In 1979, Dick Zigun moved
to Coney Island. Originally from P.T. Barnum's hometown of Bridgeport,
Connecticut, and a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Dick
had an idea. He wanted to revive the performing arts scene in
Coney Island. He founded a not-for-profit group called "Coney
Island USA" and started producing plays and events such as
the annual Mermaid Parade.
In 1985, two important things happened. First, Dick signed a lease
on an old 1939 pin-ball arcade on the boardwalk at 12th street.
Second, he hooked up with "Bradshaw's Circus of Wonders."
This was the sideshow that had been touring with the James E.
Strates carnival circuit. They set up a permanent home in the
old arcade building, and "Sideshows by the Seashore"
was born.
Sideshows by the Seashore carries on a grand Coney Island tradition.
The first sideshow come to the area in the 1870s. During the height
of Coney Island's popularity there were almost a dozen shows out
there. By the 1970s they were all gone. 1985 saw this twisted
form of American popular entertainment return to Coney Island,
and with it came some of the old honky tonk hoopla.
The show was run by John Bradshaw who also functioned as the fire
eater and Outside Talker, and who pitched the various dings such
as the Blade Box, the Blow Off and the Magic Mouse. In the early
days, the Magic Act was done by the legendary Melvin Burkhart,
who also did the Electric Chair Act and his signature pieces,
the Anatomical Wonder and Blockhead Act. Through the years, mentalism
and escapes -- such as the Strait Jacket -- have also been seen
on the Sideshow by the Seashore stage. When Melvin retired in
1990, Fred Kahl took over the magic duties with Julius Chick,
Frankie Hartman and yours truly filling the "Master of Magic"
role in the show.
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"I can
honestly say that in my years of being in magic nothing
has amazed me more than Todd Robbins' performance and explanations
for "Magic of the Sideshow." He enlists a different
type of amazement than, let's say, a cardworker. Some of
his renditions of age-old sideshow stunts left me slack
jawed."
-
Joe Stevens
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And speaking of my involvement with this institution, I came on
board when John Bradshaw pulled out after the 1991 season. When
Bradshaw decided to leave Coney Island, Dick Zigun committed to
producing the sideshow by himself. He took out an ad in the weekly
paper, The Village Voice, looking for someone to be the
show's outside talker. His ad used carnival jargon, so if you
weren't "with it", you wouldn't know what he was looking
for. I read the ad, but I almost didn't pick up the phone . .
.
. . . A year earlier, Deno's Wonderwheel Amusement Park was looking
for performers to do their thing on the boardwalk in Coney Island.
The Idea was that the performers would attract crowds in front
of the amusement park and the crowds
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would stick around and ride
the ride's at Deno's. A friend of mine had set up an audition and
told me about the gig. I gave Deno's a call and also set up a time
to show them what I do.
Fortunately, my friend did his turn out there a week before my audition.
He reported back that it was one of the most difficult shows he
ever did. This was coming from a veteran street show worker who
had done hundreds of shows all around the world. This guy was fearless,
so I thought if he can't cut it neither can I. I canceled my audition.
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"Todd's stomach-churning
performance is something to see -- like a car wreck, his act
is the kind of thing one hates seeing yet feels compelled
to watch. The juxtaposition of Todd's persona -- a pleasant-looking,
articulate, instantly likable fellow -- with these horrendous
displays, is at once horrifying and spellbinding. The man
actually eats a lightbulb -- no fakes or switched -- just
the spine-chilling sound of crunching the glass into tiny
pieces! I'm glad I've seen his act -- though I'm not too sure
how soon I'd like to see it again."
-
Gary Brown
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I have found that the few regrets I have had in my life have been
in relation to opportunities I turned down. Canceling that audition
began to gnaw at me because I had a desire to say "I worked
Coney Island." Admittedly, the area's glory days are long over,
and yet there is still something magical about the place. So, a
year later when I saw Dick's ad, I decided to not let this chance
pass me by.
When I called Dick, instead of just talking to him, I did a bally
pitch, selling him on my talents. He invited me out to meet with
him. It was a cold wintry day. The show was closed for the season
and there was little going on out there. Besides Dick, the only
ones around were two tourists from Germany drinking hot cocoa at
the bar. I had brought my whole act with me and did it for those
two. Since they spoke very little English they had little idea why
this man was eating glass and hammering a nail into his nose. Dick,
however, was very amused by this and when I finished he came up
to me, shook my hand and said, "A kindred spirit." I accepted
his job offer to be the show's new Outside Talker and perform Glass
Eating and the Bottle Walk in the show. I have been involved with
the show from that day to this.
The show hit a snag a couple years ago. After a rather rainy season
the show was swimming in red ink. The landlord decided to evict
us with the hopes that a McDonald's would take our place. The media
picked up on the idea of "the Sideshow Vs. McDonald's"
and we got great press.
Eventually a settlement was reached with the landlord. The show
left the building and moved to a new location down the block at
12th St. and Surf Ave. It's a historic old building that was once
the home of Rosen's Wonderland Sideshow. We now have not only a
space for the sideshow, but also a second floor that houses our
Coney Island Museum and a cabaret space where music and performances
are done every weekend during the summer season. Things are now
better than ever, so if you find yourself out in "America's
Playground," stop by and say "Hello."
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