Rochester area native Michael DuBois returns to his hometown for just two days to present The Great DuBois, a circus-type variety act on stage at the Jewish Community Center, 1200 Edgewood Avenue in Rochester. Show dates are: Saturday, June 3 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday, June 4 at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The Great DuBois features Michael alongside his long-time partner, the athletically gifted Viktoria Grimmy, a fifth-generation circus performer and aerialist. Together, the performers meld their impressive physical and athletic skill – and obvious chemistry together – with a highly unique brand of performance comedy designed for audience members of all ages.
Ticket cost: $15 to $20. Reserved-seating tickets cost $20 for adults, JCC members pay $18, children pay $16 ($15 for children who are members of the JCC). Group discounts are available. Call 585-461-2000 or order on-line at www.TykesTheatre.org.
DuBois calls this new production “the most unique two-person show you’ll ever see,” featuring a whirling array of circus/sideshow stunts involving magic, juggling, aerial work, spinning plates, slack wire, contortion, a real whip and lots of hula hoops. The ever-changing, always-original show features some of the most technical and exciting elements of the circus, from straightjacket escapes to unicycle riding and tight rope antics. The duo promises to entertain with this high-energy, hilarious spin on the classic variety show. “There’s so much going on right in front of your eyes – it’s mind-boggling just how varied their talents are,” raves TYKEs’ director Freyda Schneider. “But the part I love the best is the audience interaction. Kids and adults from the audience are selected to go right up on stage and participate in the act. DuBois’ banter and his rapport with the audience is perhaps the best magic of all!”
Catapulted to fame by his television appearances on Jay Leno, David Letterman and the NBC show Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, DuBois has performed at over 600 colleges, cruise ships, theaters and resorts all over the world. His fame and celebrity sprung from humble beginnings – originally performing magic and circus tricks for his fellow campers at the JCC’s overnight summer camp, Camp Seneca Lake in Penn Yan. Grimmy, who is DuBois’ partner on stage and in life, created and performed circus acts for the Tony-award winning Broadway production of PIPPIN and performed with the Big Apple Circus, Ringling Brothers Circus, Britney Spears Circus Tour, and in the film Burlesque. “Vik is like a real-life superhero,” explains Schneider. “I’ve never seen anyone move and bend the way she can, with such extraordinary flexibility, strength and agility. It’s breathtaking to watch her.”
The duo also will provide two workshops to teach children ages 7 and up how to juggle and use hula hoops. The 45-minute workshops will be held at the JCC in Auditorium A at 4:15 p.m. on Friday, June 2 and again on Saturday, June 3 at about 4 p.m. (after the second show on Saturday). The workshop cost is $10 per child, with a maximum class size of 20 children. For workshop registration, call 585-461-2000 or reserve on-line at www.TykesTheatre.org.
