Johnathan Lee Iverson

Johnathan Lee Iverson (born January 30, 1976) is an American ringmaster best known for his association with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, where he was the first African-American ringmaster of a major U.S. circus.[1]

Early life and education

Iverson grew up in the Central Park West neighborhood of New York City.[2] He began his career with the Boys Choir of Harlem.[2] He attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art & Performing Arts.[2]

Iverson graduated from the Hartt School of the University of Hartford, where he was training to become an opera singer.[3][2]

Career

Ringmaster

In 1998, at 22 years old, Iverson joined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. He was the youngest, the first New Yorker, and the first African American ringmaster at the company.[1][3][2] Ebony magazine said of him: "The instant he appears out of the darkness and into the spotlight…the audience is rapt." The San Francisco Examiner stated: "Now imagine mesmerizing the crowd with a powerful voice and the bearing of a superstar." The Times-Picayune wrote: "Tall and self assured…he works a crowd like a three ring evangelist." And syndicated columnist Liz Smith gushed: "I…liked six foot [five] youngest ringmaster ever, Johnathan Lee Iverson, who is commanding enough to be noticed in the melee, and he can sing."

Iverson, was recognized as one of Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People of 1999. Iverson’s historical tenure with the Greatest Show On Earth was featured in Black First: 4, 000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events by Jessie Carney Smith, African-American First by Joan Potter, Live Life! Be Young, Black, and Successful by Quincy Benton, and Beat of a Different Drum: The Untold Stories of African-Americans Forging Their Own Paths in Work and Life by Dax-Devlon Ross.

Iverson joined the 129th edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents The Living Carousel in 1998 and performed until Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey closed in 2017.[3]

After the circus' closure, Iverson worked as ringmaster at Circus Vargas and the chairman of the board for Omnium: A Bold New Circus. Iverson was a founding member of the American Circus Alliance. In 2021 he acted as ringmaster for Omnium Circus' world debut.[4]

Theater

In 2022 Iverson starred in a production of Trav’lin: A 1930s Harlem Musical Romance in Winter Park, Florida.[5]

Personal life

While working with Barnum and Bailey Circus, Iverson married a fellow performer, Priscilla, and the pair had two children, Matthew and Lila, who also performed with Ringling.[2][3]

References
  1. Sherman, William (2010-03-07). "Johnathan Lee Iverson is first New York and African American ringmaster of Ringling Brothers Circus". NY Daily News. New York. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  2. "For ringmaster, one-year gig becomes role of a lifetime". Tampa Bay Times. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  3. Deahl, Jessica (19 May 2017). "From The Big Top Into The Big World: A Ringling Ringmaster's Final Bow". NPR. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  4. Rabinowitz, Chloe (17 September 2021). "Omnium Circus to Make Its Live World Premiere Under The Big Top At Tysons III". Broadway World. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  5. Dunne, Samantha (2022-02-10). "'Trav'lin: A 1930s Harlem Musical Romance' explores epicenter of Black America, show's star says". WKMG. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
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