Eddie Murphy
Modern-Day Clowns
Contemporary performers who embody the classic clown’s physical playfulness
Carol Burnett
Lucille Ball
Melissa McCarthy
Rowan Atkinson
Amy Poehler
Jackie Gleason
And what keeps you busy now? I spend about half my time teaching corporate communications. And every year I teach several classes in Arthur Holmberg’s theater course at Brandeis, working with the students on commedia dell’arte characters. I also play a lot of musical instruments: ukulele, guitar, banjo, mandolin, piano, recorder. I own 15 ukuleles, including a bass uke, which is the size of a small guitar. You may hear me play ukulele in “A Night on the Clowns.” When my son goes to college next year, I hope to go back to performing in Europe. There’s a form of entertainment there called variété — variety shows that run for a couple of months. Corporations in Europe also throw galas and hire producers to put on big Cirque du Soleil-style shows. It’s an art form that’s not as revered here, and I’m not sure why. We had a good run in the 1980s. Tastes change, I guess.
Raskin: “The kind of clown I admire is someone who is not too aware of the world but is always trying to do his best.”
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brandeis university | State of the Arts
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Tell us about “A Night on the Clowns.” What can we expect to see in April? It’s a throwback to vaudeville, to the idea of comedy that is first physical and visual
in nature, and second, verbal. There are six performers, including me. They are all performers that I’ve known and worked with for many years. Amy Gee is a delightful cabaret performer, a roller skater and comedienne who is very popular in Europe. Kevin Brooking is an American living in Brussels, and his clown act, “The Art of Accidents,” is known all over Europe. He was also my first clown partner. Randy Judkins, from Portland, Maine, is a wonderful character comedian. Waldo and Woodhead have performed comedic juggling around the world, and are hilarious. It’s an evening of music, magic and mirth — a fast-paced evening of physical comedy. And while there is nothing “inappropriate,” it’s really an evening for adults, young and old. So leave the kids at home, and bring your silly self! winter/spring 2015
1/30/15 1:53 PM