Bailey Circus

Hurry, hurry, step right up! Come see incredible sideshow sensations! Witness the unbelievable Siamese Twins Chang and Eng, joined at the breastbone; or marvel at Alexandrinos, the Tattooed Man -- even his eyelids and ears are covered with elaborate designs!"

105 years of shows. 90,000 pounds of elephants. And a bunch of shoes, size 28EEEEE. For the clowns, of course. When it comes to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, an entertainment extravaganza that routinely, without being challenged, bills itself as "The Greatest Show on Earth," the numbers alone tell quite a story. There is, for example, 118. That's the number of performers involved in putting on "Fully Charged," the circus show that will be playing at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena through April 1. They include 25-year-old ringmaster Brian Crawford Scott, among the youngest in the circus' century-plus history; 2 juggling Fusco Brothers, Emiliano and Maximiliano, whose act includes juggling flaming clubs in the dark while standing back-to-back; and 1 Sean Davis, a clown with a degree (really!

I always wanted to be big," he says. "I always just had some vision in my head that I would be huge." The voice is huge: "Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages ... Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's the Greatest Show on Eeeeeaaaaarth!" It rolls from his gut, thundering up through his throat and bursting forth into whatever venue the circus is performing in. A melodic hypnotist, his job is to touch the soul of everyone in the audience, to hook them in as the circus begins and keep them spellbound during every act change or distracted during the rare mishap.

Yesterday, Richard Flint's classroom was a circus. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, to be exact. After four weeks of learning about the history behind the hijinks, teetering tightrope walkers and airborne acrobatics, the students in Flint's adult-education class - "The Circus: Rings Around the World" - peeked behind the curtains of the "Greatest Show on Earth." The group, which had been taking the course through the Johns Hopkins University Odyssey program, mingled with performers and trainers, and toured parts of the arena before yesterday's shows.

An incorrect telephone number for the Baltimore Arena appeared in an item about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Live's family calendar. The correct number is (410) 347-2010.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 3/08/97

The stylishly dressed woman delighted in twirling hula hoops with preschoolers during the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus pre-show event. She drew as large a crowd as the elaborately dressed clowns, acrobats and animal trainers who signed autographs and displayed their talents. But who was she? The kids couldn't have cared less. They were too busy enjoying themselves. If you go Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the 1st Mariner Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. Showtimes vary.

Henry Ringling NorthCircus owner, managerSWITZERLAND -- Henry Ringling North, 83, a former owner and manager of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, died Saturday in a hospital near his home in Begnins, after a long illness."

Eutaw Street between Saratoga and Fayette streets near Lexington Market will be closed from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today for a parade of elephants performing at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The elephants will leave 1st Mariner Arena at 11:30 a.m. and return by 1 p.m. Motorists are urged to avoid the area.

NOW OR NEVER Check out the third annual "Word Guitar" benefit Saturday night at 8 at the Creative Alliance. The event, which benefits the creative journal Link, features performances by musicians who also write -- this year, that includes Glenn Moomau, a blues musician who wrote the book Ted Nugent Condominium. The event also features a silent auction of artworks created by grade-school kids through senior citizens, a group encompassing such artists as Ruth Channing, Raoul Middleman and Ruth Pettus.

Past a small woman delicately balancing eight spinning plates on the ends of long metal rods stands Mark Oliver Gebel, holding steadfast to the only rope keeping two acrobats suspended 20 feet from the floor during morning practice.The only son of animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams, Mr. Gebel has had the task of taking the reins after his father's early retirement from circus performance in 1990. Now, in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' first visit to Baltimore in more than four years, he takes part in nearly every aspect of the show's preparation.

Eutaw Street between Saratoga and Fayette streets near Lexington Market will be closed from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today for a parade of elephants performing at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The elephants will leave 1st Mariner Arena at 11:30 a.m. and return by 1 p.m. Motorists are urged to avoid the area.

The stylishly dressed woman delighted in twirling hula hoops with preschoolers during the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus pre-show event. She drew as large a crowd as the elaborately dressed clowns, acrobats and animal trainers who signed autographs and displayed their talents. But who was she? The kids couldn't have cared less. They were too busy enjoying themselves. If you go Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the 1st Mariner Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. Showtimes vary.

The entertainment world's lord of the rings, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, is turning the spotlight on the audience as it celebrates its 135th anniversary this year. The show, which rolled into Baltimore this week and will run at 1st Mariner Arena through March 19, includes an audience-exercise routine, the chance to partake in a few circus stunts, try on costumes and talk with the performers. "We're one year older than baseball. Things need to be done to keep fresh," says Melinda Rosser, a Ringling Bros.

NOW OR NEVER Check out the third annual "Word Guitar" benefit Saturday night at 8 at the Creative Alliance. The event, which benefits the creative journal Link, features performances by musicians who also write -- this year, that includes Glenn Moomau, a blues musician who wrote the book Ted Nugent Condominium. The event also features a silent auction of artworks created by grade-school kids through senior citizens, a group encompassing such artists as Ruth Channing, Raoul Middleman and Ruth Pettus.

When Maryland-born Irvin Feld bought and saved the Greatest Show on Earth and combined it with a European import 33 years ago, he simultaneously gave his audiences a circus extravaganza and its headlining animal trainer. Gunther Gebel-Williams was the golden-haired star with a passion for big cats - Bengal tigers, cheetahs, leopards - inside and outside of the ring. The German-born trainer with the jaunty gait performed for generations of circus goers, Baltimoreans among them, and brought his family into the act as well.

I always wanted to be big," he says. "I always just had some vision in my head that I would be huge." The voice is huge: "Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages ... Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's the Greatest Show on Eeeeeaaaaarth!" It rolls from his gut, thundering up through his throat and bursting forth into whatever venue the circus is performing in. A melodic hypnotist, his job is to touch the soul of everyone in the audience, to hook them in as the circus begins and keep them spellbound during every act change or distracted during the rare mishap.

To most people, the elephants performing at the Baltimore Arena are the biggest stars of the circus. But to Del. John S. Morgan, they are dangerous, mistreated beasts.The Howard County Republican has proposed legislation in the General Assembly that would ban the use of elephants in public or private entertainment, including circuses and carnivals. "I believe you cannot make animals perform in circuses without abusing them," Morgan said.He said that 36 people have been killed by performing elephants worldwide since 1990.

... 1/8 TC There is something thrilling, yet so innocent, about a circus coming to town. We know an artist, now retired, who spent his vacations following circuses throughout the country. To him, circuses and the people associated with them offered a dose of magic not obtainable anywhere else. He felt reinvigorated after a couple of weeks of animal acts, clowns and trapeze wizardry.Fans of all ages have cause for celebration because the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is back in Baltimore for the first time in five years.

This is about Cirque du Soleil. Translation from French: Circus of the Sun.That's the dazzling, kaleidoscopic Canadian troupe making a spectacular debut tomorrow night as a pay-for-view television attraction from TVN Entertainment. Animal-free circus as theater, even on a small screen it makes the conventional, sawdust-as-usual Circus Vargas and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey crowds look like "The Gong Show."But first this prologue:There's a famous song in "Fiddler on the Roof" that celebrates tradition.

Hurry, hurry, step right up! Come see incredible sideshow sensations! Witness the unbelievable Siamese Twins Chang and Eng, joined at the breastbone; or marvel at Alexandrinos, the Tattooed Man -- even his eyelids and ears are covered with elaborate designs!"