Clowns take over the 'Cirkus' ring

Two goofy clowns who make a wreck out of a circus ring will entertain families this week in the latest production sponsored by Pittsburgh International Children's Theater.

"Cirkus Inferno" -- a production of Daredevil Opera Company in Ontario, Canada -- features two main clown characters, Lucky and Lady, who crash a theater show and make it their own after the intended performers don't arrive on time. The amateur clowns, driven by curiosity, head for the stage and raise a stink with their antics, says Amy Gordon, one of the show's creators.

"They are very normal people that are just trying to escape the normalcy of their own lives and taste the extraordinary," says Gordon, who plays the part of Lady. "But, of course, the set ... is a highly explosive stunt circus, and having two peons on the stage is not only ridiculous but dangerous."

The unruly duo create a maddening, chaotic mess, with props that explode, pratfalls, popping balloons, whoopee cushions and other slapstick-style shenanigans. Both adults and children should expect knee-slapping laughter, Gordon says.

"I think that the show has magic; there's all kinds of unexpected joy and surprises that appeal to kids and to adults," says Gordon, 31, of New York City. Her partner, Jonah Logan, plays the Lucky role.

"Kids love the explosions and the trouble we get into," she says.

Gordon says the Lucky and Lady characters -- joined by a third character in "Cirkus Inferno," the theater manager -- may remind some audience members of early 20th-century comic performers such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. The show, she says, has the same humor factor.

"It's just really sheer fun," Gordon says. "There's not point to it other than having a good laugh. Children know how to do that better than anybody."

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'Cirkus Inferno'

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