Actor-juggler Tom Key has his hands full, literally.
He’s performed all over the world, from the island of Anguilla to Djibouti in Africa. Many fans of the Georgia Renaissance Festival may recognize him as half of the Zucchini Brothers juggling act. But as his Flying Debris Show makes its way to Chattahoochee Nature Center, Key unlocks his comedic juggling skills all by himself.
Q. Part of your Flying Debris Show finds you juggling what you dub “the 10 most dangerous objects in history.” How did you narrow it down to 10?
A. Would you rather see me present the 745 most dangerous objects? Ten is a good round number. Actually, in my solo show I think I only present eight objects. Once I present the objects to the audience, they get to pick which three I'll juggle. These objects vary in danger from a torch to a garden weasel to even an unopened can of Spam.
Q. Is there anything you ever wanted to juggle but it proved too dangerous to try?
A. Never juggle a cat and two dust busters. That will mess you up. My show has some elements of danger, but it's more goofy danger than any type of real danger. The worst I've ever been hurt during a show [was] when a wasp landed on my shoulder during a library show while I was juggling. The librarian took her shoe off and whacked me in the shoulder with it as hard as she could. I kept juggling, and all the kids were laughing. Later I had to explain to my girlfriend how I got a bee sting and a bruise in the shape of a woman's shoe on my shoulder.
Q. Some kids will likely become inspired by your work. What advice do you have for folks interested in juggling?
A. If you steal a joke from me, you have to pay me $1 every time you use it. ... Juggling is actually very learnable. Anyone can learn. People always tell me they can't juggle, but in general I can have a person juggling in 30 minutes. ... Find a friend who already knows how to juggle and have them show you. Or join a juggling club. Most colleges have a juggling club. There's an Atlanta juggling club that meets in Little Five Points.
Q. You actually got to perform your stilt-walking skills at the White House Halloween party in 2009. What was that like?
A. Thirty years ago when I started juggling I never realized where it would take me. ... Doing a show for President Obama was really a thrill. I got to shake his hand and meet Michelle and their girls. When my show was over I got to party with them inside the White House. It was a fun and very unique experience that came to me because I learned how to juggle.
Noon and 1 p.m. Jan. 22. $8; $6 seniors; $5 ages 3-12; free ages 2 and younger. Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. 770-992-2055, www.chattnaturecenter.org.
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