Highlights of the first half of the show included Krinsky's comical audience participation juggle, in which the lively volunteer was rewarded with a gift box of three beanbags bearing the United Way logo. Roger Reed performed a stellar mime/juggling routine with two stage balls. Jack Golden and I juggled and/or devilsticked odd sports equipment. Act one culminated with Sam Kilbourn's amazingly acrobatic seven-chair­high one hand press-up, which left his other hand free to remove his absurd cap and unfurl a long banner emblazoned with the word "intermission. "

 

The pit band's rousing rendition of "When The Saints Go Marching In" signaled the start of the second half. My 4-1/2-year-old daughter, Jazmine, made a cameo appearance walking forward and backward on a slack rope (with a little help from mom) that was held aloft by eight members of the cast. The routine thematically underscored the fact that it takes many adults pulling together to give young children the support they need to risk putting themselves on the line.

 

After doing her best Keri Strugs one foot dismount, little Jazzy made way for her mother, Linda, to walk, hover and menacingly announce to the closest holder that she was about to juggle a "double-bladed hatchet of doom plus two razor-sharp, soap-slippery machetes... sealed in plastic for your protection!"

 

The show peaked when all five Wright Brothers recreated their classic slow motion race. After comically disrobing down to boxer shorts and t-shirts, they all come to their marks at the starting line. Then, to the melodramatic score from "Chariots of Fire," the five proceed to play every dirty trick in the book on each other, embellishing each trip, elbow and bite with brilliantly exaggerated and perfectly timed facial expressions and pratfalls. The audience howled and responded with a standing ovation.

 

Additional highlights included Paul Richmond twirling two streamers, as well as some hot devil stick in the group finale. Alexander Feldman played three recorders simultaneously while hopping and twirling on one foot. Robin Zegge did an improbable characterization of a club-passing 70-year-old dowager. Linda and I, as Peck and Henpeck, did our dueling derbies. Lenny Zarcone and Jack Golden performed a great slapstick prop mike, and Robert Rivest performed hilarious mime duets with Jody Scalise and Roger Reed. The latter also contributed some sweet single and double diabolo solos as part of the group finale which, thanks to an infectious jazz composition which I got in the mail as promised from IJA legend Bob Bramson, somehow evoked a standing ovation as well.

 

In sum we did Benny proud and didn't do bad for our own community either! Even at only $5 for adults and $3 for children, (and as Llody said in our PSA, "$25 for anyone who doesn't have a sense of humor") we took in almost $2,000. United we laughed, raised consciousness, raised cash, and definitely lifted a lot of spirits.