Jonathan Dark: Flea Circus Impresario

The Salem News has an interview with local flea circus impresario and magician Jonathan Dark. They ask him the following:

How many fleas do you have?
“There are three fleas in the circus, but I also have 1,833 understudies. I have an old-fashioned cane with a screw top that has dry ice inside. I keep them in that cane in case I use the understudies.”

What kind of tricks do they do?
“The stars of the show are Barnaby and Victor. They do a mini-chariot race that’s sort of an homage to the chariot race in ‘Ben Hur.’ There’s also Madame Fifi, who does a high-wire act. I ordered her direct from Paris. She came off a poodle there. At the end of the show, the whole troupe pushes a small carousel around.”

Isn’t it hard for the audience to see?
“You can’t really get a bead on the flea itself, but when he climbs that rope ladder you can see the ladder shaking; and when he hits the diving board, the board does a bounce; and when he hits the water, there’s a splash. Fleas can’t swim, so it’s my job to get him out of there as quickly as possible.”

Read the full article here.

Technorati: Magic flea circus

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An informal history of sensational, scientific, silly and startling attractions based on 17th, 18th and 19th Century Broadsides from the collection of Ricky Jay. With some observations on the convention of promoting such appearances, and digressions on the manner and method of printing advertisements to do so, and with insight into the psychology employed to that end. Includes such attractions as Bertolotto's Industrious Fleas, the Pig Faced Lady, Capelli's Learned Cats and the Singing Mouse . [more...]