Other jugglers came and went, but Kris Kremo was a fixture in Las Vegas for 11 years. He opened a show brought there from the Lido in Paris in 1978, expecting an engagement of only a year or two. But each time the show was extended, Kremo was extended.

 

There was good reason for that, according to Gary Golbart, entertainment director of the show for the past four years. "His act is a perfect opening act, especially for that show," said Golbart. "We cater to an international crowd and Kremo's act transcends language. His abilities speak for themselves, and he was wonderfully entertaining on stage. He's more than a juggler, he's an entertainer. When something works so well you just don't need to change it. I never personally got tired of watching his act, and that's a good sign."

 

Kremo was the first of four, (later three) acts that the 1,100 people in the Lido audience saw after the dancers opened the show. He performed up to 14 minutes of material, and never used more than three objects -- balls, top hats and boxes. Michael Bradshaw, the former Lido company manager, echoed Golbart's praise, saying, "God knows I've seen a lot of jugglers in Vegas, but there's no one who can touch Kremo. He simply takes juggling as a form of entertainment to a different level."

 

Kremo established a home in Las Vegas -- a rare luxury for international variety performers. He kept a show horse and enjoyed a stable lifestyle that included skiing and tennis.

 

This year, however, Kremo got itchy feet. One of the reasons he enjoyed performing was travel, and after 11 years in Las Vegas he was ready to be on the move again. Kremo' s departure from the show in April provided a good opportunity to talk to this gentleman juggler about his life and show business.

 

Kristian Gaston Kremo, a Swiss citizen, was born in Paris in 1951, and learned his skill from a determined father, Bela Kremo. Bela, born in 1911 in Berlin, passed on to his son the tricks and genes of an internationally famous dynasty of artistes. The Kremo lineage dates back to the middle of the 19th century, when predecessors performed risley and horseback riding routines. Bela, though, specialized in juggling with only three objects at a time -- primarily balls, top hats, cigar boxes.

 

Bela made sure his two sons and a daughter learned juggling skills, but he also made sure they got a good education. While the other two children chose other professions, Kris practiced his juggling during time at a Swiss boarding school, and began to perform with his father in a double act in 1970. The synchronized juggling of father and son was soon eagerly anticipated in variety theatres throughout Europe. Kris did his first solo shows in 1975, the year before Bela retired. Bela died in Zurich on Jan. 14,1979, but Kris continues to make sure that the family name remains associated with the top echelon of international variety arts.

 

"Juggler's World" interviewed him shortly before he left Las Vegas this spring.

 

JW: Is this the end of your 11 years at the Stardust the end of an era in your entertainment life?

KK: There's always an end and always a beginning. I guess it's a kind of an end, yes. This is an old show and it's been running for a long time. I'll be in Monte Carlo through June, then at the new Fuji Hotel in Atarni, Japan, from July 1 to the end of February. Then I'm going to open a completely new Lido show in Paris in March 1990 for a year. And in 1991 I'll be with the Swiss national circus, Circus Knie, again.

 

I could have had a longer engagement with the the Lido, but it's a special occasion with Circus Knie -- the 700th anniversary of Switzerland. Circus Knie wants to make a special program with only Swiss entertainers. Before I came to Vegas, I opened the show at the Lido in Paris, then I came here with it. So maybe I'll come back some day with the new show from the Lido again!

 

Also, I started to feel like I wasn't in charge of my destiny anymore. This show was supposed to be done many years ago, but they kept extending, extending, extending. Part of what I like about entertaining is to travel and see the world. Life goes on and time passes by, and I found myself in the same place here in Vegas. I had the feeling it was time to do other things.