Ringling Bros. brings acrobats, animals and clowns to Southland
In an entertainment culture obsessed with the supernatural, where selling to Twihards, Potterheads and comic enthusiasts demands action further and further divorced from actual human ability, perhaps nothing shocks like the circus. When these performers fly through the air, wield their magic wands and harness the power of terrible beasts, it’s no fantasy — these things are really happening, right there on the sawdust of the arena.
And because they’re real, the skill involved is awe-inspiring. The 118 multinational performers in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus show “Fully Charged,” through Sunday at Staples Center and other area arenas in the weeks that follow, specialize in the unimaginable.
Members of the Danguir high-wire troupe from Russia, Spain and Morocco challenge gravity as they dance, leap and build human pyramids while balancing on thin wires. The strongmen that make up the Brothers of Brawn consume 7,500 calories a day to fuel their superhuman strength, lifting tons, and the Tianyicheng Troupe, the 20-member group from China’s Henan province, reaches heights of 16 feet in the air on stilts as performers leap across the arena floor. The circus’ 141st edition, led by ringmaster Brian Crawford Scott, features performers from 17 countries such as Brazil, Kazakhstan and Trinidad.
“We are in the digital era where getting fully charged usually means powering up the phone, computer or gaming device,” producer Nicole Feld said. “There is nothing like the charge you feel with a trip to the greatest show on earth.”
Part of the charge is audience excitement and interaction, as performers play with the spectators and feed off the energy under the big top. This is not exactly passive entertainment.
The show’s most electrifying act may be the Human Fuse, 30-year-circus veteran Brian Miser. The former trapeze artist spent four months building a steel-and-aluminum human crossbow.
“People are not really sure what’s going to happen when they see me laying on it,” Miser said. “Then all of the sudden I explode into flames and I fly across the arena on fire.”
Enduring an acceleration force measuring seven Gs, Miser says he travels a distance of 160 feet through the air above the arena at 65 mph while licks of bright orange flame engulf his black suit.
“As I’m flying through the air, I do a flip and rotate, kind of like superman,” Miser joked. He’s no stranger to dangerous feats, having been shot out of cannons in numerous acts before, but he’s adamant that this act is his best yet.
Miser and his fellow performers join a full cast of animal performers, which include Asian elephants, Bengal tigers, zebras and horses. Animal trainer Tabayara Maluenda leads the pachyderms in a dance, rides the speedy stallions and doesn’t shy away from the claws and fangs of the tigers.
With gut-clenching acts happening everywhere — by trapeze artists, the Human Fuse and death-defying acrobats on a contraption called the twin turbines of steel — the funny faces of Clown Alley provide some comedy relief. The other cool thing about a good circus is that it never loses touch with its centuries-old roots as a traveling theatrical road show. After all, what would a circus be without the old fake-bucket-of-water-on-the-front-row gag?
Ringling’s resident clown troupe is made up of men and women who entertain in size 28EEEEE shoes and pounds of face makeup. At just 24 years old, Dustin Portillo leads the group as Boss Clown. Portillo and his fellow funnymen narrate the show, offering parodies of the circus acts.
“We are the salt and pepper throughout the performance,” Portillo said. “We walk around with one-liner gags, perform parodies of all the first-half acts and help keep the story line moving through.”
This year’s performance answers the old question, “How many clowns does it take to change a light bulb?” as eight clowns attempt to fix an oversized bulb using different ladder routines and slapstick.
“All our acts are pretty spectacular and different than anything you’ve ever seen before,” Portillo said. “We play arenas where there are 10,000 people, so the audience screaming and chanting is something to be amazed by.”
The fun starts an hour before the show at the Power Up pre-show party, where circus-goers can meet the performers, take pictures and learn some skills of their own.
Sounds like enough to pause that game of Angry Birds — at least for a couple of hours.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus ‘Fully Charged’
Where: Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St.
When: July 20-24
Price: $15-100
Info: (800) 745-3000; https://www.ringling.com
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