Big Apple Circus to Welcome Theatre Expert Steve Schonberg as Guest Ringmaster, 12/18

Big Apple Circus welcomes Guest Ringmaster Steve Schonberg to the Big Top at Lincoln Center on December 18, 2015 at 6:30pm for the company's 38th season with the World Premiere of its all-new show, The Grand Tour.

Steve Schonberg is the editor-in-chief of Center on the Aisle (centerontheaisle.com), a top theater web destination that brings fans closer to the shows and stars they love through reviews and in-depth feature interviews. An award-winning media personality, journalist, and lifelong theater fan, he can be seen regularly on Sundays on WNBC "Weekend Today in New York," sharing news, tips, and helpful insider perspective about the city's abundant theater scene.

"The Big Apple Circus is an authentic New York institution and one of our time-honored theatrical traditions," Schonberg said. "I've loved the Big Apple Circus for more than 30 years, first as a kid growing up here in New York, and now as a theater expert. There's a shortlist of ongoing or returning productions you can point to and say with confidence that it's going to be an incredible show. This is one of my favorites."

Steve Schonberg created Center on the Aisle with the mission of helping theater fans connect with shows they'll love and gain deeper insights on the stars they admire. As a child, Schonberg longed to know about the stars he saw on stage, and as he grew up, he realized that part of the magic - from the circus to Broadway - was how performers transform nightly and share their superhuman talents to entertain an audience. With this in mind, he presents in-depth, insightful, and personal interviews, revealing what drives these artists, and in doing so exposes universal and relatable themes that encourage loyalty to the theater art form. He does this alongside his staff of 15 writers, who present clear, objective, and easily-digestible show reviews to help anyone at any level of theater appreciation make an informed and confident ticket buying decision - with the goal of ensuring they'll return for another production.

Schonberg's interviews have also been featured on TODAY.com, The Huffington Post, and elsewhere, with celebrities such as Gloria Estefan, Barry Manilow, Jordin Sparks, Brian Dennehy, Laura Benanti, Eric Idle, Darren Criss and Jonathan Groff, among more than 100 other stars.

The Grand Tour transports audiences to the Roaring 1920s, the advent of the modern travel era, when the most adventuresome began touring the world in ships, planes, trains, and automobiles. With every seat less than 50 feet from the stage, audiences will be awed by the world-class entertainers as they perform breathtaking acts from the four corners of the globe. Clowns, jugglers, acrobats, and aerialists from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America appear with ponies, puppies and more; the troupe sets off on a whirlwind adventure, accompanied by the live, seven-piece Big Apple Circus Band at each of more than 100 performances.