Advertisement
When I first arrived the first performer I met was Scot Free, a Canadian comedy juggler. His real name is Jeff but he got his stage name after a DC comic book character Mr Miracle the escape artist. Mr Miracle's secret identity name is Scot Free. Jeff juggles chain saws while eating apples. His favorite TV show is "Trailer Park Boys", a mockumentary like the American show "The Office". Scot will be ending his contract in June because he has a major engagement in Canada at the end of June. Scot is also my next door neighbor.
Michele "Frenchy" Mimo is another Canadian performer who does a balancing clown act on stage. Mimo loves to gourmet cook in the dorms and is an all around nice guy. He has a strong French accent with a deep stage voice...all the time...even off stage. Mimo never stops talking but we all love him! He also dresses up as a Star Trek Next Generation robot as a walk around character.
Marky the clown is from Alaska and has been a clown for many years. He has worked at Huis Ten Bosch for six seasons as a balloon
clown. He likes making a teddy bear on a flower and turns a little girl on stage into a butterfly. Marky also loves to gourmet cook. He said before he was a clown he was a chef. You'll always see Marky cooking pankcakes or his special gourmet hamburgers in the staff kitchen.
Burl the Bubble Guy is a master at his bubble show. Burl a former Ringling Brother's boss clown worked for the circus for many years but now travels all around the world doing his original bubble act. He is a really funny guy and he loves comic books, Lost and Heroes so he a cool friend to hang around with. He is the one that showed me where in Daito to find the local internet cafes. Burl spends most of his off time at the internet cafes downloading TV shows onto his ipod.
Also Sheila is the Huis Ten Bosch MC. She is from Osaka, Japan and was only here for Golden Week. She is a very nice person and one of my cool new friends. Sheila was here to MC the high school marching bands during Golden Week. In prievious times
here she was the town cryer.
At the time of this blog Marky, Mimo,and Burl have ended their contract agreements and moved on to their next events. I know Burl's next big gig is spending the next year in Germany doing his act in a night club. Marky will continue doing his clowning in his hometown in Alaska and spend some quality time with his wife and kids. Mimo runs an entertainment troupe in Canada and will continue to amaze audiences with his "Mimo show".
The newest performer that arrived last week is James BuStar from Australia. James is a technical juggler. He has been juggling since he was 13 and he is amazing to watch! He can juggle seven balls at the same time and he can also juggle five clubs. What you'll notice right away about James is his height and his Aussie blonde hair. He is 6 foot 3 inches. He towers above all us performers. He's also my newest next door neighbor. And oh yes, he can hear me snore.
Rob Lok is another amazing former Ringling Brother clown. He grew up in New York and performs his
funny act all around the world. He is works as funny clown character and comedy balancing with juggling on 3 foot stilts. He also has a funny walk around character that is an old man. Rob also served as a director of clown college at Wannado City. He taught the kids how to be clowns and learn basic circus skills.
And last but certainly not least...the funniest clown I have ever met in my life, Ryan Combs. Ryan is only 22 and toured as a Ringling Brothers Clown for three years in the blue unit. He is a master of the pratfall. Ryan is a natural born clown. In his early performing days he was featured on the Disney Channel in the childrens circus show called "Circus Smirkus". The first thing you'll learn about meeting Ryan is he is the spitting image of a young Jerry Lewis. Ryan grew up in Boston and his hobbies are studying the great comedians of yesteryear. He has the complete collection of the Three Stooges, Buster Keaton, The Marx Brothers, Abbott and Costello and Fatty Arbuckle. He has also extensively studied the works of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. Rob and Ryan
are currently perfoming a new act together and watching these two perform reminds me of a great vaudvillian act from comedians past. Ryan is a classic clown in the truest sense.
These are my friends in Japan. We hang out after work together...watch movies...go bowling...and eat at cool restaurants. Without these guys this job wouldn't be as fun as it has been!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.085s; Tpl: 0.019s; cc: 5; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0503s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Rafael
non-member comment
Great cast
Seems like you are having a nice time with your neighbors and fellow castmates. I can't wait to read your next blog. Rafael