Rebooted Ringling Bros. show born in Manatee County aims to fill arenas

By Mark Gordon
| 3:00 p.m. September 27, 2023
| 2 Free Articles Remaining!

Dmytro Nikolenko is part of Equivokee, a comedic trio from Ukraine. The trio, according to Feld Entertainment, "introduces a unique blend of physical comedy and a modern take on circus classics like dance, juggling, mime and more."

Manatee-Sarasota

It's been 16 months since Feld Entertainment announced plans to reboot the “Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.” Manatee County-based live production and performance giant Feld Entertainment has spent that past year and change in preparation mode, from casting to scripting to rehearsing.

The result is a show titled “The Greatest Show on Earth,” scheduled to debut Sept. 29 in Louisiana. After that comes a 50-city North American tour with stops from Phoenix to Philadelphia. A Florida swing, with stops in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and South Florida, is scheduled for January.

The original show, under the Ringling name, ran for 146 years, through 2017. Feld Entertainment removed elephants from the show in 2016, and company officials later said a drop in ticket sales sans elephants was greater than expected, which led to the eventual shuttering of the show. One thing the audience won’t find is a circus. The word circus isn’t part of the show this time around, in branding, marketing or even the name.

Luis Leonardo Sosa is an Argendance performer.

Feld Entertainment officials allowed a Business Observer photographer to spend a recent September morning inside the Palmetto facility, documenting the controlled chaos of show preparation. Some of the details and behind-the-scenes information for “The Greatest Show" include:

Auditions for "The Greatest Show On Earth" took place in countries including Ethiopia, France, Mongolia, Argentina and the United States. More than 4,000 applications and digital submissions were received.
The cast will consist of 75 performers. Acts include aerial, acrobatics, world dance, music and comedy.
Performers hail from more than 18 countries including Ethiopia, Mongolia, Ukraine, Argentina, Cuba, Italy, Spain, Canada and the U.S.
The show includes just over 50 crew members. The entire show will travel in about 27 semi-trucks.

Dorjsuren Tumurbaatar (George) and Munkhsaikhan Ariunsaikhan are part of a group of performers from Mongolia.

Costume designers in Feld Entertainment's costume department are part of a large group of support behind the scenes.

Munke Erenden (Morty), Sedia M Ramirez Lobaina (Maite) and Bat Erenden (Uudes) warming up before a dress rehearsal performance.

Julio and Maite, an acrobatic hand-to-hand duo from Cuba, rehearse a head balancing act before a dress rehearsal.

Show time

Acts for the “The Greatest Show on Earth” include:

Triangular high wire: An all-new triangular formation 25-feet above the arena floor will descend from the ceiling. Features four performers from the Lopez Family, hailing from Mexico and Chile.
Criss-Cross trapeze: A crisscross aerial trapeze with in-act change in platform setting that introduces “catchers, big tricks and extra “wow moments” for the audience, including a double-layout-bar-to-bar set of somersaults seen for the first time by U.S. audiences,” according to a Feld Entertainment statement.
Tallest unicycle: Wesley Williams, dubbed the One Wheel Wonder, will “give multiple unique unicycles a spin around the show floor, the tallest setting a record at over 34 feet,” says Feld Entertainment.
Stunt bikes: A compilation of four BMX riders, one Trial Bike and an extreme unicycle will wheel across the show floor in what Feld calls a “street-culture-inspired act.”
Robotic performer: Feld Entertainment will also be Introducing, Bailey, what it calls a “robotic quadruped and the audience’s soon-to-be new (and adorable) best friend. A true part of the cast, Bailey will be spotted around the arena floor getting into mischief and having fun with Nick Nack before joining the full cast in dynamic choreography.”

author

Mark Gordon

Mark Gordon is the managing editor of the Business Observer. He has worked for the Business Observer since 2005. He previously worked for newspapers and magazines in upstate New York, suburban Philadelphia and Jacksonville.