紐時賞析／受虐待動物指控、疫情重創 知名馬戲團將捲土重來

No Face Paint or Animals? Yes, the Circus Is in Town.

沒動物、小丑不化妝 老馬戲團迎新風貌

There are no tigers and elephants; in fact, the only “animal” is an electric dog named Bailey. The clowns are still there, but hardly wear any makeup.

這裡沒有老虎和大象，事實上現場唯一的「動物」是隻名叫貝利的機器狗。小丑還在，但幾乎沒化妝。

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, that self-proclaimed greatest show on Earth, is back seven years after folding up its big top for what was feared to be the last time. The circus, which had toured with scant interruption since Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency, shuttered indefinitely in 2017 as it faced lagging ticket sales in the wake of its decision to stop featuring animals.

自詡是地球上最偉大表演的美國玲玲馬戲團，在人們憂心可能是最後一次收起其大帳篷的七年後，又回來了。玲玲馬戲團自格蘭特總統在任時就在各地巡演，幾乎沒有中斷，但在決定取消動物表演後面臨門票銷售低迷，而於2017年無限期停業。

Now as the show hits the road again for an initial run of 50 cities, audiences are encountering a human-focused spectacle that might leave it unrecognizable.

現在，隨著玲玲馬戲團又開始在50個城市演出，觀眾將看見一場以人為主的奇觀，變化之大或許會讓人認不出來。

It’s something of an unlikely comeback for the institution that has faced pop culture shifts, dwindling attendance and accusations of animal mistreatment. The pandemic hit a few years after the pachyderms packed up in 2016, making the return of the one-time touring staple even more of a question.

對於面臨流行文化轉變、觀眾逐漸減少和虐待動物指控的玲玲馬戲團而言，這是一次不太可能的捲土重來。2016年該團取消厚皮動物表演的數年後，疫情來襲，使這類一次性巡演回歸更成問題。

Performers such as high-wire walker Maria Pontigo worried the circus had packed up for good. “It’s not just a show,” she said, adding, “It’s an iconic institution of art.”

走鋼索特技演員瑪麗亞．龐蒂戈等表演者曾憂心，玲玲馬戲團已永遠停擺。她說：「這不僅是個表演，這是個代表性的藝術機構。」

As a child growing up in Chile, Pontigo watched her father perform his high-wire act.

龐蒂戈在智利長大，小時候看著自己的父親走鋼索表演。

She told herself that she’d be high up one day. Pontigo, 40, became part of the third generation of her family to perform with Ringling when she joined in 2008.

她告訴自己，總有一天也會在高處走鋼索。40歲的龐蒂戈2008年加入時，成為家族中第三代參與玲玲馬戲團的表演者。

Touring as part of the Lopez Troupe, Pontigo was back to her high-wire moves some 25 feet in the air.

作為洛佩茲劇團的一員，龐蒂戈回到25英尺的高處走鋼索。

The focus on performers — human cannonballs, acrobats and now BMX riders — was central to Juliette Feld Grossman’s reimagining of the circus, which began in 2019, three years after she took over as chief operating officer for Feld Entertainment, the family company that runs the circus. Irvin Feld, her grandfather, purchased it from the Ringling Bros. nearly 60 years ago and Feld Grossman, 40, has been immersed in the circus for as long as she can remember.

重心放在人體砲彈、特技演員和現今的BMX單車表演等真人表演者，是茱麗葉．費爾德．格羅斯曼2019年開始重新構思玲玲馬戲團的核心，當時她已接任營運該馬戲團的家族企業「費爾德娛樂」營運長達三年。她的爺爺費爾德近60年前向「玲玲兄弟」買下這個馬戲團，而40歲的費爾德．格羅斯曼自有記憶以來就一直沉浸在馬戲團。

She knew the show needed an update but had a responsibility to keep “delivering those experiences that turned into those lifelong memories,” Feld Grossman said. “Out of all that soul-searching, the answer really was that the performers are the heart of our show. They’re the people and people come to Ringling to connect with others.”

費爾德．格羅斯曼表示，她知道表演需要更新，但她有責任繼續「提供那些會成為終生回憶的體驗」，「經過自我反省，答案確實是表演者是我們演出的核心。他們就是人民，而人們來到玲玲馬戲團與其他人產生連結」。

文／Jonathan Abrams 譯／羅方妤