Bound for Broadway
Colfax-based comic juggling duo to appear at Carolines
Some pretty remarkable talent cartwheels out from behind the red curtain of the Chippewa Valley. The spotlight now shines on local juggling troupe, In Capable Hands. Steve Russell and Kobi Shaw are a dynamic, comedy-juggling husband and wife duo known for their clean, entertaining humor for all ages. They have performed in 35 countries, all 50 states, both Disney Land and World, cruise ships, state fairs, and corporate events with lessons on juggling, risk taking, and teamwork. Five years ago they were invited on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and a year later they graced the stage at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. Last year they were on Live With Regis and Kelly. And now In Capable Hands can add Broadway to their list of accomplishments. A round of applause, please!
How did they get their act together? Steve taught himself how to juggle at age 15. At his family’s encouragement, he signed up for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, a prestigious 10-week intensive school for circus performers located in Florida. Here, Steve not only learned how to put on clown makeup, spit water, ride elephants, and swallow fire, but he learned he could make a living as a variety performer and juggler without the clown makeup.
“I was never a good clown,” Steve admits, chuckling. “The floppy shoes made me trip.”
Steve’s skill as a juggler landed him a job teaching skills like unicycling and juggling at Clown College. This is when he first met Kobi Shaw. Kobi studied journalism and theater at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She tried out for Clown College on a whim, not interested in the circus and never thinking she would be accepted to such a competitive program. However, shortly after her interview she found herself learning to juggle with Steve. After eight years of friendship, Steve and Kobi married. Since then they have been performing together, combining their many talents.
“It’s like we have three minds now,” said Steve. “My mind, her mind, and our shared mind.”
They certainly juggle those three minds well together. Upon hearing about a contest at Caroline’s Comedy Club in New York City seeking entertainers who combine classical music and comedy, In Capable Hands began tossing around ideas, not balls. Steve and Kobi found their inspiration in an elementary school in the form of boomwackers: colorful tubes that make various tones when hit against something … like someone’s head for example. Using boomwackers, In Capable Hands grandly performs The William Tell Overture by smacking themselves and each other with comic style and flair. Act two features Steve in a jumpsuit covered with tuned desk bells on which he performs the song Carroll of the Bells. These two very original ideas are bringing them lots of recognition and a ticket to New York to perform in the second round of the contest on Broadway.
“We are comedy jugglers, but we don’t let that get in the way of success,” said Steve with a laugh.
Not afraid to dance into the spotlight of different disciplines, Steve and Kobi performed as cranial percussionists at Caroline’s on Broadway on Nov. 8, competing against seven other groups. The contest was presented as part of the New York Comedy Festival and was sponsored by the most popular classical radio station in the nation, WQXR Public Radio.
“When we got the news, we were just thrilled,” said Kobi. “Sometimes our lives feel small here, eight miles outside of the small town of Colfax where our neighbors are cows.”
In a world where entertainers often resort to inappropriate shock value rather than surprise to get laughs, it’s a rare and valuable treat to find entertainers that are able to use their talent and innovation to create clean humor for all ages.
Look for In Capable Hands at Summerfest, the Dunn County Fair, and the Northern Wisconsin State Fair or book them for your own private or corporate events. Check out their websites: InCapableHands.com and SteveRussellJuggles.com
