Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents LEGENDS

Now Playing Under the Big Top

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents LEGENDS

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls of all ages, now playing under the Big Top, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents LEGENDS.  Last week I was able to carry on a tradition that started back in my childhood and has been carried on to my children’s youth and now to my grandchildren as we made our annual trip to see the circus when it came to town.  The magic was still alive with its preshow interactive opportunities for families to all the thrills that go along with the greatest show on earth. Behold the living legends! Children of All Ages will believe in the unbelievable with the all-new circus spectacular, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents LEGENDS as it continues to play at the Cow Palace here in San Francisco through September 1 before continuing its tour throughout the United States. 

Iconic Ringling Bros. stars meet fabled mythological creatures at the place where legends live…The Greatest Show on Earth®!  Experience unimaginable family fun, as amazing circus athletes perform awe-inspiring feats of daring, spectacles of strength and thrills of wonder in a celebration of the LEGENDS that have captured imaginations for centuries.  Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson guides Paulo the Legend Seeker on his quest to discover real, living circus legends from around the world…along the way encountering the fantastical Pegasus, a Unicorn and the remarkable Woolly the Mammoth! 

Featuring over 100 performers spanning 25 countries plus more than 85 animals from nearly every continent around the world, the Ringling Bros. 144^th Edition features several unique acts including:

     China National Acrobatic Troupe from Beijing perform several impressive acts including balancing 20 people on two bicycles, fast-paced hoop diving and graceful Diabolo juggling skills

      Introducing the Double Trapeze, especially designed for Ringling Bros., with the attempt of four consecutive triple somersaults in a row

Plus additional circus legends highlighted in the show such as Big Cat trainer Alexander Lacey; edge-of-your-seat Cossack Riders equestrian stunts; Globe of Steel motorcycle daredevils; of course no show would be complete without the Ringling Bros. Clown Alley and treasured performing pachyderms!

Be sure to check out our exclusive interview with Vicki Zsilak, Exotic Animal Trainer for Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey and mom extraordinaire who has mastered the art of “juggling it all”.  

Debuting this year for the ultimate circus fan, check out the exclusive and intimate fan experience within the Ringmaster Zone.  Access to this VIP area is only available to select ticket holders and offers guests an unprecedented look “behind the curtain” of The Greatest Show On Earth. Fans have the opportunity to walk the Ringling Red Carpet, meet Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson and the stars of the show, step inside the Globe of Steel, take photos on the Ringmaster’s float and have an up-close elephant encounter.

Be sure to arrive early to experience several exciting interactive elements before the show starts included with the ticket price – visit the Animal Open House to get up-close with our amazing animal stars and the All Access Pre-Show where families can step onto the arena floor to meet our performers, learn circus skills, try on costumes and much more!

 Isn’t  it time you went to the circus-or back to the circus.  Now playing under the big top, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents LEGENDS.  To find out when LEGENDS will be playing in a town near you, click on the tour schedule here.

TICKETS:     Ticket prices range from $20, $27, $40 (VIP) and $105-$115 (Ringmaster Zone)

#Disneyland60.......Today In Disneyland History.......August 27, 1955

Mickey Mouse Club Theater Opens

August 27, 1955

Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there! You're as welcome as can be!

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Mickey Mouse! (Donald Duck!)

Mickey Mouse! (Donald Duck!)

Forever let us hold our banners high,

High, high, high!

Come along and sing a song and join the jamboree!

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Mickey Mouse Club!

Mickey Mouse Club!

                                           

On August 27, 1955 The Mickey Mouse Club Theatre opened in Disneyland's Fantasyland. The air-conditioned theatre presented various Disney cartoons, and at one point it was the home to the 3D Jamboree featuring the multi-dimensional Mouseketeers in color as well as introducing the short films Melody and Working for Peanuts — all in 3D. In 1964, the theater was renamed the Fantasyland 

Theater.

Bruce Healey, senior music director/producer for Disneyland Entertainment Productions, remembered working in the theater. “In the days of the Fantasyland Theater of old, which was a little movie theatre in Fantasyland, we converted that to a live performance venue for this music education show that ran for about six months called “Fun With Music” which was an educational program that the company put together. This was about 1976 or ’77. It was a live stage show with film and live performers and a six-piece band that I was the leader of and I played the piano. There were these little opera boxes on either side of the theater that we made into an orchestra pit. Three of us were on one side of the theater and three of us were on the other side, which was a very challenging thing to deal with in terms of staying together.” The Fantasyland Theater took a final bow in 1981 and “Hey there, hi there, ho there” made way for “Hi diddle dee dee” when Pinocchio’s Daring Journey attraction debuted in its place in 1983. And that’s what happened today in Disneyland history.

Trivia Time!  Can you name all of the original Mouseketeers?  Who was your favorite?  Bonus points if you can name what each day of the week was on "The Mickey Mouse Club".

#Disneyland60.....Today In Disneyland History.......August 24, 2002

First Ever ABC Primetime Preview Weekend

August 24, 2002

On August 24, 2002 Disney's California Adventure played host to the first ever "ABC Primetime Preview Weekend." The 2-day event inaugurated the new ABC-TV fall line-up.  This brand new event featured the shows and stars of ABC. Lucky Disney California Adventure guests were invited to screen episodes of then upcoming ABC Primetime series including “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter”, “Less Than Perfect” among others. One of the many highlights for guests was "announced" as part of a mock red carpet arrival complete with camera flash bulbs as they entered the Golden Dreams Theater, which now houses The Little Mermaid- Ariel’s Undersea Adventure.

In the Pacific Wharf guests were invited to watch a brief promotional video about ABC and answers some questions. Following the survey's completion, they were given a special entrance pass into selected attractions. Also located at this station were postcards featuring the various ABC shows which could be sent to family and friends for no additional cost .The Pacific Wharf Stage was host to the "Happy Hour" Trivia Challenge where participants competed for a prize given out by surprise celebrity visitors.

Actors from each of the ABC-TV Fall shows were available to the media for a very brief question and answer session by the Golden Vine Winery. They also participated in a question and answer session for the public in the Golden State Amphitheater which lasted about 30 minutes. The Parade of Stars motorcade gave excited fans a chance to see their favorites as it journeyed from the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, now Hollywood Land, and traveled along the Disney California Adventure Park Performance Corridor. Each segment of the route had a separate ABC affiliate hosting. Celebrities were equipped with a microphone and were able to speak briefly as they passed each area.

The most popular element of the first ABC Primetime Preview Weekend was the then popular show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” held in the Hyperion Theater, home of the Aladdin – a musical spectacular.  Many guests waited from park open or even earlier to secure seats for this event which performed once each day of the weekend to a packed theater.

The weekend events were concluded each night with a performance by stand-up comedian George Lopez and a Blues concert by Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts.  Be sure to check out this year’s ABC Fall TV lineup which broadcasts into homes beginning September 21. And that’s what happened today in Disneyland history.