The Smallest Show on Earth Bring your reading glasses -- the Acme Flea Circus is coming to town!
Updated 4:15 PM CST, Thu, Feb 26, 2009
Jaime Murphy for the Acme Miniature Flea Circus Come one, come all, but please, by all means, leave Fido at home. Chances are you've heard of them but never actually seen one up close -- a real, live flea circus. Now's your chance. The Acme Miniature Flea Circus, headed up by ringmaster Professor A.G. Gertsacov and starring trained fleas Midge and Madge, rolls into town tonight, Thursday, Feb. 26 through Saturday, Feb. 28. The Victorian-style spectacle will be staged at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in River West.
Apparently, there are only a handful of flea circuses still in existence throughout the world. By his own reckoning, Gertsacov's is certainly one of the most famous, thanks in no small part to the stars -- the talented twosome Midge and Madge -- whose tricks include pulling golden chariots, dancing on a tightwire and getting shot out of a cannon. Be sure to look closely -- you wouldn't want to miss a thing. The Acme Miniature Flea Circus has traveled the globe with its act, including shows in Brazil, Chile and Canada, as well as a three month-stint performing in Times Square.
Intuit's presentation of the Acme Miniature Flea Circus is in conjunction with an exhibition of artwork by Chicago self-taught artist Joseph Yoakum, who made his way across the country by traveling with various circus acts.
Performances take place at 6:30PM on Thursday and Friday and at 2PM, 4PM and 6PM on Saturday. Tickets are $8-$12 a person and can be bought in advance through the Intuit Web site.
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