Ringling Bros. announces comeback; no animal acts

MIAMI (AP) — “The Greatest Show on Earth” is making a comeback featuring

extraordinary humans and no animal acts five years after

shutting down its three-ring circus, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey announced Wednesday.

Talent teams have already conducted auditions in Argentina, Mongolia, Ethiopia, France and the United

States, with more than 1,000 performers applying to join a 50-city North American tour

starting in September 2023, and international dates to follow, according to the owner

of the historic circus, Feld Entertainment.

“For us, Ringling is about bringing the world’s talents to people’s hometowns,” the

chief operating officer, Juliette Feld Grossman, told The Associated Press in an interview. “We are entertainment for everyone and it’s important that everyone who comes to the

show finds something and someone that they

can really connect and relate to.”

The company heard from many fans after ending its 146-year run five years ago following intense criticism over its use of circus animals, and has considered their comments while re-imagining how to “keep the franchise fresh and alive,” she said.

In the new production, audiences will

become “co-collaborators” with the performers, bringing them closer to the action and creating a different experience with every show, she said.

Ringling also wants to “tell the personal

stories of the performers,” she said.

“Our performers dedicate their lives to doing oftentimes risky, very technically challenging and athletic

performances, and they do it because they are passionate about

it,” she said. “And we want our audience to

know more about them to understand

how they trained, where they came from, what inspired them to

create and develop this particular skill.”