The Greatest Show on Earth

Thirsty patrons stream into the lobby after a first act in comfortable, velvet-clad seats. They're ready for refreshments, but the line is long for the double-decaf mochas. The prospects look better at the croissant sandwich counter or maybe even the gift desk for a snazzy crystal kaleidoscope.

Just another soiree with the symphony, you say? Or a night at the opera?

Try ... the circus. These days, ordinary peanuts and popcorn are out. The popcorn is gourmet, and the nuts are elegantly candied. Elephants? Don't even think about them. If the one-ring or no-ring event even has a four-footed performer, odds are the creature will be playing a role like Pegasus, a magnificent steed with a streaming white mane brought out for nothing other than acting a part in a dream sequence.

"It's a new economic formula," says Fred Dahlinger, director of collections and research at the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wis., home to Ringling Brothers from 1884 to 1918. "The future of the circus audience is probably not with the masses," he says, pointing to the proliferation of pricier, more theatrical-style circuses such as Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Ingenieux, and Barnum's Kaleidoscape. "It's more the type who support ballet, symphonies, and other cultural stuff."

Because of this shift, Mr. Dahlinger says, the circus in America is being transformed from mere entertainment into an event more like the circuses in Europe, where they are considered an art form.

He points out that the large, three-ring circus typical of the late-19th century in the United States has been on the decline. One hundred years ago, more than 105 big, traveling circuses crisscrossed the nation. Today, that number is below two dozen.

"We still have the two big Ringling Brothers troupes," he says, that draw close to 10 million patrons each year. But it's the smaller, more theatrical-style troupes that represent the growth arena for the circus world today.

Under an elegant tent constructed in a parking lot behind high-rises in Century City, Calif., recently, Barnum's Kaleidoscape drew sellout crowds night after night at $48 for an upholstered ringside sofa seat. The "pavilion," as the arena is called, is carpeted, and the program lists the performers' biographies, such as one would find in a theater program. The top clown of the show, David Larible, is touted as "internationally recognized as the world's leading Renaissance clown."

Sylvia Zerbini, who rides a trapeze and works with a team of dazzling white horses, says she is "happy to finally bring this kind of dramatic theatrical-style cirque to the US."

More sophisticated audiences are also driving the development of the new circuses. Acts today face stiff competition from other forms of entertainment and a savvy audience, accustomed to technical wizardry from Hollywood films and TV.

Cirque du Soleil, regarded as largely responsible for the new trend in narrative, dramatic circus acts, is known for eye-popping gymnastic feats. These acrobatic stunts are now a prominent part of many other shows such as Kaleidoscape, Cirque Ingenieux, and the Big Apple Circus.

Barnum's Golden Statues are three gilded Moroccan men who perform slow-motion acts of strength and daring-do. The lead statue, Amine Goutabi, can carry the weight of 10 men, or 1,400 pounds, on his shoulders, an ability that won him a prize at an Italian circus festival. Other acts, in the tradition of Cirque du Soleil, create an ensemble performance with a theme or narrative.

Rancho Mirage, Calif., resident Harvey Lubov and his companion are here to relive the circus-watching experience of their youth, more than a few decades ago, he says laughing.

Mr. Lubov dubs the luxury circus fare "the best of both worlds. It's intimate and theatrical, but it still has that 'wow' quality of the big circus."

Circus afficionado Dahlinger says the circus business is stronger today than it has been since World War II. "There's a real awakening among the aging baby boomers of their traditional values," he says. "We all want what we had when we were young."

As a consequence, there is a growing consciousness that circuses are a legitimate art form. He suggests that the interest in the high-end circus experience is also broadening support for the traditional three-ring format.

"The best way to look at this is there's more than one successful formula for staging a circus," Dahlinger says.

Irvin Mohler, secretary-treasurer of Circus Fans of America in Atlanta, agrees, comparing circuses to musical theater. "There's room for the glitzy Ziegfeld show, but there's also room for the serious Sondheims," he argues.

Freelance aerialist and ringmaster Heidi Herriott says that most mainstream circuses have been affected by the cirque trends.

"Our circuses have gone more theatrical, with lighting and effects," she says. But she adds, at its heart the circus is still a democratic entertainment, attracting all ages and classes.

That is confirmed by one eight-year-old at Kaleidoscape, who gets up from his crushed-velvet seat saying, "What's not to like? Strong men, beautiful women, great food."

Grandparent-aged Marjorie Burg nods and adds just one word between bites of her gourmet ice cream bar: "Wow."

New-style 'cirque' circuses

BARNUM'S KALEIDOSCAPE

www.barnumsk.com

San Mateo, Calif.

(San Francisco Bay area)

Through July 25.

Minneapolis, The Mall of America

Aug. 11 - Sept. 12.

BIG APPLE CIRCUS

www.bigapplecircus.org

Hanover, N.H., Fullington Farm

July 14-18.

Shelburne, Vt., Shelburne Museum

July 22-26.

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

www.cirquedusoleil.com

Toronto, July 29.

Santa Monica, Calif., Sept. 23.

Orange County (Irvine, Calif.), Dec. 2.

Future dates:

San Jose, Calif., Spring 2000

Denver, Summer 2000

Dallas/Forth Worth, Fall 2000

Boston, Summer 2001

Chicago, Summer 2001

CIRQUE INGENIEUX

www.cirquetour.com

Just completed part of its 1999 US tour. Fall tour dates will be announced shortly.