Hand-to-Hand

In theory juggling is simple: Don't drop anything. In practice not dropping things is easier said than done, but the Flying Karamazov Brothers make this dictum seem impossibly easy to achieve. For more than 30 years, the brothers have been tossing cleavers, balls, eggs, frying pans, fish, Indian clubs — whatever they can get their hands on — in combinations spectacular and enchanting. Their current show, 4PLAY, combines music, comedy and sublime feats of juggling into a kinetic ballet that boggles the mind. Watch as Dmitri hits two drums positioned behind him in perfect time with Indian clubs, even as his brothers move the drums after every strike; cringe as fire and blades whirl through deadly gyres; marvel at the simplicity of glow-in-the-dark balls dancing through luminous orbits like clockwork fireflies. The Flying Karamazov Brothers present 4PLAY at 8 p.m. at the Sheldon Concert Hall (3648 Washington Boulevard; 314-534-1111 or www.thesheldon.org). Tickets are $25 to $30.
Sat., Oct. 25, 2008