Wold insists that the precautions he takes minimize his personal danger. The Hilton only got permission for him to perform his act after the Reno fire department worked extensively with him to assure that all danger was minimized. "They came in here every day for the first month," Wold said. "They were making me order special fuel containers by overnight express. Also, 1 have to light everything directly under a 10,000-gallon water drum in the rafters that they can open with the flick of a button."

 

No, the drum was not installed specifically for Wold's act, but was used for a waterfall effect in a previous show. He also stands about 20 feet back from the edge of the stage at all times to maintain a safe distance from the audience.

 

He concedes that his greatest concern is the uncertainty over the long-term health effects of working so closely with fire. But such concerns are not preventing him from continuing to push further into the inferno.

 

He is now working on new and even more daring stunts. His latest work in progress is an escape from a flaming straitjacket. He ties himself in it, then sets the whole thing on fire as he struggles to get out. As he explained, "I think it will be a great trick for the hotel to market, but it was pretty hairy the first time 1 prac­ticed it. There's no one out there to teach me how to do these things. I get burned occasionally, but it's the only way to learn to do it."

 

Another idea in development involves a large cattle tub full of water, topped with a layer of flaming fuel. He intends to shackle himself, dive into the water, free himself from his shackles and climb out through the flames.

 

There are other fire tricks in his repertoire which he doesn't do at the Hilton, such as fire spitting ("It leaves fuel on the floor that other performers could slip on.") and a large-scale illusion where he steps into a burning cage and makes a switch with Chrissie, who is the one to emerge. ("The Pendragons do enough magic for this show.") He has more than two hours of material in all, which he fills not only with the skills outlined above, but with ventriloquism and creation of large balloon sculptures.

 

Raised in Chula Vista, Calif., Wold has been performing professionally since 1978 when he was a student at the University of San Diego. He attended Ringling Brothers Clown College, did well there and traveled with the red unit for a year. Since then he has performed on stage, at comedy clubs, at night clubs, in several motion pictures, on television internationally and at Sea World and Disneyland.

 

Though the juggling in his show is limited to torches and cigar boxes, Wold began his entertainment career as a juggler, and still believes the variety of vaudeville skills he performs is most accurately are described in that single word. But "juggler" isn't a very marketable term, he said. "There are a lot of jugglers out there, so 1 market myself as a 'fire act,' or as 'comedy and amazing skills' in comedy clubs."