The Greatest Show Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey Circus Brings All Three Rings Of Enchantment, Action And Entertainment To Spokane’s New Arena

For 125 years, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has boasted it is “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

That’s a statement of confidence, especially considering all of the other forms of entertainment available. But at the performance I attended at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif., Ringling Bros. did, indeed, deliver “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

This incarnation packed more awesome thrills, dazzling displays and laugh-inciting shenanigans into a 2-1/2 hour performance than one could possibly digest.

To cram everything in, the circus moved at a feverish pace, which complemented the up-tempo, high-energy acts. In other words Ringling Bros. doesn’t waste any time luring the audience into the action.

We saw mind-boggling acrobatics, stunning tumbling exercises, whimsical dancing, elegantly choreographed horse stunts and aerial endeavors as well as clown acts, bicycle tricks and elephants. And that was all in the first half.

The circus commenced with a grand parade. Every performer in the extravagant production, from the elephants to dancers (with the exception of the Bengal tigers) marched out, waved to admirers, completed a couple of laps and filled the entire floor area.

After seeing the immense number of people it takes to pull one of these shows off, you develop a profound appreciation for the Ringling Bros. organization.

Ringling Bros. showed remarkable balance with its displays. There are plenty of traditional acts in the show - trapeze displays, animal tricks, acrobatics and clown buffoonery - to satisfy the purists. And, there’s a host of more modern, perilous attractions, such as the “Globe of Death,” freestyle BMX riders and the “Wheel of Death,” to please the high-action-demanding young audience.

You have to admire the motorcycle riders of the “Globe of Death.” No matter how choreographed it is, any time you put three motorcycles into a steel globe and let them race around, there is the possibility of an accident.

A circus favorite is the trapeze artists, so it wasn’t surprising that in Sacramento, “The Flying Pages,” a family of aerialists, were one of the night’s most stupendous and graceful spectacles.

Even with a safety net spread below them, “The Flying Pages” made every twirl, twist, tumble and somersault look gravely dangerous.

Also exciting was the 19th display of the evening, the “Bounteous Bar-Bounding.”

In all three rings, separate groups of gymnastic aerialists from three countries flung themselves into the air with the assistance of pliant bars and male holders. Airborne, they executed magnificent tumbles. None of this, however, was as magnificent as the gymnasts landing on the bar on their toes. Further, there wasn’t a safety net or restraining harness preventing any of the performers from falling to the ground.

(During warm-ups, the gymnastic group from the People’s Republic of China were pulling off the same moves on stilts. Unfortunately, none of their aerialists tried this during the show.)

The bewilderment continued with “Elastic Fantastics,” a display that melds trapeze artistry with ballet and bungee cord jumping.

With only the neon on their suits illuminated by the black lighting, the aerialists danced, whirled, soared through the air like flying ballerinas.

It was, indeed, an entertaining evening.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: THE CIRCUS! Joe Ehrbar reviewed the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus during the run of performances in Sacramento, Calif., last week. The circus performs in Spokane Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m., 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets are $14.50, $12.50 and $10.50 and are available at G&B outlets.