Last Thursday night, a line of people wound its way through the Hopkins Center to the doors of Spaulding Auditorium. On first glance, they looked like an average theater crowd, but on closer inspection, it was easy to see that something was amiss. One person clutched a roll of toilet paper, another held a twisted bicycle wheel; yet another had a ski pole.
It wasn't an ordinary performance that they were waiting to attend -- it was The Flying Karamazov Brothers' "Club Sandwich." Known for their talented juggling, the Karamazov Brothers staged a funny and energetic show, punctutated by rapid, often harmonious, juggling segments.
The plot centered around the search for the missing half of a map that detailed the whereabouts of the magic clubs that juggle themselves. In pursuit of fame and fortune, they headed to Cairo to search for the missing half of the map.
The four Brothers deftly played every character in the play -- including the slinky seductress Desiree, who was a scene-stealer with her body-hugging gowns and thick goatee. Although much of the show's humor relied on intentionally bad puns ("Watch out, that gum is loaded!"), it did not detract remarkably from the act.
Despite its entertaining story, "Club Sandwich" served as merely a back-drop for the show's main attraction: the juggling. Near the end of the first act, the Karamazov Brothers asked all the audience members to produce the strange and challenging objects they had brought. To be juggled, an item had to be heavier than an ounce, lighter than 10 pounds, smaller than a breadbox, not alive or once living, and nothing that might endanger the life of the juggler.
Eagerly, a number of audience members offered up an array of items: a rubber boot, a crutch, a slinky, a fishing net and a rubber chicken, among other things. From these items, the Karamazov Brothers selected three. Using the audience's applause as a meter, the big winners of the evening were a plate of cranberry sauce, a large zucchini, and a ball that, when tossed in the air, spun around in various directions. The designated Brother had to juggle the goods 10 times. When he finished, he received an enthusiastic standing ovation.
The Karamazov Brothers are Sam Williams, Howard Jay Patterson, Paul David Magid and Michael Preston.
