Ferocious Bengal tigers and death-defying acrobats. Disappearing Asian elephants and whirring blades of steel. Human cannonballs and clowns galore.
Sounds like a good old-fashioned circus, doesn’t it?
“Zing Zang Zoom” is the latest touring production from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, the 139-year-old master of American spectacle.
While the traditional circus model has taken a hit in recent years, enduring everything from Cirque du Soleil’s fierce competition to animal-rights lawsuits, no other circus act comes close to the vibrance, scale and general appeal of a Ringling Bros. show.
“Our goal is to entertain families, so everything we do in our shows is geared toward that,” said Kenneth Feld, CEO of Feld Entertainment, which has owned Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey since 1967.
“What you see is what you get with our performers. That’s what they do and what they are, and because of that there is nothing contrived about it. Alex Ramon (the master illusionist of “Zing Zang Zoom”) wasn’t an actor we picked up off the street.”
Front Range audiences will have a chance to see Ramon, his large-scale illusions and all the usual circus attractions as “Zing Zang Zoom” continues its run at the Denver Coliseum through Oct. 11.
Ticketholders can also get a behind-the-scenes peek at the Greatest Show on Earth by visiting the Animal Open House and All Access Pre-show, mingling with trainers, clowns and acrobats and even watching an elephant paint.
“Families love that accessibility,” Feld said. “There’s a lot of rules in life, and we’re all about suspending them and just having a good time. We don’t take ourselves seriously.”
That may be true of the performances, but Feld doesn’t mess around when it comes to building his shows. Feld Entertainment is arguably the world’s largest live-entertainment company, and Feld has had his hands in a wide range of productions including Siegfried & Roy’s Vegas shows, numerous Broadway hits and “Disney on Ice” productions.
“We’re constantly looking internally to make sure that we are relevant and seeing if we can do better,” Feld said. “We never stop having the discussion. For example, we’re working not only on the 2010 production but also the 2011 production, so it’s sort of a continuum.”
Like many of Feld’s shows, “Zing Zang Zoom” bears his personal stamp. To up the ante on his acrobats, he traveled with his daughter (and co-producer) Nicole to hand-pick a pair of Russian swing acts overseas (think flips, triple-somersaults and laser-precise shoulder landings). He then combined the two acts and sent them to train for four months in Ukraine.
“Zing Zang Zoom” also is a rarity in the world of magic. Most illusionists work on stages with dark backgrounds, where lighting and smoke effects can be fine-tuned to enhance the tricks. Due to the size of the venues it plays, “Zing Zang Zoom” always takes place in a 360-degree environment.
“That’s almost almost unheard of,” Feld said. “Everyone has a different seat, so we had to be selective with the type and scale of the illusions. They have to be really big and things the general public hasn’t seen before.”
While Feld knows how to sell a show as well as his forbears, his track record backs up that salesmanship.
“I watch the show with one eye and the audience with the other eye to see what they respond to,” he said. “We want to make heroes of parents, and in today’s world, that’s hard to do.
“We create a conversation. I guarantee you, there’s no silence in that car ride home.”
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
“Zing Zang Zoom.”
Circus. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey present their latest extravaganza at the Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St. Through Oct. 11. Showtimes vary by day. $15-$82 with other pricing options available. Tickets at or call 800-745-3000.
