Grandma’s season-long farewell will hardly be a throwback to the two-year, 91-city tour that began in 1916 for the actress Sarah Bernhardt, who was billed as “the Eighth Wonder of the World.” Nor will Grandma’s fadeaway rival the bombast of the two-year send-off for Gunther Gebel-Williams that began in 1989, parading that renowned animal trainer before 12 million arena customers with the Greatest Show on Earth.

That’s because Guillaume Dufresnoy, Big Apple’s 51-year-old artistic director, cringes at the notion of milking the last ounce of publicity out of Grandma’s final stand.

“Grandma will be very present throughout the show, but we are not presenting it as a farewell tour,” Mr. Dufresnoy said. “We are presenting it as our 34th edition — business as usual.”

Grandma is so much the embodiment of the $3 million show that she opens, and closes, Big Apple’s new 15-second television commercial. Mr. Lubin has performed before nine million people at Big Apple during 25 seasons since 1982. Well then, for Big Apple, is it: Après Grandma, le déluge?

Mr. Dufresnoy seems unperturbed. “Grandma gave us a sense of continuity, and Grandma will be missed,” he said. “But it’s an opportunity for everyone. For the evolution of Barry, and for the evolution of the circus.”

In Walden, at the first dress rehearsal before an audience last week, Grandma brought down the house when she materialized in the company of 25 human performers, 3 Arabian horses, 4 dogs, one Vietnamese potbellied pig, one African crested porcupine and a capybara (billed as “the world’s largest rodent”) in the 63-foot-tall, $250,000 Canobbio tent.