By Douglas Scarpa
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus stopped by the Civic Center to give Savannah a taste of “The Greatest Show on Earth.” District got an inside scoop on all the excitement.
The show began with a rousing medley of acts and music to get the audience and festivities charged up. Anton Franke then attempted to join in on the fun but accidentally pulled the plug on the show, literally.
One-by-one the acts returned to up the energy.
Cathy Carden brought out her various animals to perform tricks. Two camels stood atop pedestals as various horses ran between their legs. Then the curtains flew open as a mini-horse ran out, running underneath the other horses. Cathy finally brought out a 5-month old baby camel, who briefly attempted to run free, but was quickly corralled back into the ring where it performed stunts.
Other acts, such as Mr. Power and Lady Lightning, with their combined feats of strength and athleticism wowed the crowd and charged them up. Mr. Power performed his human helicopter routine, wherein he spun a large and heavy log at great speed on his chest and shoulders. He then spun another log, this time with two beauties sitting on swings attached to either end.
Mr. Power then pulled the Globe of Steel to the center of the ring. Three motorcycle-riding members of the Torres family then entered and drove at high speed around the inside of the sphere, coming within mere inches of each other.
The show also included the Vavilov troupe performing outrageous acrobatics and flips, the Smaha troupe enticing the audience with juggling tricks, the Lopez troupe thrilling spectators with a nail-biting high-wire routine and Sergei stunning the crowd with his magnificent routine of dangling from a rope, acrobatics, dancing and free-falling.
Toward the end of the show Cathy Carden returned with her husband Brett and their three elephants. The behemoth animals got the crowd fully charged with some thrilling tricks, including headstands and a conga line.
At the conclusion of the show, Anton Franke returned with a stunning laser-light routine. He then brought out the rest of the performers who sang their “Fully Charged” show tune and performed a final medley of tricks.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Fully Charged: Gold Edition will perform their final two shows at 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on January 27, at the Savannah Civic Center. Tickets are available online and at the box office.
