Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour' film got 4.6 million views on Disney+. But here's why it's not 'The Greatest Show on Earth.'

By Charles Passy

The Ringling circus is back, but can it compete against the pop juggernaut?

It's a show that seemingly has everything: lots of music, lots of spectacle and lots of high-energy performances, all designed to elicit shrieks and cheers at every turn.

Naturally, you might be thinking I'm talking about Taylor Swift's blockbuster "Eras Tour" concert, the film version of which started streaming on Disney+ (DIS) recently and garnered 4.6 million views in its first three days. In fact, I'm talking about an altogether different show that's arguably every bit as good. Maybe even better.

After all, it's the Greatest Show on Earth.

Yes, the circus has come back, meaning the circus - as in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show, which returned last September after a six-year hiatus. The touring attraction, "greatest" tagline and all, is working its way through a run that will extend until the middle of 2025 and included several recent dates in the New York City metro region (I caught the show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn). Future engagements are scheduled everywhere from San Antonio to Salt Lake City.

Admittedly, I've been a fan of circuses for decades, especially the Ringling three-ring version I grew up on. To me, there's no art form that combines so many elements in such a fun, fluid and family-friendly way. And it does that and adds a death-defying bravado to the mix. Say what you will about Taylor Swift, but I don't think her show had anything quite on the level of the human cannonball.

Moreover, the Ringling circus, long under the auspices of family-entertainment giant Feld Entertainment, has been updated to reflect a more contemporary sensibility. The Feld family, which also produces everything from ice-skating shows to monster-truck events, discontinued Ringling in 2017, saying it had become too cost-prohibitive to run, especially given lagging attendance.

Say what you will about Taylor Swift, but I don't think her show had anything quite on the level of the human cannonball.

In deciding to "un-retire" the circus, Feld streamlined some operations - the circus no longer travels by train - but more importantly, it created a show that's considerably faster-paced and more dynamic than the Ringling of old, with acts that range from the traditional (trapeze and high-wire) to the wildly eclectic (an Argentinian percussion and dance ensemble).

There aren't quite three rings in the familiar sense, but a vast stage with multiple areas for performers to create their magic (and if need be, they'll take over the entire space). The idea is to keep the show constantly moving, music included, and give audiences something new to focus on every few seconds. It's a circus, if you will, for the TikTok generation.

Or as Juliette Feld Grossman, Feld's chief operating officer, told me: "We've made sure this has reflected the audience of today."

Also of note: The show has none of the animal acts that defined the circus in the past. Ringling had faced growing criticism from animal-rights activists, to say nothing of animal lovers in general. Obviously, the message was finally heard.

To top things off, Ringling has kept ticket prices relatively affordable, with a range of roughly $25 to $120, according to Grossman. In some markets, the cost is shockingly low, at least by live-entertainment standards: Audiences in Tampa, Fla., and Greensboro, N.C., paid around $35 on average, to cite a couple of instances.

Which brings me back to Taylor Swift.

I'm not really knocking Swift and her legion of fans. Her "Eras Tour" show has entertained thousands - make that millions - across the globe and has created a community of sorts in the process, particularly of young women, who not only love Swift's music, but also love the sense of empowerment and sheer joy that comes from attending a Swift concert.

But it comes at a mighty cost in turn. Given the huge demand for Swift tickets, which themselves were initially priced as high as $499, many fans took to the secondary market to buy their seats, so the average cost to attend actually topped $1,000. And that's not factoring in travel expenses, since many fans went to shows far outside their local areas. Do the math and a family of four could easily pay more than $5,000 for a single night's entertainment.

Need I tell you how many circus tickets that could buy?

Not that the two shows are entirely comparable, of course. And not that Ringling is without its own audience, at least judging from the decent-sized crowd the night I attended. Grossman didn't give me hard numbers for the run, but said that Feld Entertainment is focused on the "longevity of the franchise" rather than merely the day-to-day of the current tour.

A family of four could easily pay more than $5,000 for a Taylor Swift show. Need I tell you how many circus tickets that might buy?

Still, I wonder - and worry. I've lost count how many people I know with children who have had family outings to see Swift. And yet, I can't think of one person who has attended Ringling or has plans to do so.

Take Tony Sachs, a veteran New York writer I know. He's thrilled to see Swift in Paris later this year with his Taylor-loving 13-year-old daughter. Sachs told me it actually proved cheaper than attending one of the highly-in-demand future U.S. shows, but he's still shelling out at least $3,000 for tickets and travel.

And what about Ringling? It's never been on his or his daughter's radar. Sachs notes his family attended New York's Big Apple Circus several years ago, but since then, his daughter "has no interest whatsoever" in seeing another circus.

Why is that? And why have so many others forsaken the circus?

Entertainment-industry experts point to a couple of key factors. For starters, it's about competition from the likes of Swift, not to mention any number of other concert artists with appeal to young and old alike. We're living in an era when rock and pop concerts are family entertainment.

And it goes beyond concerts. Or as Damian Bazadona, founder of the Situation Group, a New York-based entertainment marketing agency, told me, the gamut runs "from Taylor Swift to Broadway." Think of how Disney established a foothold in New York's theater district and on the touring circuit with shows like "The Lion King" and "Aladdin."

For her part, Grossman says her real competition isn't Swift or other shows. It is because families are so overscheduled these days, especially when it comes to children's activities.

"Our competition is soccer practice and dance recitals," she said.

But many still make time for a family outing - indeed, a family trip to France - to see Swift. John Johnson, a Broadway producer, suggests we have become a society obsessed with the big event - entertainment with a "Capital E," as he calls it. And there's been no event bigger of late than the "Eras Tour."

Still, by its very definition, the circus is plenty big. As Bello Nock, the world's greatest living clown in my book, told me, it's a theater of "a million emotions" - thrills, chills and the like.

And you don't need to pay the equivalent of a mortgage payment (or more) to take your family to it. Or head to Paris. The circus is back in our backyard. I hope today's generation of families will discover it anew.

-Charles Passy

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