By Keith Loria
There’s been a lot of big news coming out of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus the last couple of years. First, after years of protests from animal rights group, the circus retired elephants from its productions, sending them to a reserve in Florida., The absence of elephants led to a further decline in ticket sales, which already has been slowing down in recent years. That led Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus, to announce that Ringling Bros. was shutting down the big top for good. A performance on Long Island scheduled for May 21 will end a run of 146 years., But before it closes, the Greatest Show on Earth will be heading to the Sun National Bank Center for its final performances in the area, March 17-19., Front and center for all the action is ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson, a former opera singer who has been with Ringling Bros. for a more than 15 years. He puts his operatic skills to work throughout the circus, beginning with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and peppering in songs., Naturally, he’s sad to see the circus coming to an end, but says it’s going out on top, with one of its best shows ever., “Before this was going to be a swan song, it was going to be a new chapter of something we thought would be really wonderful and spectacular,” Iverson says. “The show is fantastic. It’s awash in new technology but it’s still led by the traditional spectacle of being the Greatest Show on Earth. It continues to have that wow factor.”, The theme this year is Out of This World, and the circus will feature a “circus space fleet” on a heroic quest of good versus evil that will let imaginations run wild with unexpected surprises and thrills at every turn. Scheduled to appear are high-wire performers, strongmen, trampoline daredevils, inconceivable contortionists and an international assembly of more than 100 performers. And of course, the clowns., “We’ve been able to attract some extraordinary talent and have our timeless favorites,” Iverson says. “Of course we have our lions and tigers, and we have the world’s greatest menagerie, with rescue dogs, kangaroos, llamas, prancing pigs, miniature donkeys and more.”, Iverson’s favorite act involves the Torres family and the Globes of Steel, dynamic daredevils on motorcycles who thrill audiences with a jaw-dropping display of engine-growling extremes as they crowd, one by one, into the claustrophobic cage of courage, a 16-foot-wide “vortex of ice.”, “This year they push the limit and take it up a notch. We have eight motorcycles and five globes,” he says. “We have a lot of wonderful things, and though they may be traditional, we always push the limits and offer something fresh. There’s always new territory to conquer and a new plateau to go to.”, For the first time ever, the circus will also feature thrill skaters as the floor transitions to ice., “With the ice, we are able to add an element that really delves into technology and uses projection. We’re in outer space, so we really turn the entire arena into a galaxy all of its own, which is wonderful,” Iverson says. “We have these fantastic ice skaters, who come from a Chinese city where they hold ice festivals in winter. These are some excellent, dynamic skaters. I had no idea you could skate in stilts.”, Another highlight of the show is the King Charles Troupe, the only professional unicycle variety basketball act in the country, who will be performing on bikes with spikes for the ice element of the show. One of those performing is Kaseem Alamudeen of Trenton, who is looking forward to performing in his home city., “They’re the longest-running act in Ringling Bros. history, and there’s no act like them on the planet,” Iverson says. “They’re featuring for the first time a young lady [Aaniya Raphiel] whose grandfather was part of the original troupe. So it’s really wonderful to see how this circus works, it goes from generation to generation to generation.”, With the end now in sight — Iverson is just trying to make every night more special than the next., “It’s not about what I’m taking out of it, it’s about what I’m giving,” he says. “Artists by nature are used to moving on and shows ending. Unlike most shows though, we travel together and live together. We have generations of families with us on the road. I’ve enjoyed this culture for 18 years, and it’s not a bitter thing for me, but I will miss being a part of this family.”, The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will perform at the Sun National Bank Center, 81 Hamilton Ave., Trenton, March 17-19. Tickets cost $15-$70; sunnationalbankcenter.com.
