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FRANK PIECES: Barnum & Bailey - New & Improved?

by FRANK O'DONNELL
May 2006

Corporations call it thinking outside the box. Applying non-traditional processes to a particular business, in an effort to rejuvenate it.

From everything I've been reading, that's exactly what the folks at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus have done. To be precise, they've been thinking outside the ring.

The 136th production of the circus is now on the road, appearing this week in Providence at The Dunk. At the end of last year, the show's producers assembled a new team to breathe some life into the show.

These were not circus people.

They are show business people.

The circus's new director, Shanda Sawyer, is an Emmy award winner, associated with shows like "Extreme Makeover" and Comedy Central's "The Man Show."

In one clipping, she promised a "magical, musical experience (that) will push the boundaries of the audiences' imagination."

So, I'm thinking a cute girl puts make-up on a plain girl, while both bounce on a trampoline in bikinis.

Colleen Atwood is the costume designer for the new circus. She won an Academy award for her costume work on "Chicago," and also worked on the soon to be released "Mission: Impossible 3." She promises a "very contemporary and compelling circus adventure."

So, picture an elephant, trying to switch a computer disc in a high-security office, while suspended on a pulley held by two showgirls in low-cut gowns and obscenely high heels singing about the horrible turns their lives have taken.

There's a Broadway producer, a cartoon writer and a Grammy show choreographer attached to the project as well.

Cool, contemporary and compelling – that's the goal. Producer Kenneth Feld says it's the biggest circus shake-up in 50 years, designed to give "families a more intimate, interactive and up-close experience."

Need more proof that this is not your father's circus anymore?

Remember the good old days, when a kid could dream about running away from home and joining the circus?

These days, all the kid has to do is visit www.ringling.com.

All the info you need about joining the circus is right there. And rest assured, they say, they are always on the lookout for new talent!

So, if you've ever dreamed of singing a Broadway showstopper while you hold a disc-swapping elephant aloft, this could be your big break!

[Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus appears at the Dunkin Donuts Center through May 7. Ticket prices run from $12 to $70. Purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com, or call The Dunk at (401) 331-2211 to reserve your seats.]