Circus thrills

• By LISA TRAMONTANA
• News Features staff writer
• Published: Jun 27, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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  Let’s get this show on the road.

  It’s an adage that has particular meaning for the circus performers who log thousands of miles a year as they travel from city to city with their fascinating animal acts, comedy shows and acrobatic performances.

  Fortunately for locals, that road show, better known as the “greatest show on Earth,” has made its way to Baton Rouge.  Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey’s Boom-A-Ring will be held at the Baton Rouge River Center today through Sunday.

  Jason Gibson, production manager, arrived in Baton Rouge earlier this week and immediately went to work setting up for the show and preparing for the 110-member cast and crew. “I feel like a kid again … every day,” Gibson said. “The whole reason we’re here is to put smiles on people’s faces. What a great job!”

  Circus performers are the ultimate goodwill ambassadors, with a gift for entertaining kids of all ages. So Gibson promises an unforgettable show.

   “The audience excitement is great for this show,” he said. “They throw that energy back at the performers. The pace is quick and the action is non-stop.”

   VIP seating offers an up-close and personal view of the show. “Just imagine being 8 to 10 feet away from a 9,000-lb. elephant … it’s amazing,” Gibson said. “Or being that close and hearing the tigers roar. It makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.”

    He’s referring to the three Asian elephants and the six white Bengal tigers that take the stage during the show. “For a little flair, we also have the five dachsund dogs who hop through hurdles and put on a little show of their own,” he said.

   The high-wire action usually gets the same response. It literally takes your breath away. “We have a wheel of steel act, which is like a double hamster wheel,” Gibson said. “The acrobats are doing flips and jumping rope inside. It’s great entertainment.”

   By the time the show begins,  it all looks easy and effortless, but a lot of work goes into the setup of each show, said publicist Jillian Collett.

   Boom-A-Ring is like a traveling city with the cast and crew lugging 500 tons of equipment transported in specially designed wagons. Equipment is laid on the floor, attached to guy wires and arranged into appropriate lighting fixtures, trapezes, rope ladders, and aerial apparatus. Each production requires about eight miles of rope and wire.

   Animals are brought into the arena, props are put into place, performers get into their costumes and makeup, and the lights start blinking. It usually takes 14 hours, Collett said, to set up the show.

   Boom-A-Ring often sends “ambassadors of laughter” into communities a few weeks before the circus arrives. In early June, those ambassadors visited several EBR Parish libraries  with special programs like “Reading With Ringling,” “Science of the Circus” and “CircusFit.”