April 6th, 2017 by Stinkhead
Ringling Bros’ final visit to Washington DC was last weekend and we got to go check it out. This tour’s theme is Out of this World and features a fantastic, cosmic flare. I loved all the planets, and astronauts, and intergalactic travel. A new twist was the inclusion of ice on portions of the floor. The clowns and acrobats incorporated seemingly effortless skating into their feats and tricks. Yes, the elephants have been retired, and they were missed, but the circus prevailed and the show went on, for this weekend and families in the DC area.
One of the things I enjoyed, was the creative “recycling” of props. We’ve seen these large bubbles with acrobats inside, hanging from the ceiling before, but this time they were disguised as planets (see above) for a good part of the opening. The planets drapes dropped and the galactic girls inside started doing their contortions. There were astronauts balancing a bicycle on a spinning structure we’ve seen before, but the performance was fresh. They moved in slow and stilted moves as if they were in zero gravity.
It did seem clear that the storyline was planned out before it was decided that this would be the final tour ever. I know this is a show for kids and families, and I wasn’t expecting a weepy conclusion to the 146 year history of the circus, but I was waiting for some type of “nod” that this was the end. It’s all good.
My family enjoyed the acrobatics, the clowns, and the stunts. We missed the elephants a little, but it wasn’t a show stopper. Actually, the elephants were a showstopper in the past. They were bigger than anything else you saw prior, and it capped off the circus as part of a huge finale. Without the elephants, I wanted the finale to make up for it.
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