<< MANIFESTO>>

A Dada-Cabaret, Pop-Up book live graphic novel.

Originating in San Francisco, their unique style stitches together surrealist puppetry, high fashion design and the history of vaudeville trickery.

They create  a seamless, magical world that brings the comic strip into the third dimension.

Utilizing old fashioned overhead projection they create a wonderful atmosphere.

Jasper Patterson sings a song while demonically addressing the audience.

Together with Sarah Al-Kassab they tell the stories from Pop-up books and song.

With audience member assisting they create a side by side pop-up story with Jasper in between.

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June 24th at 11pm, June 25th at 7pm.

Comic Book Theatre Festival

THE BRICK THEATRE

575 Metropolitan Avenue

Brooklyn NY

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For More information on THE NEW ECCENTRICS go here!

Coney Island USA

When I walked into the show Coney Island Sideshow USA at BB Kings the other day I had a feeling I was walking back in time. Or taking a step into a past that was vibrant and alive with performers who loved presenting for the ‘people’.

My love of Coney Island and it’s history is probably why I made this blog entry look like photographic postcards I found in a dusty steam trunk in my aunt’s attic. Discovering the ‘sideshow’ was something that happened to me as a young man walking into Al Flosso’s Magic shop on West 34th St. He had a picture on the wall of Dreamland Circus Sideshow with all the performers standing in front of the entrance posing for the photograph I was looking at. It was dated 1931. I wanted to think that Dreamland Circus Sideshow and Luna Park were still open for attendance. I would have loved to have had that experience.

Dick D. Zigun (the founder of  Coney Island Sideshow and Coney Island Museum.) presents this delightful show at different venues around town during the winter months.(Warm weather at their home on Coney Island-one of the few buildings still standing)  A great lineup for a wonderful show of talent and skills that aren’t to be found in our media/television heavy 21st century.

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The Great Fredini

The Great Fredini hosted the show and performed his sword swallowing. (to start with)

Audience volunteer helps The Great Fredini pull a sword from his throat.

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Princesss Pat

The cast of the afternoon’s show was all a public could want in variety.

Princess Pat dances sultry with her large ‘live’  snake.

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The Amazing Amy

‘The Amazing Amy’ twisted herself into many impossible yoga positions set to techno music.

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Adam Rinn

A ‘postcard’ pic if I ever saw one

Here is ‘wildman’ Adam Rinn with two young women standing on his chest thru a bed of nails which he also seems to be laying on.

Adam Rinn doing a magical cigarette trick. Swallowing?

A multi-skilled performer Adam Rinn eats fire.

Here Adam Rinn is blowing fire.

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The Great Fredini puts Princess Pat in a box which he then stuck 30 blades into.

He then invited audience members up on stage to see her in the box.

The Great Fredini explains to audience members the story behind the box while they look in at Princess Pat.

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Jennifer Miller – Zenobia

One of the ‘Original’ members of the Coney Island Sideshow and a wonderful performer in many disciplines.

She is juggling machetes!

A ghost like shot of Jennifer Miller juggling her machetes.

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The Great Fredini and The Electric Chair.

With audience members The Great Fredini is able to electrify them and get a florescent bulb to illuminate in one of their hands.

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The show was completed with Princess Pat dancing for the audience.

A great afternoon of entertainment and a lot of exotic surprises that weren’t expected.

See them next at THE HIGHLINE BALLROOM on January 2, 2010.

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May you have an exotic, amazing, delightful, serene, exciting and peaceful NEW YEAR!

Ring Mistress and Artistic Director Karen E. Gersch

It is called Showboat Shazzam and every week there are new performers doing their amazing acts!

Pictured here is ballerina Lea McGowan and acrobat Rudi Macaggi.

You have a view of the Statue of Liberty and see an amazing show. Great for families and adults.

Here is a photograph and video from Will Shaw’s very funny act. He performed last weekend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4lMg1RRxNk

There are two more weekends to go in June. Make sure you go and see it before it ends for the year.

Upcoming acts include a trained flea circus, handbalancing act, jugglers, silk aerial act, comedy slack wire, contortion, magic and more!!

For more information and tickets go here: http://waterfrontmuseum.org/circus.htm

Here is a video where he provides the unknowing audience members with a short education on what the ‘Human Blockhead‘ is and then attempts the Kendama Blockhead. The variety show is a mix of acts ranging from singing to burlesque to trapeze and back to Kendama Blockhead. All for $5.00. Well worth the visit and time. This show included the likes of Baby Seals, Jan Manke, Kitty Cockpit, Coney Island Chris, Magic Brian, Zero Boy, The Maestrocities, and Mika.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D-TMada-Oo

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This is a variety show for all of you out there that need to see something NEW! The New York Downtown Clown Revue is presented every third Monday of the month at The Kraine Theater on East 4th St. in NYC’s fashionable Lower East Side.  For more information go to The New York Downtown Clown Revue site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17F7IwzING4

Michael Bongar is well known amongst the clown community because he gets a lot of performers work. His agency aptly called BONGARBIZ has a great reputation for booking some of the most talented and eccentric acts available. Michael shed his suit on Monday night to perform and excerpt from his one-man show MAGIC MIKE. A hysterical sendup of magic gone wrong. The mediocre magician and his delightful lack of awareness is perfectly portrayed by MAGIC MIKE. Check out the New York Downtown Clown Revue web site for next month’s featured performers.