Review
Boston Herald
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Friday February 2, 2001
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MIT brains, wacky Brothers juggle science, comedy
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Abstract:
The Flying Karamazov Brothers, masters of wackiness and wild vaudeville mayhem, stretch their performance limits and the boundaries of space and time in their newest show, "L'Universe" (pronounced looney verse). "In the Media Lab, if we're not involved in academic programs, we love to work with maniacs like the Brothers," said Professor Neil Gershenfeld of the Physics and Media Group at MIT. Did the Karamazov Brothers learn anything from the MIT grads and undergrads?
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By KIMBERLY CLICK
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The Flying Karamazov Brothers, masters of wackiness and wild vaudeville mayhem, stretch their performance limits and the boundaries of space and time in their newest show, "L'Universe" (pronounced looney verse).
The show combines the Brothers' fun-with-science style with a sonar tracking system and music and light projections, creating an interactive, multimedia interpretation of cosmology. It begins a five- day run at the Wilbur Theatre tonight.
If it sounds complicated, of course, it is. The Brothers collaborated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab to create it.
"We're taking a tour of the nature of the cosmos through juggling," said founding Brother Howard Jay Patterson.
Believe it or not, it was MIT that approached the Karamazovs with the partnership idea. Barrie Gilbert caught their act in Seattle and ran backstage to insist they team up.
"In the Media Lab, if we're not involved in academic programs, we love to work with maniacs like the Brothers," said Professor Neil Gershenfeld of the Physics and Media Group at MIT.
And what resulted from the combination of technical genius and comedic chaos?
The Media Lab developed a sonar tracking system that senses where each Brother is onstage and connects their movement to a musical note, turning each into a different musical instrument.
"For (the Karamazov Brothers), juggling is music," said Gershenfeld. "Their bodies act as a four-part ensemble."
Sonar is also used in a juggling act using "smart" clubs that change color depending on their position in the four-person formation. The Brothers call this colorful display "Jazz" because all their movements are improvised and the audience can follow what is going on by watching the changing color patterns.
If you're confused by technical terms, don't worry, they are, too.
"It's even hard for us to understand," said Patterson.
Did the Karamazov Brothers learn anything from the MIT grads and undergrads?
"We learned a little bit of physics," said Brother Mark Ettinger. "But they've learned a lot about juggling. I'm afraid they might take our jobs in a few years."
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