After the nostalgic blast that was "Barnum's FUNundrum," last year's spirited tour that celebrated the 200th birthday of namesake showman P.T., you might have expected Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to charge off into the future with this year's model.
But "Fully Charged," the new show that has settled into Philips Arena through Monday before heading to Gwinnett Arena late next week, feels familiar instead of forward-moving.
Which isn't a bad thing. Ringling didn't arrive at this 141st edition by reinventing itself every year, and "Fully Charged" plugs into many of its traditional strengths. Cirque du Soleil and Cavalia can push the edges of big-top production, fine. But Ringling is meat-and-potatoes entertainment, and "Fully Charged" dishes it up amply: clowns, jugglers, high-wire, daredevilry, acrobatics, aerial flights, strongmen and animal acts. (OK, not every Ringling fan is comfortable with that particular 19th-century tradition here in the 21st.)
If some of the performers strutting around in sequins even seem familiar, well, they are. Animal trainer Tabayara “Taba” Maluenda, the Chilean showman who makes the Asian elephants roll over and roaring tigers hop around on their back feet like kangaroos, is back for his fourth tour. The acrobatic Fernandez Brothers from Mexico were twirling around Philips a couple of years ago on their enormous Wheels of Steel. Safe to say, however, that agog 8-year-olds who witnessed them defy death, or at least traction, in "Zing Zang Zoom" aren't going to be fretting about an encore so soon.
And there are plenty of performers and/or performances that are fresh. China's Tianyicheng Troupe is a welcome newcomer, the 20 frenetic acrobats bouncing around and over each other on ski-like stilts (that, admittedly, some Atlantans just saw employed in Cavalia's recent "Odysseo" tour stop). A segment in which the performers are illuminated by black light, showing off their vividly hued outfits and emphasizing their splendid athleticism, lends the production some serious visual pop.
Rising ringmaster Brian Crawford Scott has the booming pipes and Pepsodent smile the role requires, but you can sense that he's still finding his own style, unlike "FUNundrum's" veteran host Johnathan Lee Iverson, who playfully promoted with every single syllable.
The one performance that elicited a now-there's-something-you-don't-see-everyday reaction from repeat customers and newcomers was Brian “The Human Fuse” Miser's flight across the Philips floor after being shot out of a giant crossbow while -- wait, it gets better! -- engulfed in orange flames. Miser's stunt is like "The Fantastic Four's" Human Torch meets Evel Knievel, and when he's aloft, it feels thrillingly dangerous. It gives solidly entertaining if somewhat routine "Fully Charged" by far its fullest charge.
Circus review
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' "Fully Charged"
At Philips Arena through Monday. 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday. $14-$130. (Does not include Ticketmaster fees.) 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
At Gwinnett Arena Feb. 23-26. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23; 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24; 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Feb. 25 and 26. $25-$130. (Does not include Ticketmaster fees.) 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
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