Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey The new look of the Ringling Bros. circus hits Philadelphia in April. - By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL Associated Press

When the 136th edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus opened in January, it had a completely new look -- from the stage (no more three rings) to the costumes.

It had been 50 years since major changes were made to the show, says Kenneth Feld, owner of Ringling Bros. The previous changes were made when Feld's father, Irvin, moved the circus from tents to indoor arenas.

"We do a lot of market research, and people today -- well, their lives are three-ring circuses. People wanted more focused, interactive entertainment. The want something they can't see anywhere else. So, the thought was: let's re-imagine the circus," Feld says. The team of brainstormers included production designer Robert Brill, who staged Broadway's revival of "Cabaret" at the former Studio 54 disco, and costume designer Colleen Atwood, whose credits include "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events." Bradley Zweig is the writer; he's a veteran of children's programming, including Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel.

But the idea of weaving a story that linked all the acts came from director Shanda Sawyer. Her credits include designing and directing segments for "Motown Live," "The Man Show" and "Comedy Central's Sunday Comics."

The audience now experiences circus life through the eyes of an average American "family," who just happen to be actors, Feld says. By the end of the show, the mom is a glamorous trapeze artist, the dad is a ringmaster, the teenage daughter a circus dancer and the young son a foot-juggler.

There also are opportunities for audience participation.

The first thing the audience sees is Jennifer Fuentes, a former "American Idol" finalist, who fills the ringmaster role. She wears a red-and-white-striped, strapless dress with blue sequins that fans out into a semicircle, mimicking the old-fashioned circus tent.

"We open with a look of retro chic. It's like putting on something vintage that someone wore in the '60s or '70s that's still hip to wear today," says Nicole Feld, Kenneth's daughter and co-producer. By the first act's finale, however, there's a much sleeker style, embodied by the flame-throwers who wear orange, purple and bronzes.

Says Kenneth Feld: "We want it to be totally unexpected but retain the traditions: elephants, clowns and death-defying acts."