Princeton Juggling Club tosses visual effects with comedy in

When most people think of juggling, what probably comes to mind are those silly clowns in ridiculous costumes, who are paid to appear at birthday parties or street fairs and hope that airborne balls are enough to capture an audience . . . unless, of course, you're familiar with the Princeton Juggling Club.

True, the first kind of jugglers do provide some form of entertainment, though always somewhat mild and mindless, with the biggest thrill being an act that includes some element of danger like knives or fire or a feat that looked like it must have required an enormous amount of practice or skill.

Yet, in their newest performance, "2003: A Spatial Oddity," which opens tonight at Frist Theater, the Princeton Juggling Club seeks to go beyond that juvenile form of entertainment usually associated with juggling and tries to provide the audience with a humorous and visually impressive performance.

While watching the first kind of jugglers can be an anxiety-inducing or embarrassing experience, watching the Princeton Juggling Club perform is thoroughly entertaining. Because each act possesses a visual or comedic integrity of its own, one can be drawn into the performance without worrying about one of the jugglers messing up.

"If people haven't seen us perform before, probably the most important thing to understand is that this is not simply 'an hour of juggling,'" said Jacob Weiss '03, co-president of the club.

"The acts focus on interesting visual displays and absurd comedy, with juggling as the medium for expressing these ideas."

The most important aspect of the show is the interaction between the performers and the audience, which serves to promote a more laid-back enjoyment of the show, according to Weiss and co-president Geza Szigethy '04.

"While I like the show to be visually impressive, I also like the feeling that the audience can be in on our jokes as a participant rather than just there to react to stimuli we provide," Szigethy explained.

One way that the performers attempt to create a casual, interactive relationship with the audience is by trying to appear relaxed and nonchalant themselves.

In one particularly goofy act, the performers seem to be having a little too much fun throwing around "intestines" and "eyeballs."

But their obvious enjoyment of the sheer silliness of the routine is contagious, and one can't help but laugh at the absurdity of the skit. In some of the other acts, the performers engage the viewers by overtly addressing specific members of the audience.

"We try to express a casual attitude to which the audience can relate and so there is a constant spoken or unspoken interaction and communication with the audience," Weiss said.

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The first act of the show -a combination of an interactive video, juggling on ice and a parody of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" - definitely expresses this lightheartedness and succeeds in drawing the audience in immediately. The act is so obviously silly that it is almost impossible to watch it without loosening up.

"We can get away with stuff like this because we make no pretense about being cool," Donald Sheehy '05, a member of the group, said.

In addition to relieving certain tensions, the constant interaction with the audience functions as a key element in the comedy of many of the pieces, which emphasizes the performers' self-awareness of the absurdity of the performance.

"In theater terms," Weiss explained, "the comedy is very metatheatrical and we play with and parody many theatrical conventions and structures."

The show is composed of a number of diverse acts, all loosely based on juggling and object manipulation. But because each act is unique, nothing about the show is redundant.

In addition to some truly humorous pieces, the show also includes a number of pieces so beautifully choreographed that the final result is mesmerizing.

In one such piece, Julia Manasson '06 presents a striking demonstration of rhythmic gymnastics. In another, Weiss and Szigethy's pole-handling is both oddly transfixing and incredibly soothing. The glow-in-the-dark piece is a dizzying visual treat that toys with the audience's perceptions.

Other acts, such as Weiss's demonstration of his computer science senior independent work project -a juggling-controlled drum machine, are more playful, and are appealing more for their novelty and quirkiness than for anything else.

Overall, the show provides nonstop, pure entertainment that anyone would enjoy. "It's ten times better that last year's show," Margee Pratt '05, a fellow juggler, said.

"2003: A Spatial Odyssey" is a fabulous assortment of the spellbinding, the wacky, the impressive, and the soothing.

The event will be performed at the Frist Theater tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Go buy tickets before it's too late.