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Celebrate the Arts ...page 10
Northwest
Prime Time
CELEBRATING LIFE AFTER 50 IN THE PUGET SOUND REGION SINCE 1986
www.NorthwestPrimeTime.com
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VOL. 19 NO. 7 SEPTEMBER 2019
Paul Magid
Founding member of the worldfamous Flying Karamazov Brothers Everyone’s favorite juggling and comedy troupe returns to Seattle in September
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aul Magid’s legions of fans may know him better as Dmitri, founding member of the globe-trotting Flying Karamazov The Flying Karamazov Brothers’ Club Sandwich returns to Seattle in Brothers—jugglers September, featuring Paul Magid and NANDA, self-described juggling ninja acrobats extraordinaire famous for physical comedy to the United States just before Strong World War II, though his relatives Silliness and theatrical silliness. were not so fortunate. His father, an Ties
After a seven-year hiatus from Seattle, the Flying Karamazov Brothers, in partnership with Port Townsend’s NANDA (self-described juggling ninja acrobats), once again perform in Seattle for 19 shows beginning on September 19. Strong Local Ties Paul Magid was born at Seattle’s Virginia Mason Hospital and lived in Seattle for seven years before being whisked away to California by his parents. “But I never agreed that we had moved to California and I came back whenever I could,” declares Paul. Growing up, he spent every summer in Seattle with his grandparents. He recalls idyllic summers fishing with his grandfather. “I just loved it.” After traveling the country and the world, Paul eventually found his way back to the Northwest and now calls Port Townsend home. Strong Family Ties Paul’s ancestors were Sephardic Jews—exiled from Spain in 1492 but welcomed into the Ottoman empire, including Turkey. Paul’s maternal grandparents moved from Turkey to the United States, settling in Seattle because it has the third largest community of Sephardic Jews in the country. Paul feels a deep connection to his roots. His grandparents, who spoke five or six languages, didn’t speak much English, so Paul grew up learning the Sephardic language, Ladino, considered one of the endangered languages of the world. Paul’s father was born in Poland of Ashkenazi Jews. The family escaped
endocrinologist instrumental in the development of dialysis machines, fought for the United States in the war that killed so many of his family members in the Holocaust. Paul’s father became a doctor specializing in research while maintaining a busy medical practice. “I used to go on house calls with my dad,” says Paul, who describes his father as all about helping people. “He, along with another physician, were Cesar Chavez’s doctor; he also volunteered at the Haight-Ashbury drug clinic.” The Magid household was steeped in educational and community pursuits. “Mom was passionate about art history and our Spanish past.” Academics have always played a part in Paul’s life, even as theater caught his interest in high school—an interest that stayed with him as he went on to the University of California Santa Cruz. “I was accepted into several other universities but wanted to stay close to my parents because my father had cancer.” Paul graduated as valedictorian with a major in English Literature and Muslim Studies. “I originally thought I was going to be an academic of some sort and I continue to study history quite a bit,” says Paul. He teaches classes on the legal and historical aspects of land rights and is one of the more knowledgeable people in the country on the subject. His two daughters continue the academic tradition. “They are both fantastic and unbelievably smart. One is a journalist in Baghdad. The other just graduated from Columbia. She is clerking with a law firm in New York and plans to focus on children’s rights and immigration. I am super happy with them,” states the proud father.
His academic bent aside, The globe-trotting Paul Magid was born in Seattle and now calls Port theatrical Townsend home. Photo courtesy Asa Mathat performance intertwined had also developed a stellar reputation with Paul’s academic life in college. for their ability to entertain and wow He and his friends started juggling in a crowd. The aim became to perform the dorms. The group became so wellon Broadway. “In 1983 we got there!” regarded on campus that they opened exclaims Paul. They went on to perform for a theatrical production. on almost every continent in the world. “Our show went better than the The Flying Karamazov Brothers play we were covering,” says Paul. are famous for amazing juggling tricks, “People really seemed to like it. We started performing more around college music, theatrical adaptations, vaudevillestyle variety and just plain silliness. One and went on to perform at fairs and on of their well-known tricks was called the streets.” “The Gamble,” where they juggle any The performers proved to be so three objects provided by the audience successful that they were able to “quit the dumb jobs we all had to have to pay (the sillier or more difficult the better) and selected by audience applause. If the for college because we could go out on the streets and make way more money. juggler can juggle all items for ten throws each, he receives a standing ovation. If It was wonderful!” not, he receives a pie in the face. The group’s iconic title, the Flying The group has appeared in the film Karamazov Brothers, came about when The Jewel of the Nile, on Seinfeld, Mr. one member was reading the famous book at the same time as the troupe was Roger’s Neighborhood and national talk looking for a new name. Paul describes a shows. Paul is set to star in a Miramax fateful encounter: “We were hitchhiking Film, Silent Retreat. When he spoke with Northwest Prime Time, he was preparing on our way to perform at the Spokane to rehearse for the Seattle show, and World’s Fair in 1974 and were picked then leave the same night on a red-eye up by a young woman in a VW van. to upstate New York to work on the Her name was Mary Sullivan; she was the niece of Ed Sullivan. Our group had film. “I think it will be really funny,” he says of the movie. But his schedule is been going by our last names, not very “completely insane!” evocative. Getting picked up by Mary seemed very portentous and we decided New Old Time Chautauqua to change our name to the Flying Another fateful encounter Karamazov Brothers.” The book is full happened early in their career. “We of dark, passionate people with distinct were at the Oregon Country Fair, a personalities, and the juggling troupe wild, beautiful fair out in the woods. created a silly, circus version on that We had so much fun, but then it was theme. By 1975, the “Brothers” had created over in three days,” remembers Paul. an hour-long theatrical evening and continued on page 9