Sunday, February 27, 2000
Young Ringling ringmaster in 'right place, right time”
BY CHRIS VARIAS
Enquirer contributor
Since he began singing with the Boys Choir of Harlem at age 11, Johnathan Lee Iverson had an idea he'd wind up in show business. What he didn't know is that he would be sharing the spotlight with elephants and tight-rope walkers.
Mr. Iverson is far from the stereotypical runaway who joins the circus. The 24-year-old New York native has turned a highbrow East Coast education in the performing arts into a job as the 31st and youngest-ever ringmaster of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
“It's one of those classic showbiz stories,” he says. “Right place, right time.”
The place was Fort Atkinson, Wis. There, during the summer of 1998, Mr. Iverson was doing dinner theater after graduating from the University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music with a degree in voice performance. His director that summer, Philip McKinley, also directed the Ringling circus. Mr. McKinley told Mr. Iverson about an opening for ringmaster and encouraged the young singer to audition.
That November, Ringling chose Mr. Iverson out of 30 candidates, making the then-22-year-old the youngest ringmaster in its 128-year history.
His first performance was that December, giving him a month to prepare. Without no circus background, he was a bit green.
“I told them (Ringling) to send me as many things to read about the circus and as many tapes to watch as I could,” he says laughing.
Today, after completing his first 448-show, 11-month tour, Mr. Iverson is a pro. What's more, he feels he's connecting to audiences on a personal level.
He fondly recalls the time after a show in Chicago when a woman approached him with tears in her eyes, commending him on his performance. “I never take my audience for granted,” he says.
More than anything, it's probably Mr. Iverson's well-studied tenor voice that's making crowds misty.
As a member of the Boys Choir of Harlem, he toured the world, and in doing so solidified his love of performing. He wrote a symphony at age 12 and quickly developed an appreciation for other tenors such as Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Mario Lanza, names he pronounces with full Italian flourish. He later attended Manhattan's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts, commonly known as the Fame school.
Back then Mr. Iverson didn't dream his fame would come as a ringmaster, let alone as the first African-American ringmaster in Ringling history. It's a subject he talks about yet downplays.
“Some journalists couldn't come up with anything but that (race),” he says. “It kind of annoyed me. But then again it keeps people talking about me.
“Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the people who come to the show couldn't care less (about race). They come to see the show and the entertainment.”
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