Does contemporary life get you down? Does the ephemeral nature and inescapable pointlessness of human existence leave you feeling lost, confused, befuddled and bewildered?
Don’t worry, all will become clear when The Flying Karamazov Brothers, those comic jugglers extraordinaire, bring Life: A Guide for the Perplexed to WUSTL as part of the Edison Theatre OVATIONS! Series.
A family-friendly romp in the trademark Karamazov style, Life: A Guide for the Perplexed is a series of parables designed to help one survive the modern world.
The story begins when Dmitri (Paul Magid) — who happens to be undergoing a midlife crisis — receives a box containing a mysterious “Guide for the Perplexed.” The action then veers wildly, from loopy takes on Bollywood and The Mahabarata to the other-worldy “Juggletron,” a six-octave, sonar-driven musical instrument played by all four brothers.
The show also features the Karamazov’s signature “Dmitri’s Gamble,” in which he agrees to juggle any three objects of the audience’s choosing. Items must be heavier than an ounce, lighter than 10 pounds and no bigger than a breadbox — so think creatively!
Life begins at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13 and 14. Tickets are $30; $25 for seniors and WUSTL faculty and staff; and $18 for students and children. Tickets are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office and through all MetroTix outlets. (The Flying Karamazov Brothers also will give an ovations! for young people performance at 11 a.m. Oct. 14. Tickets are $8.)
The Flying Karamazov Brothers have been performing since 1973, when co-founders Dmitri and Ivan (Howard Patterson) met as dormmates at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Rounding out the quartet today are Pavel (Roderick Kimball) and Alexei (Mark Ettinger).
Over the years, the group has progressed from Renaissance fairs and street corners to world tours and acclaimed Broadway runs. Previous shows include Juggling and Cheap Theatrics (1983 and 1986); The Comedy of Errors (1987); The Flying Karamazov Brothers Do The Impossible (1994); and Sharps, Flats & Accidentals (1996 and 1998). The Karamazovs also have created original stage adaptations of Alexandre Dumas’ Les Trois Musketeers (The Three Moscowteers) (1984); Igor Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier’s Tale) (1986); and, of course, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov (1993).
The troupe’s many honors include an OBIE Award (1980), a Showtime special (1983) and a PBS special, “The Flying Karamazov Brothers: Stars of New Vaudeville” (1989).
Other screen credits include the film “The Jewel of the Nile” (1985) and appearances on “Seinfeld,” “Ellen,” “Bill Nye, the Science Guy,” “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood”and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” among many others.
In 1994 their London run of Juggle & Hyde was nominated for an Olivier Award while their revival of Room Service was nominated for an Ovation Award in 1998.
Life: A Guide for the Perplexed is directed by former troupe member Michael Preston, with choreography by Doug Elkins. Music is by Ettinger, Doug Wieselman, Steven Bernstein, Wayne Horvitz and Amy Denio.
Edison Theatre is supported by Mid-America Arts Alliance with generous underwriting by the National Endowment for the Arts; the Missouri Arts Council; the Regional Arts Commission; foundations, corporations and individuals throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas; and the Friends of Edison Theatre.
For more information, call 935-6543 or go online to edisontheatre.wustl.edu.