Children Of All Ages...Yes, It's That Time of Year Again

No matter what you see when you actually get there, few taglines have the ability to thrill as much as “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus opens today, which means that spring is here and controlled mayhem reigns at Madison Square Garden. The circus has set up shop through April 4, under the name “Barnum’s Funundrum.” The spectacle features 130 performers from six continents, and celebrates the 200th anniversary of P.T. Barnum’s birth.
Among the wonders: The Flying Caceres, trapeze artists who will attempt (and, we hope, succeed) to master a quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze; the Puyang Troupe from China, who take on a two-level trampoline; and ridiculously flexible body benders--watch as three of them fit into a cube the size of a milk crate! (Or don't watch and just peep through your fingers.)
What else is on the bill? A married couple where the wife is the heavy lifter; the Sky High Ice Gliders, who take to the high wire; and the Torres family, who zoom around the sides of a steel globe 16 feet in diameter. (Seven motorcycles; 65 miles an hour; you do the math.)
But wait! you say. What about the animals? you ask. And animals there are. Asian elephants, Pygmy and Nubian goats, ponies, tigers and even a rare walrus. Whew.
To buy tickets, go to their website (ringling.com) or the Madison Square Garden website (thegarden.com) or call 201 507-8900. Madison Square Garden is at 4 Penn Plaza and 34th Street.
Ladies and gentlemen, step right up...

For Shakespeare Raps and Enormous Elephants, Head to the New Victory

Got kids? Looking to entertain your niece and nephew when they visit from Omaha?
To your list of must-see New York stops, try adding something a little different: The New Victory Theater.
Now in its 15th year, the New Victory offers an almost year-round program of international works for kids and families. But we’re not talking puppet shows of “Little Red Riding Hood” or adults dressed up like barnyard animals.
Unless, of course, the puppets are part of a centuries-old troupe focusing on the retelling of classic fairy tales, and the barnyard animals are really part of a rap/acrobatic/trapeze/slam poetry celebration.
Well, you get the idea.
The works are sophisticated, thought-provoking and, often, unlike anything you’ll see anywhere else. Even better, they still only cost an average of $18 a ticket.
Coming up in March, for instance, the theater will offer “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare,” 100 minutes of parodies of all 37 of the Bard’s plays. Three actors start off with “Romeo and Juliet” and whiz their way, through, well, everything else, including a rap of “Othello.” It’s presented--no surprise--by The Reduced Shakespeare Company and runs from March 5-14.
The theater also offers works for families and teens, in everything from circus arts to tap.
Coming up later in the year? “46 Circus Acts in 45 Minutes” (one must be done really, really fast) presented by Australia’s Circa (March 19-April 4).
From April 23-May 2, get ready for “Elephant,” a celebration of African song and dance from the Dodgy Clutch Theatre Co. with the Market Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Expect, puppets, yes--but banish thoughts of anything cringe worthy or amateurish.
The New Victory Theater is at 229 West 42nd Street (646 223 3010).

Famed Circus Hits the Boardwalk

It’s summer; the sun is shining, so it must be time for…the circus!
Wait...what? Yes, it’s true: For the first time in its 139-year history, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has set up shop on the famed boardwalk of New York’s Coney Island. The summer season runs through September 7, so you still have time to catch a seaside performance of “Coney Island Boom-A-Ring.”
The show features acts including the Urias Family, billed as “The First Family of the Motorcycle Globe” (clearly, Second and Third Families need not apply, especially those who can’t keep up with the 65-mile-per-hour speeds the Uriases achieve); Justin Case, trumpeted as “Eccentric Personality Extraordinaire” (it involves a bicycle, and trust us; he’s funny); and the New York debut of The Negrey troupe, world-renowned Russian acrobats. (Are there any other kind?)
Plus, of course, miniature acrobatic Dachshunds (don’t go there); a trio of Asian elephants, and some white Bengal tigers, all presented in an air-conditioned tent.
In short, everything a circus should have.
Boom-A-Ring, located at Surf Avenue and 21st Street, also offers an all-access pre-show one hour before the performance, in which visitors can mingle with circus performers and animals alike.
Call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 to reserve seats and check the performance schedule (there’s generally a matinee and evening performance); seats start at $10.
Ladies and gentleman! Children of all ages...you know the drill.