Ringling Bros. flips script for the TikTok generation

ONTARIO

The circus is back with a focus on stunts and a lightning pace

A skyscraping unicycle will be among the props used by Ringling performers during a trio of stops this month in Southern California. Animal acts that proved controversial have been replaced. PHOTOS COURTESY OF FELD ENTERTAINMENT

Customers will see a faster pace than what the old Ringling Bros. presented, with lighting changes every few seconds, and can expect images on screens as well.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which went dark for years after struggling for relevance, has been brought back to life with an emphasis on high-flying acts like tumbling and trapeze.

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By Charlie Vargas

cvargas@scng.com

Before TikTok challenges and Netflix binging, entertainment rolled into town via a traveling circus.

A circus show of yore might feature jesters powdered in clown makeup, lions alongside their daring tamers, and trapeze artists launching themselves through the air. But times have changed, and now the circus is modernizing its act.

Once a staple in entertainment, the circus has struggled to maintain its relevance partly because of the rise of new media and cultural shifts.

One of the best-known circuses, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, tried to grapple with this new age but still faced obstacles, including accusations of mistreatment by animal rights activists, which prompted Ringling to end animal acts in 2016.

However, just a year later, the decline in ticket sales led to the final curtain call for the iconic circus company after 146 years. Then came the pandemic, which gave the production time to reimagine the show. Last September, the circus announced its revival.

Now, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is back in town with stops at Toyota Arena in Ontario next weekend, Honda Center in Anaheim from Aug. 16-18 and Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles from Aug. 23-25.

The revitalized show’s goal is to astonish existing fans who have adjusted to a world of prevailing screens, as well as a brand-new audience who have never known a world without them.

According to unicyclist and circus performer Wesley Williams, the show is updated but still Ringling at its core, with that same magical feeling of the circus coming into town. “We’ve reimagined it to appeal to audiences in 2024. The show moves so fast and is intended to move at the speed of TikTok.”

The two-hour show includes a robotic dog named Bailey, plus 75 performers who run through 50 acts that showcase aerial moves, acrobatics, world dance, BMX riding, music, comedy and more.

While some of these performances seem more in line with circus tradition, the production promises modern appeal. Other features include three stages, one of which is a rotating turntable equipped with screens that aim to enhance performances.

Attendees can also expect a lighting shift every 3.5 seconds meant to hold their attention, along with interactive social media throughout the show.

The program’s most thrilling acts, organizers say, will include two simultaneously spinning wheels of destiny, with performers jumping from one to the other about 30 feet in the air, and flying trapeze artists who crisscross each other. There are also three people walking on a wire that’s no thicker than a dime 40 feet in the air, and a human rocket who will shoot across the arena at 65 mph.

“They’re performing these superhuman feats every day, and that’s what people come to the circus to see. They want to see stuff that they’ve never seen before. That’s the theme of this show,” Williams said. “There’s something for everyone. Whether you’re 1 or 101, there will be something that you love and enjoy.”

Among the kids who were awestruck by Ringling Bros. was Williams, who saw his first show in Sunrise, Florida, decades ago. He’s now on the circus roster riding multiple unique unicycles, the tallest of which set a Guinness World Record at over 34 feet.

He remembers watching a VHS tape of the circus repeatedly as a child until it wore out. His family hosted several circus-themed birthday parties complete with clowns. Williams was determined to one day pick up his belongings and join the traveling troupe, and one Christmas, his parents got him a unicycle that set that dream in motion.

By age 6, he was comfortable on a single wheel and wanted to showcase his skills to an audience. After he turned 8, he began putting together his own unicycle shows and performing them at neighborhood birthday parties. His shows eventually turned national and international, taking him to Russia, Germany and France.

Williams showcased his act on “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2020, where he rode a unicycle nearly as giant as the whole stage while he juggled knives. He made it to the semifinals in the 14th season before elimination, but despite being on TV, he still yearned for the circus.

“When Ringling closed, I thought the thing I set out to do on this journey wouldn’t be achievable. Then, just a couple of years later, it’s back, and I couldn’t imagine what 6-year-old Wesley would think because not only am I in the show unicycling like I love, but I’m also entertaining,” he said.

Feld Entertainment, the family company that runs the circus, encountered Williams in Monaco and started the enrollment process with him in July 2023.

When they heard his story, the team decided they wanted him to keep his name rather than use a stage moniker. They asked him to play a character based on his own story, that of an audience member who joins the circus and begins his first day at the show.

“As I go along in my life (in the show), I get bigger and better and more unique and at the end of the show, it’s celebrated in the biggest way possible with the tallest rideable unicycle. I’m grateful for everything that has come my way, and the opportunity to be part of Ringling is one thing, but to be in this role and have it catered around my story and who I am is incredible.”