Purdue News
Purdue News
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January 7, 2000 'Certified lunatic and master of the impossible'WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University Convocations will kick off the new year and the new millennium with laughter when it presents Tomas Kubinek: Certified Lunatic and Master of the Impossible at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, in Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. A comical theater artist with ties to the worlds of circus and vaudeville, Kubinek hails from Canada where his family made their home after fleeing the Soviet invasion of their native Czechoslovakia when Kubinek was 3 years old. Kubinek's fascination with physical comedy and illusion began at the age of 5 when his father took him to see a circus for the first time. Silent films and library books about clowns, circuses, magic, human achievements and oddities fed the boy's curiosity and turned him into something of a child prodigy. By age 9, he was performing a comedy-magic act, and by age 13 he had an agent and was entertaining in coffeehouses and taverns. Since then, Kubinek has performed throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Japan, with appearances at theaters, festivals and on television. In addition to performing solo, Kubinek's work has led to collaborations with other artists, including the famous Czech actor Boleslav Polivka, the Dutch writer and comic Francis van Keeken, and Britain's The Right Size Physical Theater Company, among others. Kubinek is also occasionally "guest villain" with the U.S. theatrical circus, Circus Flora. Kubinek recently completed a successful run on Broadway, resulting in a New York Times review. Entitled "Magic That's Made Comic and Comedy That's Magic," the review reported that Kubinek is "absolutely expert and consistently charming." Tickets to the Jan. 20 performance are $15 for the public and $10 for Purdue students. Charge by phone at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW or stop by campus box offices. A matinee performance is scheduled for 10 a.m. for school groups only. For reservations and information, call (765) 496-2913. CONTACT: Sue Stevens, Convocations publicist, (765) 494-5045, snsteven@purdue.edu
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