Juicing Up 'Frankenstein:' Comedy Clown Troupe Twists Classic Tale
(Posted October 19, 2009)
HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- "Three clowns interlace the frightening Frankenstein story with comedy, acrobatic feats and improvisation in a show called "500 Clown Frankenstein" at Juniata College at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31 in Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts.
For tickets and information about the Juniata College Presents series, please call (814) 641-JTIX (5849). General admission tickets for single performances are $20, except where otherwise noted. Single-show tickets for seniors over age 65 and children age 18 and under are $12. Juniata College students are admitted free with a student ID.
"We don't bring people onstage or give them unwanted attention, but we create a relationship in the theater and things that happen are individual to that performance."
Leslie Buxbaum Danzig, cast member
The show is framed around three clowns who embark on a wild journey to construct Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory. The classic monster tale is revised into an exciting show with exaggerated period costumes and a narrative that contains a dramatic climax when one clown is forced to play the role of the creature.
Carefully choreographed, "500 Clown Frankenstein" provides the audience with an intense performance extending from tears of laughter to moments that send chills down your spine.
The story retains the power of the original "Frankenstein," examining creation, human rejection and the price people pay for questionable behavior.
"Giving a small physical theater troupe a name like "500 Clown" is sort of like describing a car engine in terms of its horsepower," wrote Devon Glenn, a critic from the Los Angeles Times.
Increasing the spontaneity of the show, the clowns are not the only ones performing; audience participation is a part of their story as well. Alternating the audience from being passive to having an active role in the performance will keep everyone on the edge of their seats.
Leslie Buxbaum Danzig, the director of "500 Clown Frankenstein" reassures the audience when she explains, "we don't bring people onstage or give them unwanted attention, but we create a relationship in the theater and things that happen are individual to that performance."
Becoming a leader in the physical theatre community, 500 Clown performs at leading Midwest, East Coast and more recently West Coast and international venues.
The cast includes Molly Brennan from New Hampshire, clown; Adrian Danzig from Chicago, Ill., clown/producing artistic director; Leslie Buxbaum Danzig from Chicago, Ill., director; and Paul Kalina from Chicago, Ill., clown. All members of the cast have wide-ranging experience in theatrical productions.
The tour of "500 Clown Frankenstein" is made possible by a grant from Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program.
Written by: Molly Sollenberger
Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.