‘Barnum’ gives viewers a chance to see a circus without animal acts.

When the youthful, 43-member cast began rehearsing the musical “Barnum” seven weeks ago, some of the members were gymnasts who had never acted, singers who had never stepped off a choir riser and actors with no experience singing or dancing.

However, when the curtain goes up on the show at 8 tonight at El Camino College for a weekend run of “Barnum,” everyone on stage will be singing and dancing. And many will also be juggling, tumbling, riding unicycles and doing handsprings.

David Krinitt, the 19-year-old playing the title role, will even walk--and kneel--on a tightrope while singing a catchy number about the legendary showman’s desire to do something big with his life.

“I want to wow the audience with the capabilities of the kids, let them see that a lot of work has gone into this,” said director-choreographer Doug Vasquez, who has staged many South Bay school and community theater productions. “We didn’t just give them box steps to do.”

Giving young people a chance to have fun and show off their talents is what “Barnum” is all about, according to David’s mother, Laura Krinitt of Curtains Up, the youth theater group that is producing the show under sponsorship of the college’s Gilbert & Sullivan Club.

“We were founded to provide young people with a full experience with theater,” Laura Krinitt said. “No one hides. Everybody participates.”

She said that even if some of the young people never think about being Broadway stars, they come away with a feeling of their own success. “So many youth these days don’t have an opportunity for good, healthy fun,” she said.

Most of the show’s performers are high school and college students from the Palos Verdes Peninsula and El Segundo, but the cast includes people from Long Beach and the San Fernando Valley. There is also a 19-piece orchestra.

Vasquez describes this production of “Barnum” as a circus without animal acts and says that he has tried to give it a feeling of spontaneity. “The important thing is to keep it exciting from the beginning and still be doing something new at the end,” he said.

The set depicts a big top, and there is a circus wagon and star-spangled platforms. In one number, the chorus enters down the side aisles of El Camino’s Marsee Auditorium.

In the finale, performers go on and off stage and change costumes two or three times. “I want the illusion of 400 people in the circus,” Vasquez said.

And half an hour before each performance, people arriving at the theater will be greeted by cast members juggling, clowning, miming and tumbling.

“Barnum” is loosely based on the life of the 19th-Century showman who not only lent his name to a circus that still performs but achieved fame presenting such attractions as the midget Tom Thumb and “The Swedish Nightingale,” Jenny Lind.

A large chorus is a focal point of the show, and Vasquez said it challenges the young performers because they “get to tap a lot of different feelings and emotions reacting to Barnum.”

David Krinitt learned to walk the high wire for the show. But although he says “it’s scary up there” eight feet off the ground, capturing Barnum’s personality has been harder work. “He’s a lot like a child. One second he’s sad, the next second he’s happy and springs around. Most of the characters I’ve played have been very set in their moods,” the El Camino theater major said.

Several cast members said they have formed new friendships being in the show. And for Jason Baker, a 21-year-old Long Beach City College student, “Barnum” has sparked an interest in studying theater. “It’s so much fun, but it’s hard work,” he said.

For his part, Vasquez said, “I want the audience to leave feeling uplifted the kids to leave feeling that after seven weeks of hard work, they have a show to be proud of.”

Until now, Curtains Up--which was formed only a year ago--has produced its shows in various Palos Verdes Peninsula school auditoriums. “Barnum” is its first venture in the South Bay flatlands and in an auditorium the size of Marsee.

Said Laura Krinitt: “It really is a big move for us, but it seemed to be the right place. We have a lot of talented young people doing something they love to do in the summertime.”

What: “Barnum.”

Where: El Camino College Marsee Auditorium, Crenshaw and Redondo Beach boulevards, Torrance.

When: tonight, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m.

Admission: evenings, $12; matinees, $10 adults, $8 children; $2 senior discounts.

Information: 377-5903; 377-0069.