Atlantans will have one last chance to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus before the iconic circus closes forever this year after 146 years.
The circus plans to finish its current tour which ends in May in Providence, R.I.
In metro Atlanta, the circus is scheduled at Philips Arena now through Feb. 20, 2017,and Duluth’s Infinite Energy Arena from Feb. 23-March 5. (See details below)
Tickets are selling fast for the last shows for the "The Greatest Show on Earth." For tickets, go to www.ringling.com/tickets-schedules/
A recent performance featuring exotic animals, bright costumes and awe-inspiring acrobats wowed a sold-out crowd at Philips.
The circus has been a staple of entertainment in the United States since the mid-1800s. Phineas Taylor Barnum made a traveling spectacle of animals and human oddities popular, while the five Ringling brothers performed juggling acts and skits from their home base in Wisconsin. Eventually, they merged and the modern circus was born. The sprawling troupes traveled around America by train, wowing audiences with the sheer scale of entertainment and exotic animals.
By midcentury, the circus was routine, wholesome family entertainment. But as the 20th century went on, kids became less and less enthralled. Movies, television, video games and the internet captivated young minds.
Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, the producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, announced the closing a couple months ago.“Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop. This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company,” Feld said in a statement.
The Feld family bought the Ringling circus in 1967. The show was just under 3 hours then. Today, the show is 2 hours and 7 minutes, with the longest segment — a tiger act — clocking in at 12 minutes.
The 2017 show Circus Xtreme includes the first-ever woman ringmaster, Kristen Michelle Wilson, who took over recently when the show was in Orlando.
Circus Xtreme includes a mix of long-time favorite acts include the human cannonball and high-wire acts but also includes newer elements such as freestyle running (tumblers) who run off of walls and BMX riders.
Bruce Ailion of Marietta feels sad about the circus coming to a close. He said while he understands the heightened concern about the welfare of circus animals, particularly elephants, he’s disappointed that the circus can’t continue without elephants.
“I would go without the elephants,” he said. “I would say (the elephants) was a piece of the experience, but think of it this way, would you go to a party without Champagne?”
Ailion, a 59-year-old father to five kids ranging in age from 16 to 29, has taken all of his kids to the circus, and it was always a special moment in their lives.
“I don’t know what percent of parents who took their kids to the circus — was it 50 percent or 20 or 10 percent — but for those who did, it was an iconic, first experience. There’s the first step your child takes, the first baseball game, and there’s that first circus.”
Ailion fondly remembers going to a circus as a child with his family, and then as an adult, enjoying the circus with his kids, and he had always envisioned taking his future grandchildren. He enjoyed the animal tricks, the human cannonball act, the high-wire acts, and of course the treats, the peanuts, the cotton candy, and, he added with a laugh, “those vendors, I remember you just had to have that flashlight with a lion’s head that spun around.”
But the circus also had its share of opponents.
Feld and his daughter Juliette Feld, who is the company’s chief operating officer, acknowledged the targeting by activists who say forcing animals to perform is cruel and unnecessary played a major role in the circus closing.
That time a zebra broke free in downtown Atlanta.
Feld and his daughter Juliette Feld, who is the company's chief operating officer, acknowledged the targeting by activists who say forcing animals to perform is cruel and unnecessary also played a major role in the circus closing.
In May of 2016, after a long and costly legal battle, the company removed the elephants from the shows and sent the animals to live on a conservation farm in Central Florida. In 2014, Feld Entertainment won $25.2 million in settlements from groups including the Humane Society of the United States, ending a 14-year fight over allegations that circus employees mistreated elephants.
The Felds say their existing animals — lions, tigers, camels, donkeys, alpacas, kangaroos and llamas — will go to suitable homes, according to the Associated Press. Juliette Feld says the company will continue operating the Center for Elephant Conservation.
»»RELATED:South Georgia ranch to become elephant sanctuary
Some 500 people perform and work on both touring shows. A handful will be placed in positions with the company's other, profitable shows — it owns Monster Jam, Disney on Ice and Marvel Live, among other things — but most will be out of a job. Juliette Feld said the company will help employees with job placement and resumes. In some cases where a circus employee lives on the tour rail car (the circus travels by train), the company will also help with housing relocation.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CIRCUS COMING TO A CLOSE. LET US KNOW:
holiviero@ajc.com
RECOMMENDED VIDEO: The big top comes down: Ringling Bros. circus is closing
EVENT PREVIEW
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Presents Circus Xtreme
Now through Feb. 20. $15-$65. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
Feb. 23-March 5. $15-$65. Infinite Energy Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. 770-626-2464, www.InfiniteEnergyCenter.com.
-The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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