Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Monday 22 May 2017
Ringling Bros. shuts down the big top after 146 years

TAMARA LUSH circus chaplain. “It’s a re-
Associated Press union, but it’s bittersweet.
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — I’m seeing people I haven’t
With laughter, hugs and seen in years.”
tears — and the requisite Once a mainstay of en-
death-defying stunts — the tertainment in small towns
Ringling Bros. and Barnum and big cities across the
& Bailey Circus received its country, Ringling had two
final standing ovation Sun- touring circuses this sea-
day night as it performed son, one of which ended
its last show. its run earlier this month in
“We are, forevermore, the Providence, Rhode Island
Greatest Show on Earth,” . That show was the more
boomed Johnathan Lee traditional, three-ring cir-
Iverson, who has been the cus, while the one perform-
ringmaster since 1999. His ing this weekend had a
son, who also performed, narrative storyline.
stood by his side. Called “Out of This World,”
The show was held at the it was set in futuristic outer
Nassau County Coliseum space.
in Uniondale, New York, In the end, though, Feld
about 30 miles (48 kilome- executives said they knew
ters) east of New York City. the circus couldn’t com-
It was an emotional 2 In this May 4, 2017 file photo, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus tiger trainer Taba Malu- pete with iPhones, the in-
1/2 hours for those who enda performs with a white tiger during a show in Providence, R.I. ternet, video games and
worked on the circus. Associated Press massively branded and
Many of Ringling’s employ- ris.” the lion tamers,” she said, on Sunday, with signs that carefully marketed char-
ees are second, third and Bario cried as she watched laughing through tears. said “compassion always acters. Their other pro-
even fourth-generation cir- the final big cat act with But it was those animal wins,” and “the future is ductions — Frozen on Ice,
cus performers, while oth- its leopards, tigers and Al- shows that led to the cir- animal free.” Marvel Live, Supercross,
ers met their spouses while exander Lacey, the hand- cus’ eventual demise. Feld Entertainment CEO Monster Trucks, Disney on
Over the years, animal Kenneth Feld said that Ice — resonate better with
rights activists had tar- “we all have to embrace younger generations.
geted Ringling, saying change.” But that didn’t stop the cir-
that forcing animals to Feld’s father and uncle cus from giving the perfor-
perform and transporting bought the circus in 1967. It mance of their life, one last
them around the coun- was sold to Mattel in 1971, time, to one last crowd.q
try amounted to abuse. In but the Feld family contin- ___
May 2016, the company
removed elephants from
its shows, but ticket sales
continued to decline.
People, it seemed, didn’t
want to see a circus with-
out elephants. Ringling’s
parent company, Feld En-
tertainment, announced in
Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson performs during the final January it would close the
show of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Sunday,
May 21, 2017, in Uniondale, N.Y. show, citing declining at-
Associated Press tendance and high oper-
ating costs.
touring. All spent months some animal trainer. A handful of protesters
on the road, traveling from “I’ve always had a crush on stood outside the venue
city to city in Ringling’s train
cars and describing them-
selves as a giant family, al- Tatiana Tchalabaev wipes tears from her face after the final
beit one with many clowns. show of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Sunday,
But it also was the fans who May 21, 2017, in Uniondale, N.Y.
felt like family.
Elaine Bario, a 57-year-old ued to manage the shows.
usher at the Nassau Coun- The Felds bought the circus
ty Coliseum, said she’s back in 1982.
seen the circus every time Earlier Sunday, a group of
it’s been on Long Island — retired and former circus
some years as a child with performers sat across the
her father, who also was an street at a hotel bar, laugh-
usher at the same venue. ing and hugging and shar-
“The animals, this is where ing memories of tours past.
we fell in love with them,” “There’s a lot of mixed
she said. “We got to see A clown holds up his cell phone to record the end of the final emotions, said Rev. George
show of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Sunday,
animals here and the Bronx May 21, 2017, in Uniondale, N.Y. “Jerry” Hogan, Ringling’s
Zoo. We don’t go on safa- Associated Press