old-school edition around 2017, a pig coasting down a slide nearly stole the show . 

The circus that no longer dares speak its name needs to come back.

CIRCUS BALLYHOO --- FACE OF A BARN TO FACEBOOK

Long gone are the days when splashy 24 sheet lithos covered half the town. When was the last time you spotted circus imagery on a billboard?  Across the Big Pond, some Brit circuses are now almost exclusively  marketing on  social media, and gradually giving up on  newspaper ads pushing discount coupons. As covered by Douglas McPherson in The Stage, show owner Zippo revealed that he has  stopped running them because nobody appeared at the ticket window with one. That is, while there was a ticket window. Heck, even the red wagon is disappearing over there  as Paulos and Circus Zyair are shutting theirs down. 

But not so fast, argues Julia Kirilova of the Big Kid Circus:  “Posters still have a big impact. People still expect to see them. We are a business which depends a lot on feelings and nostalgia. Everyone knows circus and has a distinct memory of it. Our job is to find a way to make them remember that feeling, whether that is through a short video clip on TikTok or a poster.”

(I guess I was a dinosaur a few years ago, when I picked up a coupon offered in a Vargas newspaper  ad, took it with me to the show and tried getting a resistant lady at the ticket window to honor it. She nearly scowled, claiming never to have known of such a thing.  I let it go, feeling like a stool pigeon from a long lost world.)

Zippo told  McPherson that everyone buys on-line tickets on their phones as they enter the midway.  No need for cash and tickets.  And Sir Douglas rues a day walking the grounds where only yesterday, billowing tents had adorned it.  “There won’t even be a discarded leaflet or ticket stub in the grass to prove it was over here?"

Well ... maybe with luck, a loose nut from a bot mutt?

REVOLUTIONARY CIRCUS REVIEWING LISTS CROWD SIZES

Also over there in Brit land, get this:  A reviewer for the Circus Diaries blog, Charlie Holland, is listing crowd sizes.  Recent disclosures:  300 (about one third of the tent) at Zippos; 500 (half a house) at Big Kid.   That's quite refreshing, although yes, I can imagine that many fans would rather not know. But this does not surprise me. I often see those kinds of turnouts when I go to a circus.

Still, it's nice to see a reviewer taking the time to address both parts that make up a circus performance, the show itself and the audience.  A trend?   Don't bank on it.

SUNDAY MORNING NOW: A Challenging New Day at the Greatest Show on Earth: Hyperactive Set Design, Feeble Direction Suck the Life out of an Ageless Delight

 from 7.15.24

Acrobatic Circus Review
Ringling Bros / The Greatest Show on Earth
On You Tube at Columbus, OH, 8 months ago

Preface. I had imagined being lyfted out to the Oakland  Coliseum, right up to the arena.  No, I would have been dropped off at a gate on the edge of a parking lot along one of the town’s deadliest streets. No thank you.

Once, again, as with Vargas last year, I am left muddled in a dizzy dichotomy between the acts and the production. So, let us take them one at a time:
        
THE ACTS

On balance, they are a sturdy, sufficiently accomplished  lot — when not hooked to lifelines, falling into nets, or grabbing hold of rigging between tricks. To my (jaded?) eyes, only a precious few rang my WOW bell.   Most of the action favors the customary staples: teeterboard, webs,  hand balancing, contortion,  juggling, flying trapeze, high wire, double wheel, Rola-bola, and the human canon.

The show lifts off now and then, and I wished there could have been more of the show-stopping mastery produced by two absolutely terrific risley acrobats. A+ in my book.  In fact, for me, the highlight of the program. 

Other notable high points include two criss-crossiing trapeze acts, which marks a refreshing interlude from the norm.  And there are two double wheels instead of one, offering a tad more tingle to what is regularly expected. These riders worked overtime.

In addition to the staples, show offers gaucho dancing and young bike-riding daredevils up and down ramps. 

At the top: America’s own Wesley Williams, who has a talent for being human, something this show could use a lot more of, scores big time with his sky high ride on a 35-foot high unicycle. I felt a genuine thrill even though he was life-lined; without which, a crash landing over the audience could spell catastrophe.  His act has been split into parts performed at intervals. A shame, but the show benefits from his ingratiating recurring presence.  Indeed, what is lacking the most in this strange antiseptic comeback is a personality.

Where was the robot dog? I might have missed him during Wesley's turn. The you Tube I saw appeared to contain the entire show from start to finish.

A couple of kind of charming clowns take up little space inconsequentially.

THE PRODUCTION:

As for Ringling’s over the top set – stay with me here --- I saw three hills (or platforms), roughly spaced as in the old three-ring layout. On and around them, the performers tend to look smaller and diminished, like ants lost in a maze of flashing light patterns that grab our attention, in effect dissipating the action. In effect, disrespecting the artist. Whatever was Kenneth Feld thinking?  Does he have so little faith in his talent pool which he claims to be world class? 

On the  outer two ant hills of Ringling, other acts endeavor  to snare a little attention, one of them, a group jump-roping troupe that may go four-high.  I would love to have seen more of them.

Spectacle?  Dancers and hand clappers circle the arena periodically in an effort to rouse the audience, which can feel somewhat hollow and obligatory. 

A trend not worthy of the “Greatest show”–  The insidious invasion of mechanics are of no help here. These tell-tale safety wires can render the user a lazier, less skilled artist, no longer needing to rely on exacting technique in order to avoid a plunge. Thus, they now can get away with being sloppier, less tautly disciplined.  The performance suffers.

Music: An amorphous recorded soundscape with a cold  heavy beat left me in a fog.  Totally unmemorable.  This, from the Greatest Show on Earth?  This from a billionaire  circus owner?  

At the  very end of the performance, Wesley alone, in street clothes, comes running across the set -- a touching human image closing out a cold, impersonal enterprise.

All of the above notwithstanding, the crowd was large and responsive. For all we know, the show may be cleaning up, in which case look for more of the same to continue.  But why do I still see widespread hostility in Yelp Reviews, still  averaging 1-1/2 stars?  (Vargas is drawing 4).

Let me close with a recent Yelper from Brian, Willow Grove, PA, May 29:

 "Save your money. The American circus is officially dead. There is no Ringmaster. There are no clowns. There is no pageantry. There is no National Anthem. You cannot buy a pennant. There are no programs sold. They won't even say: "May All Your Days Be Circus Days." They lamely announce: "May All Your Days Be Ringling Days." This costs hundreds of dollars a ticket?"

 My Rating:

Acts B+

Production values: D

May all your days be better than this one.

First published 7.14.24