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The Greatest Show on Earth has been calling the Spectrum home for decades, but when the clowns, elephants and tigers from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s “FUNundrum” arrived in town Tuesday, the gang set up shop in unfamiliar surroundings.
Prior to this week, June 1997 marked the only other time the show set up residence at the Wachovia Center — and that was a temporary, one-time-only situation — rather than the 43-year-old Spectrum. The center is available because the Philadelphia Flyers are on a two-week Olympic break and the Sixers are out West.
The other big change coming around this time is this is the first year the show has been locally performed as early as February and it is during a shorter-than-normal five-day engagement — a total of 11 performances — through Sunday. Typically, the circus has come to town for 10 days with 16 performances.
Show promoter Alexis Frappier said the move to the center came with a smaller window of time to prepare the venue.
“The Wachovia Center hosts so many events that it was a lot more difficult to find time where either the basketball or the hockey team wasn’t playing and, of course, we needed to continue this event in Philadelphia because no one wants it to go away,” Frappier said.
She was quick to add the venue logistically worked more soundly since the facilities are newer — built in 1996 — and larger — 3,000 more seats than the Spectrum — than those at its soon-to-be-demolished neighbor.
While the Spectrum may be missing, Ringling Bros. will strive to bring its own magic to whatever venue it is housed in. Jonathan Lee Iverson, the circus’ first African-American ringmaster, as well as the youngest ringmaster to welcome children of all ages, is looking forward to reminding the public of the magic that is associated with the show.
“Ringling Brothers will always be around because we have two little secrets that everyone else lacks: One is talent, and the other is that we’re into a thing called miracles. Skeptical as people are, especially in this day and age, they still want to see people fly, they still want to see people overcome humanity, and that is the magic we bring to this world.”
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