THE BALLOON MAN

BWW Reviews: Ringling Circus Brings Back Magic of Dragons to Bay Area

from:  broadwaytoday.com
by Harmony Wheeler
Friday, August 10, 2012
Even with all the magic and all the fun, the thing I remember most from my childhood trips to the circus is my traditional circus cup filled with delicious flavored ice. So it’s only natural that after a very long hiatus from Ringling Bros., I couldn’t help but buy one of those overpriced, albeit creatively original, souvenir icee cups Wednesday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland. And, along with a souvenir hat and free clown nose, I toted my elephant-shaped cup into the arena for an evening of pure entertainment.

Of course, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey are no Cirque du Soleil. I’ve seen a few Cirque shows for comparison – all mind-blowing and captivating – but Cirque and Ringling are completely different animals – quite literally, since Cirque has made a name for itself as a high-end circus without animals. On the other hand, “the greatest show on earth,” which makes stops in San Jose and Stockton in the coming weeks, comes with all the traditional circus acts: elephants, horses, lions, tigers, motorcycles, trapeze artists and more. And while there’s certainly an element of show and trickery in many of these acts, there’s also an element of fun missing in Cirque and an element of grandiosity that smaller traveling circuses lack.

Plus, all in all, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey know how to bring out the kid in all of us. My two friends I brought with me had little experience with the circus and, after what seemed to them like a brand new experience, I think them likely to run away with the circus in the near future.
Read more: http://sanfrancisco.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Reviews-Ringling-Circus-Brings-Back-Magic-of-Dragons-to-Bay-Area-20120810#ixzz23Ef9Sihf