Mask Arts Company Blog

Caleb Kors “Flip” was a very brave young performer. People that saw and worked with him talked about how he could go where professional performers are afraid. He was always changing and advancing this act. He started performing in the Bellingham green market near his mother’s booth where she sold jewelry and other items.

Caleb Kors, 10 years old and nephew of our dear friend Peter Kors, performer, actor, teacher who worked, trained and taught with Carlo Mazzone-Clementi and understands Carlo’s deep work including the Metaphysical mask.

There are press reports around the world about Caleb Kors. He was working on a new circus costume and act in his bedroom, but somehow may have been accidentally strangled by a thin rope around this neck that cut off oxygen to his brain. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Washington State but suffered serious brain damage and passed away the following night.

Caleb Kors died on January 10, 2012
Here are two YouTube link to Caleb Kors “Flip” performing in his spot in the Bellingham Green Market and one where he trained at the Bellingham Circus Guild. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dlb9t_N2Yo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4bKIy3Wljo&feature=player_embedded

To Caleb Kors “Flip”
One day when the prophet Elijah was standing in the market place, a friend came up to him and asked: “is there anybody in this multitude who will have a share in the world to come?” Elijah looked about him and with a sigh answered, “no.” Then he looked about again and pointed to two men who had just entered the marketplace and were making their way through the crowd. “These two men will have a share in the world to come.” “What is their occupation and what have the done to deserve it?” Asked Elijah’s friend. “They are clowns,” Elijah replied “and when they see people troubled in mind or heavy with sorrow they make them laugh, and when they meet people who quarrel, they make peace between them.” Babylonian Talmud- Ta’Anit

May Caleb Kors parents, two older brothers, Peter and his extended family only experience blessing and joy in their future. Thank you to Caleb Kors.

This is a face book link in honor of Caleb Kors
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Caleb-Flip-Kors-Support-Assist-Love/256742791058161?sk=wall

If you would like to help the Kors family with medical bills
http://calebkors.chipin.com/caleb-kors

They are talking about putting together a scholarship fund in Caleb Kors name to support other kids that would like to learn circus arts.

Here are a few links that report about his accidental death from different parts of the world.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2086122/Flip-10-year-old-circus-boy-accidentally-hangs-practising-new-trick-bedroom.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2012/01/caleb-kors-circus-death.html?track=icymi

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/accidental-hanging-of-circus-boy-caleb-kors-stuns-town_n_1203132.html

Created, performed and produced by: Audrey Crabtree and Gabriela Munoz
Directed by: Hilary Chaplain
Credits for lighting, sets, costumes and music were not provided

By: Stanley Allan Sherman
Copyright © 2011

“Flocked” is the latest new work by creative powerhouse Audrey Crabtree, now joining forces with the extremely talented and funny Gabriela Munoz from Mexico. I have seen several of Ms. Crabtree’s new efforts since her award-winning “Bouffon Glass Menajoree” (directed by Eric Davis and with Lynn Berg and Aimee German), and “Flocked” has the most promise of becoming another great piece of Clown Theater. It is not there yet, but well on the right road.

“Flocked” takes advantage of the American and Mexican cultural differences. Audrey opens the show as a beautiful American bird having everything to herself, she is theeeee… center of attention. She loves being beautiful and she lets you know it. The set is cleverly simple, bird cages without the cage, just round circles of brown paper, like the bottom of a birdcage. Then something happens: another bird moves into a cage next to her. Gabriela’s bird is a total Mexican bird, bringing the wonderful movements and energy of Mexico. She preens herself, fluffs her feathers, and unpacks her belongings including a piñata all with her own wonderful lively rhythms. I loved Gabriel’s total involvement as her bird – she was all bird with never a question she was anything else.

Another nice thing about the show is that the language is bird words. There is not an English or Spanish word in “Flocked”, only bird sounds coming from these two performers. You can tell these are two totally different bird languages. All the drama comes from the new entry of this Mexican bird into American Bird’s neighborhood. There are hints of war and peace. At one point Audrey jams her finger up the ass of Gabriela’s piñata donkey in a very nasty brutal rhythm and she takes joy in the stress and outrage this causes Gabriela’s bird. This show works wonderfully on many levels. Which is an advantage of a non-language show… the audience’s imagination takes over and fills in lots of details. “Flocked” gives lot of room for the audience to take it in their personal directions.

This is a growing show and it is not finished growing. The physical distance between these two great performers makes this show hard to grow, one performer being in Mexico and the other in NYC. There are a few small things which I would like to see Director Hilary Chaplain address, including the flying scene. I love Gabriela’s flying technique; it is beautiful and fun. Audrey’s flying technique seems like it should be like poetry and it is not there yet; it is on the indication mime flying level. It would be wonderful to see Audrey look like she is truly flying, using her mime technique. It looked like Audrey was just on the outside of her bird having a slight indication edge of her character.

Flocked has the potential to develop into a truly great show and these three woman are off to a great start. Look for Flocked to come around again somewhere in the world sometime in the future.

Created and performed by: Jay Dunn & John Leo
Outside eyes: Jecca Barry, Richard Harrington, Deborah Kaufmann, Sophie Nimmannit

Presented by Dixon Place
Saturday, November 19, 2011

Having seen John Leo several times doing somewhat outrageous to wonderfully stupid bits of theatrical comedy at the NY Clown Theater Festival on many occasions, he was always all right to great.   Handshake Uppercut created with Jay Dunn is on the road to becoming a brilliant piece of theater.  Jay and John work well together in this odd world they created with a simple brilliant opening. One could compare it to other types of theater but that would be limiting what these two are in the process of creating.

This is the best I have seen John Leo and it is so refreshing to see these two help raise each other’s level of performance in this piece.  Something as simple as tying and untying each other’s shoes is not a moment but an entire dramatic piece with in the show raising the drama of the situation to places you do not expect.   The use of the audience member was great.  It was respectful and joyful.  Taking it beyond and outside the normal boundaries.  Of course this is very risky and risk always helps a theatrical piece.

Oh…there is not one word in this piece, which they speak.  In great mime, one does not notice the mime.  This is a silent piece of theater – one could call it mime-theater as well as true clown-theater and one does not even notice no words are spoken.  It is refreshing.   Jacque Lecoq said, “during times of political change and upheaval mime always become more popular.”

This was the final show in this run.  But I am sure they are taking this back into the studio to continue growing it.  There is a story line and they can use a little more dramatics in the arch of the Handshake Uppercut.    The one lip sink piece did not rise to the theatrical level of the rest of the show and the recorded song seemed out of place.  They use music very well.  It sounds like some of the recorded sound and music effects are their own music.  If they played all the recorded music in symphony orchestra great, if it is recorded music they are using they need to credit the musicians and figure out how to use it legally.  Why?  This show has an excellent possibility of growing into having a real theatrical run Off Broadway.  It is getting close to the level of great clown-theater and Handshake Uppercut will help raise the quality bar of clown-theater.  Looking forwards to seeing the next run of Handshake Uppercut. 

Directed by: Peter Brook and Marie-Helene Estienne
Wednesday November 23, 2011

Besides Peter and Samuel you have the three actors, Jos Houben who is a teacher at Ecole Jacque Lecoq since 2000, Marcello Magni from the city where Arlecchino is from Bergamo, Kathryn Hunter has a long line credits including playing Mrs. Figg in a Harry Potter movie and the co-director Marie-Helene Estienne who has been an assistant and collaborator of Peter Brook. How could you possibly go wrong with this combination of talent? At $75 a ticket, you cannot go wrong. One is required to like it! It is Art! About 80% of the audience gave them a standing ovation. Point of information my dear friend Jim Moore famous photographer who makes everyone look great and funny gave me an extra ticket he had.

In the run of a show, doing eight shows a week one of the worst show to see is the Wednesday matinee. The actors sometimes are saving their energy for the nighttime show. These five short pieces by Samuel Beckett are profound and delicate pieces of theater to make come alive and this afternoon it feel short.

Rough for Theater I
Jos Houben and Marcello Magni
Maybe it was how it was directed. At the opening it looked like they were just going through the motions. Jos Houben did come alive about a half way into the piece. Especially with Beckett, you cannot walk through it and the whole cast needs to be in it. I was looking forwards to the next piece.

Rockaby
Kathryn Hunter
Kathryn’s voice is wonderfully powerful to listen to. But I found this powerful odd piece of theater lacking, missing an element of soul. You can clearly hear the soul but I did not see it. At one point she rocks a chair back and forth. That was my favorite section of the piece, echoing time and the only change in the rhythm of the piece.

Act Without Words II
Jos Houben and Marcello Magni
This is a wonderful piece of theater and so simple and profound. Marcello’s character you are not supposed to love and I did not. But again felt it had that Tuesday Matinee quality to the performance. Jos’s character you are to love and everyone did. Plus when he exited his bag it was a breath of fresh air. It was fun, alive.

Neither was the next short piece performed by Kathryn Hunter.

Come and Go
Jos Houben, Kathryn Hunter and Marcello Magni
This piece they all seemed to enjoy playing among each other and was the best part of the afternoon. They’re three old ladies talking about and with each other on a bench. Each of the ladies have their own little quirks and gossiping with each other and behind the others back.

This was not a great afternoon of theater, even though it was Peter Brook, Marie-Helene Estienne and Samuel Beckett. For Beckett to really fly all three actors need to be totally there. Jos Houben did shine in this production as well as Kathryn Hunters voice at moments. Of course the evening shows could very well be totally of a different quality, as every performer has an off night once in a while. Jos will be returning sometime to NYC in 2012 with his solo show, The Art of Laughter which I have not seen but do recommend based on Jim Moore’s recommendation and based on his performance in Fragments.

One other interesting point, I saw “Handshake Uppercut, a Victorian Clown Throwdown” created by Jay Dunn & John Leo; one could say it has a Samuel Beckett feel to it and is on the road to going beyond Beckett. Seeing Fragments and Handshake Uppercut, a Victorian Clown Throwdown shows a few days apart, they both have elements of a similar feel to them. Except every moment was totally alive in Handshake Uppercut. If you only had time and money to see one show, I would choose Handshake Uppercut despite the power names in this production of Fragments.

By: Stanley Allan Sherman

It’s not called the NY Clown Festival, and not the NY Theater Festival, but the NY Clown Theater Festival. Artists in the world of clown, doing something very difficult, are turning clowning into hopefully great theater. This combination tries, and sometimes succeeds, in reaching the very high bar of great clown work plus great theater = clown theater. Various clowns and theater people see this combination of clown and theater differently, with all kinds of interpretations.

What does the combination of Clown Theater mean to you? Is it just doing your circus, party, walk around gigs, variety show, etc in a theater? Or is it specially made clowning for the theater? Is this new ground-breaking theater? Or are we returning to something old? Going back to the early 1800’s we find Joseph Grimaldi. His greatest success was a show called“Harlequin and Mother Goose; or the Golden Egg” which was performed at the Theater Royal, Covent Garden in 1806 running 92 nights on a stage with very little scenery on it.

In 2011, what is Clown Theater? Would love to hear your comments.

By: Stanley Allan Sherman
© September 25, 2011

Written and performed by: Mark Gindick
Directions by: David Shiner & Barry Lubin
Produced with: Bongarbiz

Wing Man is all about Mark looking for love (or trying to), and/or manipulating an audience member into kissing him.

Mark opens the show with recorded popular music and facebook up on the screen. His use of facebook on the screen is used well as the opening and closing of the show. The lighting of Mark’s facebook page was a little to dim. Mark is a good comic dancer. He did his famous air guitar piece, putting his air guitar down his pants and having his third leg play fantastic famous rock and roll. This is always a good bit and always gets a laugh. Having seen this piece before at Downtown Clown, many people in the audience had a reference point. But what was missing tonight was the unexpected female dancer in the audience that many people have seen in past performances. Whoever she was, she was fantastic and really made that piece have real heart and soul. It took it from being a bit to being real theater. It also pushed Mark’s performance from doing a bit. I really missed the theater part tonight. Marks two directors, David Shiner and Barry Lubin, failed to help Mark find anything close to that same drama, which he is very much capable of.

Mark has good bits. I liked his setting up the kissing booth, pulling it out of his suitcase. It is a nice prop.

Some of funny parts of the Mark Gindick’s show that I really enjoyed:

An audience member from the stage right part of the audience, front row was Jeff Lewonczyk, actor, writer, director and associate producer of the Brick Theater. Jeff was pulled up on stage to play Mark’s shrink, looking for love. This was one of the really funny moments in Mark’s show. Jeff was handed a notebook that he was to read from. Instead of reading only what he was expected to read, Jeff started out by reading the instructions meant only for him. “Please read the following in a heavy German accent.” Mark’s well-timed reaction was in mime gesturing: no, do not read that part. Jeff’s timing and play was perfect and very funny.

In tonight’s show, it was a beautiful woman that Mark was after to kiss him. The young woman he selected towards the end of the show, who was also sitting in the front row, is Jennifer Stokes, a performer in her own right. He took Jennifer up on stage. Jennifer played the situation well. Some of the best laughs came from what she did and her timing. Mark has a kissing booth that he puts up at the beginning of the show that says “$100 a kiss”. Much of the show is Mark waiting or trying to get someone to kiss him. Jennifer Stokes was taken on Marks mime roller coaster, going up and down side to side. Marks threw up in the process, in mime. We saw Mark’s mime barf (his fingers) flying in the air. Jennifer saw what was coming and made herself a hard target. At the last minute, he put his head in the way of his pretend mime barf.

It finally moved to the kissing booth. Mark wanted Jennifer to pay $100 to kiss him. No way. Mark dropped the price to $50. No way. Mark got desperate and took it down to $20. No way. Jennifer showed she had no money, pulling out her pockets, finding a used gum wrapper, and offering it to Mark. Mark was insulted, but took the price finally down to $1. Still no…and Jennifer offered Mark the wrapper with excellent timing. Jennifer offering Mark the wrapper was one of the funniest moments of this show. Mark took down the $1 sign and put up a “will pay you $1″ sign, and he took out a dollar from his pocket. No way Jennifer was going to kiss him for $1 – she wanted much more in a situation like this and the audience was with her and laughing with her! No way is she going to kiss Mark for $1, especially with Jennifer’s boy friend, performer Alex Kipp, sitting in the front row. Let’s say Alex was not pleased, but pleased with how Jennifer was handling things, and with her performance. After the show Alex said, “She was the perfect spotlight, not trying to steal it, but accentuating Mark.” But Jennifer did get the biggest laughs of the evening, and well deserved. Marks started pleading for the audience to urge Jennifer to kiss him. The audience responded – everyone yelled and cheered for Jennifer to kiss Mark. Jennifer saw the writing on the wall. Her boyfriend also saw it, and covered his eyes. She tricked Mark into looking away and Mark got his very slight kiss off the side of his cheek. Jennifer very happily sat down.

There was another person involved in the performance who set all of Marks props, whose name I do not know and was not listed. He did a great job taking props on and off stage but also playing the part well and interacting with Mark.

At the end of the show Mark played with bubble wrap. We see lots of bubble wrap being tossed onto stage by Mark. Then Mark comes out in full bubble wrap suit and hat. Mark starts throwing bubble wrap into the audience. But it only gets to the first and second row. It is hard to throw bubble wrap in small pieces. All the bubble wrap business was poorly explored and executed. Playing the popping needed much more exploration.

Mark is a very talented performer, but for Clown Theater to really fly, you need soul, vulnerability and real passion. Missed the passion. People laughed through this whole show. Laugher is not enough. One’s emotions must be moved – air guitar in the past was great because of the passion between Mark and the wonderful dance partner he worked with. I am sorry I do not know her name.

One other issue, where is the credit for all the musicians? You are using their music? If you take away all the music and do it without any music, what do you have? Often the drama and passion in the show came from the musicians who received no credit anywhere

The directors of Wing-man, David Shiner and Barry Lubin, in this audience member’s eyes, failed Mark Gindick. The simple element of playing bubble wrap had no drama and was very poorly used. The show fails to come together and have any real drama or build. As one audience member said after the show, “it is a 5 minute bit turned into a full show.” That can be done, but it was not done here. That is not on Mark Gindick, but his directors.

By: Stanley Allan Sherman
© September 25, 2011

Created and performed by: Chris Manley & Jeff Seal
Directed by: Danny Manley

What wonderfully fun clowning. Great use of every object and almost every moment in the show. Danny Manley did a wonderful job directing these two making what they had into somewhat of a complete show or at least on the road and going in the right direction. They set up the microphones and stands, messing up in just the right way and not overplaying it and not pretending to fail…but really failing over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over … until somehow they managed to start using the microphones. But they did not stop there. The microphone fed back and they explored that element to the full extent. Great clowning! Great prop manipulation!

There was true laugher from the audience, from the beginning to the end of the show. The type of humor is soulful and simple. There was raw playing at every moment and yes, their material is stupid, so stupid it becomes profound and refreshing. In one piece, they turn the tables on “the talkback”, making fun of the talkbacks with the audience at the end of plays nowadays. Jeff and Buttons (Chris) sat on their chairs and asked the audience questions. Pointing out someone, they asked, “How did you get here?” The audience member told them. They had the audience hoping they would call on them, a great achievement. Great play.

A few shows have made fun of bad miming. Chris and Jeff are the only ones to truly succeed at doing real bad mime and making it fun and funny. At one point in the show Jeff was climbing around in the audience and went up to a woman in the audience and almost fell over trying to touch her breasts. Then Jeff announces to the young woman, “All I want to do is touch your boobs. No really, all I want to do is touch your boobs.” This went on for a while and the woman was playing along as well as her seatmates. It was done in such a way, with such honesty, that it was funny and not insulting. Jeff played the awkwardness of the situation – somehow doing it so that it walked that thin line.

These two were the only ones to really successfully use media well in this festival. Their slide show with commentary was great. We could very clearly see the slides. There were lots of terrific moments in this show. You can tell these two really worked many of the moments. The show still needs forming and shaping. Explorations of the over all build of the show is needed. But for an opening night, they have a solid foundation for building into the future. Danny Manley, excellent job directing.

By: Stanley Allan Sherman
© September 22, 2011

Created and performed by: Joel Jeske

These comments are somewhat pointless because tomorrow night’s show will be different – because true to his principles everything he will do he has not done before. This type of performing/clowning is very gutsy and refreshing to see. You put yourself out there and it depends on you and how you are that night. This is a muscle that one must build and the only way to do that is perform. Personally I liked Joel’s performance in the Clown Theater Festival preview a little better. But as each night is totally different, he had a totally different side to his clown on this night, and he is most likely changing this as well each night. I felt he had a little bit of a safety net in how he played his clown tonight, which was the mean, bossy, take-no-guff-from-anyone and do what I say! But it was great. One performer who I respect said outside after the show. “It was the best thing I have seen in a long time.” In the opening, which you will most likely never see because everything thing he does he has not done before, Joel was sitting reading a book to recorded crowd noise on a small cd player he had next to him, looking up and studying the audience coming in, then going back to his book. It looked like he was actually reading. The book was to far away to read the title – but I do wonder what book Joel was reading to warm up for this show.

We had fun tonight. A recording Joel played tells the audience to participate: do whatever you are told or you will be consider as asshole and everyone will hate you, (or something close to that). His clown was bossy and threatening – totally different from the opening festival night. The dance piece to the recorded music was nice clown dancing but did not do much for me – but people were laughing. He brought a lot of people up on stage to do things. In one of the highlights an audience member on his knees holding a music book for Joel, while Joel played his ukulele and sang a song from the book he never sung before and it was emotional and brilliant. He did what he called bad mimes inspired from a bad mime group in Paris: shaving a giraffe, teaching dancing to an elephant and a few others. They were fun, but being a mime I may be overly critical, his technique needs some work, but he did say these were bad mimes. He also ran all his technical stuff, running up at the beginning of the show to the light booth to turn up the lights and running up to the booth to turn them down at the end.

At one point he remained me of things than the late Andy Kaufman would do playing with and manipulating the audience, but in a very different way. He actually got people to hit each other with pillows, starting with two and growing to eight people pillow fight. No feather flew. It was six guys against two women at the end. The women won. This show is well worth seeing and the more Joel risks, the more vulnerable Joel is, the better the show. Of course be warmed: Joel can and will do almost anything. Doing this show must be very freeing. It looks like Joel is really having a great time.

By: Stanley Allan Sherman
© September 23, 2011

Created and performed by Emily James and Ishah Janssen-Faith
Associate Producers: Rachel Faith & Tom Janssen
Writing Advisor: Elena Zucker
Lighting Designer: John Wilder
Set Maker: Billy Schultz & Mike Campbell
Seamstress: Elya Yerushalmy
Creative Advisor: Richard Crawford
Jingle Mixer: Dewey Caddell
Tile Card Artist: Marisa Manso

There were lots of good openings this year at the New York Clown Theater Festival, and this was another one; you came in and felt welcomed and loved. In fact, the opening was my favorite part of show, because they were fresh, all honest reactions, playing with the audience. This year’s show is somewhat similar to the show they did last year. Emily and Ishah are trapped in present or future time, doing their TV shows. They work off of each other very well. One is never bored when watching these two, trapped in time with the opportunity to travel with them into the future to avoid the destruction of the world. They create a very odd, strange and sometime disturbing worlds, taking you to places you would never think of going. This year their humor is more cutting. The show’s with its content seems to be taking itself a little more serious, but not much. Channel One has all kinds of humor, including women’s humor that women will relate to more than men. One can tell because all the women are laughing and the guys’ laughs are a little later. I would tell you more details but that would spoil it. There is an energy of the show from last year I missed, but they have been working the show, performing a lot, and a show never stays in the same place.

One thing that is hard in a festival like this is everything one must do to be ready so you have time for your prep. While we were waiting to come in, and like in other shows we could hear them working out technical lighting cues. That can really throw a performance off, but these professionals it did not. We did had to wait a little longer for the opening. But they made sure things were how they needed them to be to do their best show. It showed. Channel One is a fun out-of-this-world show and very different.

By: Stanley Allan Sherman
© September 22, 2011

Have you ever wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes of the NY Clown Theater Festival? Festival directors Audrey Crabtree and Robert Honeywell, playing clown characters, gave us a window into their process of putting this festival together. If you are having problems being selected for the festival – clown sex bribery or flirtation could help. They cleverly wove their bits into flowing introductions that went very well. But there were also two others that helped in this process: Lynn Berg played the silent mysterious clown presence Audrey and Robert feared, and Katherine M. Horejsi cleaned up the stage between the acts and set the props. Katherine played a mean, stern, take-no-guff-from-anyone clown. All of her actions were truthful and to the point, and it is the best work I have seen her do. Just the simple acts of picking something up and how she did it were captivating. Each object got its own special attention. After the show she told me it is her Mean Mom Clown.

The acts this evening were not a promo of shows coming up this week, but clown acts in development, old pieces people are dusting off, or clowns in the community wanting to do a piece of their act.

Billy Schultz, “Matoida Sassrofkin at Work”. Billy let Matoida Sassrofkin do all the work, letting his clown out. Matoida’s actions were all truthful – one can tell when a clown is lying, and clowns do not lie. When they do, it is not pretty to watch. He was wonderfully funny. Discovering small plastic bags, he popped them, and let the audience pop some. He engaged the audience in very gentle non-manipulative ways, flowing easily with his act. Shaking a cardboard box with stuff on top of it was just plain fun and funny. Soon we discovered it was a cardboard radio. This is when the music came on and Billy started dancing. For me, when the recorded music came on the laughs dropped off. There is something about how one uses recorded music that can be wonderful, or it can kill an act. Usually it is closer to the latter. Billy’s dancing was funny. The way Billy’s clown does anything is what is funny.

“Lisa Lou” did pieces of her prop manipulations, walking on a ball, spinning objects on a stick, some juggling, and ended with juggling knives. The clown cabaret had a very nice audience that seemed to appreciate her act even with an occasional drop here and there – which does happen.

Alexander Kipp “Captain Napkin” : his piece started out slowly and built. Clown Captain Napkin is very unassuming. When he put on his electric bass guitar, the first thing that went through my mind was does he actually know how to play? The other thought: it does not look clown, but it is a red bass almost matching his clown nose. That was when the piece turned really funny. Playing and singing, “”I want to know what love is”, he started playing with the audience, trying to get a woman in the audience to help him with this question, any woman. In true clown fashion, he suddenly turned up a guy, and with audience encouragement, the kiss happened. Fun little piece that built up, and it’s always wonderful when clowns do their own music. It was great non-forced audience involvement.

“Mr. & Mrs. Clown”: combined acrobatic and dance skills. Entered as very beautiful/ handsome clown dancers. You can tell they both enjoy performing, and performing with each other. It was sexy, surprising, fast-paced and full of great one-liners combined with acrobatic positions and movements. They even put in some funny political humor that worked. It was great because it was clown comedy, not pounding some political statement. Mr. & Mrs. Clown, Mike Smith Rivera and Kelly Anne Burns are actually married, and this produced the funniest line of the evening. Mrs. Clown was in the middle of starting to climb up on Mr. Clown’s shoulders when Mr. Clown’s nose fell off and he started to pick it up. Mrs. Clown sensed something wrong, saw what Mr. Clown was trying to do, and yelled at Mr. Clown, “Your nose or your wife – make a choice!” They were beautifully fun and funny to watch. They also both have strong acting gigs going on. Kelly Anne Burns was nominated for ‘Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role’ for her work in “The Navigator” in the NY Innovative Theatre Awards this year. Which goes to show – clowns make great actors. They have fun.

It was a very fun funny evening for the last Clown Cabaret of this festival.