It's no longer acceptable for the circus to include lions, tigers and bears. But the show must go on.

The Royal Canadian International Circus, which opened its new season Thursday in the Mall of America parking lot, relies mostly on human endeavor, proving you don't need to force elephants to their tiptoes to enthrall families.

Over the course of two hours, a wide variety of performers from around the world delivered old-fashioned fun, digging deep into both circus and vaudeville traditions.

African Bone Breakers, the show stealer, distorted their bodies to such degrees that it made you want to swear off pretzels forever. Mexico's Fernandez Globe of Death, featuring three motorcyclists zipping by one another in a circular cage, was more of a visual feast than any Evel Knievel stunt.

There were some opening night jitters. Peru's Nilson Escobar lived up to his billing as the world's fastest juggler but he dropped his pins five times. Ringmaster Joseph Dominik Bauer made a spectacular entrance on a giant spinning wheel, but he slipped more than once, leading at least a few of the 1,800 spectators to gasp out loud. He was fine.

Die-hard circus enthusiasts may end up missing more than the animals. The closest thing to a clown was Argentine mime artist Piolita, who recruited audience members to carry out most of the punch lines. There were no couples swapping trapeze bars in midair but Maria Emilia Chemeno, Escobar's wife, offered the next best thing: a solo showcase in which she swung so high that it seemed like she might puncture the roof of the tent.

If you're used to the grandeur of the old Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, lower your expectations. The uniform for staffers could have been purchased from bellhops at a defunct hotel. The gift booths were packed with obscure items like alien balloons and joke pacifiers, which made you wonder if they just raided the shelves of a Dollar Tree. The French fries looked like the chef forgot to heat up the oil.

Nothing was cheap. A jumbo bag of cotton candy cost $10, as did a sno-cone, although each came in a glow-in-the-dark cup.

Admission tickets run a tad over $40, with a $20 mark-up to sit ringside. But here's a savings tip: If the show isn't sold out (a high likelihood since the tent can hold 2,400 people), you can get two-for-one seats at the box office. Cash only.

The show will be in town through April 23 with multiple performances on weekends. The Twin Cities is the first of 14 stops, most of which are in Canada. For ticket information, visit royalcanadiancircus.ca.