BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus unveiled their new “Legends” show at the Barclays Center – and, true to sequined form, it lived up to its ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ billing!
The ENQUIRER was there to see what new tricks the circus bosses could come up with — now in their amazing 144-year run – and for 2 ½ hours it was a pure seat-of-the-pants wild ride.
And while word swept America that there’s suddenly of shortage of clowns (who knew?), The ENQUIRER can exclusively reveal that there were more than enough at Barclays as the show went from one major high-wire thrill to another!
One of the absolute highlights came from the Torreses troupe from Paraguay as eight of them pulled off their choreographed craziness inside a 16-foot steel spherical cage by crisscrossing in every direction on motorcycles!
Super cool!
Of course, there were also female acrobats, roaring lions and tigers, unicorns, elephants, tightrope walkers, little dogs and even “the Great Woolly Mammouth” – all under the direction of the Johnathan Lee Iverson, who is Ringling’s first African-American ringmaster!
(By the way, don’t tell the kiddies that the Woolly Mammouth is really just an elephant in drag with fake fur!)
But what a show it was for the iconic circus, which has its place firmly in pop culture history and even inspired the Academy Award for Best Picture for 1952.
It was Cecil B. DeMille who directed the movie “The Greatest Show on Earth,” starring Charles Heston as the circus manager and James Stewart as “Buttons the Clown.” Betty Hutton was a trapeze artist.
In addition to the actors, the real Ringling Bros. circus troupe of 1951 appeared in the film.
And as far as the real thing goes, Ringling continues to take its “Legends” edition on the road all over the USA through March 2015.
For more info: www.ringling.com
