Flea Circus Articles

THANKS FOR VIEWING OUR ARCHIVE

2011-11-02T17:06:00.000-04:00

This is the archive of articles about the Acme Miniature Flea Circus.

Check the archive listing to the right to see some of the articles that have been written about the show.

To find out more about the show, visit http://www.trainedfleas.com

Travel & Leisure Magazine: July 28, 2011

2011-07-27T22:51:00.001-04:00

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-strangest-circuses

World's Strangest Circuses

Daniel Boud

Forget any fear of circus clowns. The strangest shows on earth feature backflipping cats, race-car stuntmen, and burlesque puppeteers.

From August 2011 By Danny Deza

At London’s Hoxton Hall, acrobats scamper up each other’s shoulders to form a pyramid—although it hardly looks human. The performers are unrecognizable beneath elaborate ant costumes complete with antennae and googly eyes.

Circuses have always been a bit offbeat, but they’ve morphed well beyond the classic three-ring spectacle of clowns and animal tamers. Today’s strangest circuses are small and innovative. Some, like the Insect Circus, push the boundaries by incorporating burlesque or performance art, while others are reviving near-extinct sideshow traditions for a new generation.

“Circuses were once the biggest shows in town,” says Marc Hartzman, author of American Sideshow. “People didn’t have the same mediums of entertainment that we have today.” As audience interest drifted in the 1970s, circuses began adapting, particularly in the U.K., the U.S., France, Canada, and Australia.

A painter by trade, Mark Copeland founded the U.K.-based Insect Circus in 2002, designing fantastical costumes for the acrobatic “ants,” a winged trapeze duo that go by the names of Baron and Baroness Flutterby, and others. He is especially proud of a stag beetle shell worn by three performers. This lumbering six-legged “insect” takes on a matador in an act that resembles a Spanish bullfight.

Still other circuses get their strange factor from sideshow elements like sword-swallowers and actual insects. Adam G. Gertsacov, creator of Acme Miniature Flea Circus, practices a craft that dates back to the late 1800s. After graduating from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, he wandered from circus to circus until he got some career-changing advice. Legendary clown Avner Eisenberg told him to “focus on the fleas,” and Gertsacov hasn’t wavered since. He trains 12 fleas at a time to perform tricks like being shot out of a mini cannon into a Hula-Hoop dubbed “the hoop of death.”

For truly death-defying stunts, look to Delhi, India, where the Diamond Maruti Car Circus has become infamous for performing while hanging out of speeding vehicles. For 25 cents, you can peer over the edge of a pit and watch performers on motorcycles and in cars zoom in circles as they grab hands and stand up on their seats—an unbelievable performance that also qualifies as one of the world’s strangest sports.

Even in an age of entertainment overload, the world’s strangest circuses share the ability to keep you on the edge of your seat. Here’s a sneak peek at their shows.

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Acme Miniature Flea Circus, New York

Inspired by Hubert’s Flea Circus in Times Square, which closed in 1957, Adam Gertsacov pieced together the tricks of the flea trade from his circus mentors. The Acme Miniature Flea Circus’s bloodsucking insects have tumbled their way through four different countries and 38 states since the mid-1990s. The only thing Gertsacov asks from his audience? No dogs allowed.
Strange Factor: Two fleas race to a finish line while pulling a chariot. Other less fortunate fleas are shot out of a mini cannon into a Hula-Hoop called the “hoop of death.”

Journal News: Wear Your Glasses To This Circus

2011-07-15T07:54:00.009-04:00

Cover of the Journal News Weekend Section July 15, 2011

Wear your glasses to this circus
by Paul Bousche

Midge and Madge have performed alongside Adam Gertsacov for over 25 years.
They have joined him on his far-flung travels, which have spanned 38 states and five countries from Canada to Brazil, putting on shows night in and night out. You might be wondering, what's the big deal?
Well, the big deal is that Midge and Madge aren't really that big at all. In fact, they're fleas.
Weighing in at an average of 0.1088 grams each and at only half the length of a fingernail, these "tiny performers" have been pleasing crowds around the world for decades as part of Gertsacov's Acme Miniature Circus.
Gertsacov, Midge, Madge and their circus will be at the Hudson River Museum on Sunday as part of its Victorian Day.
Along with the tiny show, families can play Victorian-era games like nine-wicket croquet, lawn bowling, pick-up-sticks and marbles.
Believe it or not, Gertsacov, the merry ring leader of the spectacularly small Acme circus, actually started out as a clown. And he has the degree to prove it. He graduated from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1989, which was statistically harder to get into than Harvard Law School.
"I never knew how difficult it was to get in when I applied, but I realized my love for performing and gave it a shot," says Gertsacov, a Rhode Island native who now lives in Yonkers.
But how did his attention turn to fleas? Gertsacov realized early in his clown career that circus clowns were not at the top of the three-ring heap.
"I wanted to be the main clown, but the lion tamers were getting all the attention," he says. "So I knew I had to branch out on my own. I began to look for my own unique act."
During his search, Gertsacov became intrigued by the flea circus, which was a big form of entertainment back in the Victorian era. "There was no television or social media, so this was what kept people entertained," he says.
The research wasn't easy as flea circuses of the past weren't very well documented. "I immersed myself in fleas for over a year and a half and figured out the show."
The last popular American flea circus, according to Gertsacov, was Professor Heckler's of Times Square, which left New York in 1957.
Today, Gertsacov's educated insect stars pull chariots, dance on a tightrope, and perform other circus-like stunts.
While he does not reveal his method of training (a proprietary secret, he explains), he assures the curious and the civic minded that he uses only methods of positive reinforcement to teach the insects their routines.
"I treat them as if they are my own flesh and blood," Gertsacov says. "And in some ways, they are."
There is also a pre-show "flea market" in which miniature props are for sale.
"I have mini 'Save The Fleas' bumper stickers. Hey, it worked for the whales," he says.
About Midge and Madge: They are members of the Pulex irritans species — that is, human fleas that can live for 24 months, a long life as fleas go.
And yes, they are females because lady fleas are a little bigger than their male colleagues and easier to train.
Midge and Madge, who arrive in their own mini Airstream trailer, will enjoy careers from 16 to 18 months before retirement.
Gertsacov says his Acme Miniature Circus is great entertainment and all ages are welcome — just don't bring the dog. Gertsacov says he doesn't want them to steal the show — literally.

Minnesota Public Radio: Whatever Happened to the Flea Circus?

2009-05-22T17:24:00.000-04:00

What ever happened to the flea circus?

Posted at 2:24 PM on May 22, 2009 by Sanden Totten

Professor A.G. Gertsacov *Photo by Dennis Hlynsky*

A few weeks back a visitor to this blog found our Skribit page and asked this question: "Are there still flea circuses?"
The flea circus is an act where real human fleas (Pulex irritans) are harnessed and trained to perform tricks. At one time the flea circus was pretty common, say around the late 1800's and early 1900's. But today, you can go your whole life without running across a single human flea . . . let alone a flea circus full of them.
But that doesn't mean the art of training fleas is dead! It's just a bit harder to catch these days. We spoke with one seasoned "flea-man", Adam Gertsacov, also known as Professor A.G. Gertsacov, the leader of the ACME Miniature Flea Circus. He told us about his show, what to feed a flea circus performer and why vacuums may have been partly responsible for the decline of the great flea circus side show.

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Have to see it to believe it? Check out the ACME Miniature Flea Circus website for dates and locations.
Come see (or squint to see) the circus!
Photo by Jaime Murphy

ChicagoLand Television- Metromix

2009-03-13T15:12:00.000-04:00

If you can't see the video below, check this link out.

METROMIX

FLAMINGO HOUSE BLOG POST

2009-03-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

reprinted from http://flamingohouse.net/?p=2257

The Acme Flea Circus

By denise | March 7, 2009

I know, I know, it’s been a whole week since we went to the flea circus and y’all have been dying to hear about it. I’m sorry. I’m a busy woman. And, I felt a little uncomfortable about blogging something like the Acme Flea Circus after hearing about Chuck’s family. So, it’s been a week and I’m still too darn busy but I have had a bit of blogging fever so… yea, the Acme Flea Circus…. omg… awesomeness.

Consider this a public service announcement. The following post contains use of the word freak in a way that might make some people uncomfortable. Your uncomfortableness is not my goal. In my household, the use of the word freak is not a negative or derogatory thing. We, the Flamingo House inhabitants, have embraced all things freaky and all people who society currently or has been known to label as freaks. We like the freak. More freaks should exist. Everyone should embrace their inner and outer freak and strive to become more freak-like. If this makes you uncomfortable, you might simply choose to stop reading. Or you may continue reading at your own risk.

Before I tell you why the Acme Flea circus gets an “omg…awesome!” from me, I have to tell you a couple of little stories. First, the story of TW and the fleas.

(SOME PORTIONS OMITTED)

So yea. We have the woman who invented fleas and her daughter the circus freak. God or some higher power was paying attention when he influenced me to open a Daily Candy newsletter (something I never ever do) to discover the Acme Flea Circus would be performing in the Intuit, just a few short miles from our home. Fate! Cosmic something or other. I purchased six tickets.

At this point, I have to say that not all Flamingo House inhabitants were thrilled with the idea of the Flea Circus. RJ was not unhappy about the idea, she just wasn’t enthusiastic. Prince J, however, was downright bitchy about the idea and there was much “it’s not fair! why do I have to go!” all of which lasted right up until the moment we took our seats at the Flea Circus.

Prince J and RJ sat in the second row with me. TW, Liz and TW’s mother sat in the front row in front of us. As people came in and found their seats (sold out show with people turned away who thought they could buy their tickets at the door!) the ringmaster wandered around with a little tray selling the tiniest programs for a dime a piece. TW bought six and we all sat down to read them. But the print was incredibly small and it was a little dark. Luckily, the ringmaster had thought of that and he had tiny little magnifying glasses for sale, and he walked around selling those too.

Which of course led him to sell flea tattoos, postcards, photographs and the much coveted bumper sticker. The “flea market” before the “flea circus”. It was incredibly amusing and both of the previously disgruntled teens were fascinated by the showmanship of the ringmaster.

And then the show began - with Midge and Madge, the most brilliant and talented fleas ever. They even have their own Airstream! (sweet!) Midge and Madge had a race - our side of the room rooted for Midge, the other side for Madge. There was much cheering and jeering and in the end…Midge! The winner!

There was a brief stop in the flea action for the ringmaster to read us a very informative book about the history of fleas.

And then Midge walked the tightwire, something our little circus freak enjoys (though not as much as she enjoys the Spanish Web.)

Another brief stop for some “Flea Verse” and uh oh… Madge escaped from the Airstream or was flea-napped! Thankfully, the ringmaster found poor Madge hiding in a woman’s hair.

Did I mention both teens were amused by this performance and could not keep from smiling, even though they tried - when they realized both their mother and I had noticed them actually enjoying themselves.

Then, the finale - Midge and Madge would be shot from a cannon, through a ring of fire, into their Airstream!

Ohhhh scaryyyyyy! Very tense moment…. they made it! Much cheering ensued.

We all, and I do mean all, had a fabulous time.

Chicago Tribune: Wear long Sleeves. The flea circus is in town.

2009-02-27T10:23:00.000-05:00

Wear long sleeves. The flea circus is in town.

By Lauren Viera |Tribune reporter

February 27, 2009

The circus is coming to town.

Wait just a minute, coulrophobics; you can relax: This circus is clown-free. There aren't any bearded ladies, strong men or tigers jumping through fiery hoops, either. We're talking about a sideshow-size tribute to some of the tiniest wonders of the world: fleas.

On Thursday, professor A.G. Gertsacov and his Acme Miniature Flea Circus hopped into Intuit: The Center for Intuitive & Outsider Art, where they're in residence through the weekend. The Acme circus fleas pull chariots, dance on tight wires and perform other death-defying feats.

We think.

Although Gertsacov, the show's self-proclaimed Flea Master, swears his Victorian-inspired circus uses real, live insects, we were skeptical. So, we called him up to ask.

"The only thing I can say to people who don't believe it," Gertsacov says, "is to come down and decide for yourself."

Such is the business plan of the Acme Miniature Flea Circus: It succeeds primarily based on the curiosity of its patrons. And, of course, the talent of its performers.

Gertsacov first stumbled into the ... er ... flea market more than a dozen years ago. After graduating from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and traveling for a few years with an East Coast-based troupe producing a show with a combo box turtle/imaginary flea circus act, Gertsacov sought out career advice from renown clown Avner Eisenberg, under whom he studied. "Focus on the fleas," Eisenberg advised. "You're so big; they're so little. You love the fleas. That's your show."

And so it was.

Gertsacov began researching his act, recruited a set designer to build his show apparatus and invested in pulex irritans (a.k.a. human fleas), whose average life span reaches 24 months. He uses only female fleas, which are slightly larger than male fleas and, according to research, typically easier to train. While Gertsacov isn't sure whether that's true, he's going with it. "One set of [human] fleas can perform for nearly 18 months," he says, noting that cat fleas—which are much more common in North America—have only an eight-week life span. Which, he says, isn't enough time to train and perform.

As for the training, that's Gertsacov's secret.

"The word 'training' is a funny thing," he says. "I'm not training them to do rocket science. What they do in my show is natural behavior. And to coach them in context, they do these tricks in a way that makes them entertaining. Do they know that they're racing chariots? No, but I train them to pull the chariots on command, which they do 85 percent of the time. There's always a 15 percent chance they won't perform."

So what happens when they don't?

No biggie, says Gertsacov. "That's showbiz."

lviera@tribune.com

Chicago Sun Times: Flea Spirit Brings Smallest Show on Earth to Town

2009-02-27T09:49:00.000-05:00

Flea spirit brings smallest show on earth to town

February 27, 2009

BY DELIA O'HARA dohara@suntimes.com

The question Professor A.G. (also known as Adam) Gertsacov is most commonly asked about his flea circus is, "Do you have real fleas?"
The second most common question is, "Really?"
And the third is, "Come on, you don't really have fleas, do you?"
To which he rejoins, "If you don't believe me, come on down and see for yourself."
The New York-based Gertsacov has brought the Acme Miniature Flea Circus to Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. Performances tonight and Saturday are in conjunction with "The Picture Tells the Story: The Drawings of Joseph E. Yoakum," an exhibit up at Intuit through June 27. Yoakum, a highly regarded Chicago outsider artist, claimed to have spent his working life as a circus roustabout and took up art only when he retired.
The circus is the stated link between Yoakum and the flea circus, even if the connection is a bit tenuous -- none of the drawings in the show depict circus scenes. It's possible the flea circus is coming to Intuit mostly because it's the kind of loopy entertainment that might be expected to delight people who love the creations of self-taught artists.
"It's going to be fun" says Jerry Stefl, Intuit's Education Chair. "Everybody I've talked to has heard of a flea circus but no one has ever seen one."
Intuit specializes in showing the creations of self-taught artists like Yoakum. Another show there now is "Sticks," works made of everything from twigs to toothpicks.
"Self-taught artists are working from an inner passion," Stefl says.
You could say the same thing about Gertsacov, an actor and longtime clown who has overcome a number of obstacles to produce the Acme Miniature Flea Circus, which has two female flea performers, Midge and Madge. The major obstacle, according to Gertsacov, is that fleas are about as big as the period at the end of this sentence.
"It took me two years to figure out how to do this," he says.
Gertsacov will not reveal his hard-won secrets -- how he has prevailed on fleas to perform, that is -- but fleas are very strong jumpers. The trick is to get them doing something that puts that attribute to work, says Gertsacov, who adds that his training methods are humane.
A highlight of the flea circus is the "chariot race" between Midge and Madge, which takes a minute and a half and covers 13 inches. For a finale, the fleas are shot out of a cannon into their "lavishly decorated trailer," Gertsacov says.
"The journey of my show is not about pet tricks, although they are pretty interesting and impressive and worthy of note," Gertsacov says. "It's more the journey of the audience, as they come to love the fleas and cheer for them madly."
Dennis Hlynsky, a friend and professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, created the set and props. The fleas don't wear costumes.
Researching flea circuses, Gertsacov, 44, learned that they appear to date from the early 19th century. William Heckler brought his famous flea circus to the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair here, and a Heckler son had a flea circus that was a fixture in Times Square until about 1956.
Midge and Madge are members of the Pulex irritans species, human fleas, which are relatively long-lived, as fleas go. They still have a performing career of only about 16 to 18 months, so Gertsacov has young jumpers in training at all times. He gets them from the same type of catalogue supplier research labs use.
They're cheap to feed -- every 10 days or so, the boss pricks his finger and sets them up in a little case for lunch. They don't actually bite him anymore.
It's very important that the flea circus performers all be females.
"I don't want to start an infestation," Gertsacov says.

NBC Chicago: The Smallest Show On Earth

2009-02-26T16:38:00.000-05:00

The Smallest Show on Earth Bring your reading glasses -- the Acme Flea Circus is coming to town!

By WENDY WOLLENBERG

Updated 4:15 PM CST, Thu, Feb 26, 2009

Jaime Murphy for the Acme Miniature Flea Circus

The Acme Miniature Flea Circus is an authentic Victorian-style 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.

Daily Candy 2/26/09: The Weekend Guide: SEE!

2009-02-26T10:33:00.000-05:00

click for a large copy

Chicago Tonight-- WTTW: What to see This Weekend (VIDEO)

2009-02-26T10:14:00.000-05:00

Thursday February 26, 2009
We're around minute 4.

Time Out Chicago: Sneak Peek: Acme Miniature Flea Circus

2009-02-26T09:52:00.000-05:00

Museums & Culture

Time Out Chicago / Issue 209 : Feb 26–Mar 4, 2009
Sneak peek
Acme Miniature Flea Circus

Ladies and gentlemen, step right up for the five-show Chicago premiere of Professor A.G. Gertsacov’s Acme Flea Circus. The show’s two tiny performers, Midge and Madge, will bask in the spotlight as they perform old-fashioned Victorian sideshow acts. Watch in wonder as the fleas compete in chariot races, balance chairs on a tight wire and, as the grand finale, are shot from a cannon.
The act—which Intuit is presenting in conjunction with its “The Picture Tells the Story: The Drawings of Joseph E. Yoakum” exhibition—is part hokum, part actual animal wonder. It started in 1992 as a Pandora’s Box–themed act in the Pan-Twilight Circus in Providence, Rhode Island. Then, in 2001, Gertsacov took his act to Times Square with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, replacing a famous flea act that operated there until 1957.
Since then, the professor and his miniscule marvels have traveled around the U.S., Canada and Brazil, wowing audiences with their daring feats, plus a little history, poetry and grandstanding thrown in for good measure. The trio has now performed more than 1,000 times, in venues as diverse as Coney Island’s famed sideshow to a circus-themed wedding.
While Gertsacov, a graduate of the Ringling Bros. Clown College, won’t reveal the coveted trade secrets behind training the tiny bloodsuckers, he says the real secret is getting the crowd to love the fleas. “People cheer for them and applaud in the races. Now if they could see them up close, they would probably kill them.” Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, 756 N Milwaukee Ave (312-243-9088, art.org). Thu 26, Fri 27 at 6:30pm; Sat 28 at 2, 6:30pm; $8–$12.
— Martina Sheehan
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  Please note the correct showtimes: Thursday, February 26, 6:30pm - Friday, February 27, 6:30pm - Saturday, February 28, 2:00pm, 4:00pm and 6:00pm - And remember, no dogs allowed!

Columbia Chronicle: Little Creatures Become Big Stars

2009-02-23T10:29:00.000-05:00

Little creatures become big stars

Flea circus makes Chicago debut, hopes to attract audiences of all ages

by Bertha Serrano

They have been to 37 states and four countries, traveling in a fur-lined case and getting fed in a petri dish. Their trainer treats them as if they were his own blood, and, in some ways, they are. They depend on human blood for survival. Meet Midge and Madge, the stars of Adam Gertsacov’s Acme Flea Circus show.
After many years of unpopularity, flea circuses are making their way into city events once again, one flea stunt at a time. Coming to Chicago for the first time ever, Acme Flea Circus will make its premiere at Intuit, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave., from Feb. 26-28.

Courtesy DONNA ATWOOD - Adam Gertsacov looks on as one of the stars of the show does a dance on the tightwire.

Flea trainer Adam Gertsacov has been training the tiny creatures since 1994 and running his own flea circus in New York since 1996. Before falling for fleas, Gertsacov was a professional clown, and one of his clown routines was imagining he had a flea circus. After reading about how to train animals and learning about fleas, he decided this would be his big break.
“I started because it was a traditional act that had gone away, and I wanted to know more about it,” Gertsacov said. “I started doing some research and finding out that 100 years ago there were flea circuses all over the place, and they were very famous. They were kind of ephemeral and they didn’t survive.”
It took him a while to get them to do tricks because there was nobody to teach him how. He said it requires a lot of observation and patience, but it’s not impossible. Most of the tricks they do are already things they do normally; the only difference is getting them to do it on command.
“Training fleas is not easy, and [people] don’t have to do that in order to entertain [others], but I do it anyway, because I’m interested in the old-fashioned circus,” Gertsacov said. “I would say that it’s fun and it’s great to bring back this old tradition. It’s interesting to me.”
Their different stunts include running a chariot race, which, in reality, is only about a foot-and-a-half long and takes them a minute-and-a-half to complete. Another famous stunt includes them flying out of a cannon. How he gets them to do all this is still a secret.
Though not much has changed since the first flea circus, Gertsacov said every show is different thanks to the audience. And if it wasn’t for that, he would have given up on flea circuses a long time ago.
Many viewers walk in with binoculars, but Gertsacov said they aren’t necessary, and they won’t help.
“The way that I design the show, people can see what the fleas do without any aid,” he said. “It would be hard to see the fleas even if I perform with one person at a time. I need to use a high power magnifying glass just to put them in the proper place.”
The only precaution Gertsacov requires when people attend his show is that the audiences keep their pets at home so they won’t steal his show. After all these years of performances, he has used over 20 fleas since they only live 24 months. No matter how many times they have died, the two stars are always named Midge and Madge.
With his previous clowning and acting career, Gertsacov has performed in Chicago, but this will be the first time he performs with his flea circus.
Amanda Curtis, education director at Inuit, said the nonprofit arts center has a way of finding unique shows such as this one. Their current exhibit called Sticks, displays different self taught artists and showcases models they built out of sticks, tree trunks, telephone polls and toothpicks.
“We have an exhibit up now from Chicago artist Jospeh E. Yoakum, [who] traveled as a bill-poster for several different circuses. So as a tribute to him, we thought this would work out,” Curtis said. “Usually we try to somehow relate any of our programs to the exhibits.”
Though she has never seen a flea circus show, she’s looking forward to all its surprises and reactions of viewers.
Michael Ketts runs Professor Marvel’s Flea Circus and Magic Show in Evanston, Ill. He said he’s looking forward to the Acme Flea Circus show coming to town for the first time.
After personally training fleas for six years, his worst experiences have been getting bit by them, but he also feeds them his blood in order to keep them alive. He orders the fleas from a company in California.
“[Flea circuses] were famous in the 1950s in New York,” Ketts said. “A lot of things have just faded. Now everyone wants high-tech and graphics, and this is a more simple kind of entertainment.”
After the flea circus show in Chicago, Gertsacov will return to New York and have his first, show Exploring Henry Hudson, where he will play Henry Hudson, the founder of the Hudson River. He said as of right now, no fleas are in the show.
Admission for this show is $12; $10 for students, seniors, and members; and $8 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at Intuit’s website, Art.org.

Washington Post: The Tiniest Show in Town!

2007-08-27T10:05:00.000-04:00

Flea circus featured article in Washington Post

This has also become a UPI article

The Tiniest Show in Town!

At the Flea Circus, There's More Than Meets the Eye

By Rachel Beckman

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 27, 2007; Page C01

The magic of the flea circus climaxed during the chariot race. That's when ringmaster Adam Gertsacov persuaded the audience to fall in love with Midge and Madge, the tiny stars of his Acme Miniature Circus.
Yesterday about 40 people -- a mix of families and hipsters -- at the Palace of Wonders on H Street NE rose to their feet, craning their necks to get a better look at the action. Gertsacov, wearing a purple top hat, shot a toy gun and the fleas were off.

"We've approached the straightaway," he said, talking double-time, like a sports announcer. "It's going to be a very close race. Midge is making her move. Let's hear it!"
The audience screamed and one man broke into a chant: "Let's go, Midge! Let's go, Midge!"
Who won? Maybe the more pressing question is whether there was a race at all. "Professor" A.G. Gertsacov has worked to revive a tradition that's been mostly dead since the 1950s. He's also revived the question that has always accompanied the spectacle: Are there actually any fleas?
Tough to tell. There were two small chariots moving across the stage (about as big as a school desk) but any fleas pulling them were impossible to see -- even from the front row, even with Gertsacov's magnifying glass hovering above them.
Gertsacov, however, insists that his stars exist. "It wouldn't be much of a flea circus," he said, "without the fleas."
The 42-year-old resident of Yonkers, N.Y., started his flea circus in 1994 and has presented it more than 1,000 times. The clown college graduate first got the idea after watching Charlie Chaplin host one in the film "Limelight." Gertsacov initially pantomimed the act. Then a fellow performer gave him some advice.
"He said, 'Get rid of all the clown stuff,' " Gertsacov recalled. " 'You're so big, they're so little. You love the fleas. That's your show.' "
The Acme company is one of only a handful of flea circuses left in the world, he said. They were popular in Victorian days, but existed in New York's Times Square until 1957. Gertsacov revived the Times Square show in 2002, performing in the now-defunct Palace of Variety on West 42nd Street, about two blocks from the original location.
Gertsacov wouldn't reveal his secret for training fleas, but he did assure the audience that he uses only positive reinforcement.
"I treat them as if they are my own flesh and blood."

And, in some ways, he said, they are. Gertsacov said he uses the Pulex irritans flea, or the human flea, for his show. They like human and pig hosts best, so he feeds them by pricking his finger and bleeding into a petri dish every 10 to 12 days. Uh-huh.
Gertsacov uses only female fleas because they're bigger and easier to train. But not every flea is cut out for being a circus flea, mind you. He gets his performers from an entomologist and then puts them through rigorous exercises to see if they've got what it takes. Pulex irritans lives for about a year, so there have been quite a few Midges and Madges.

Gertsacov initially thought that his circus would attract families, but it turned out that "the punk-rock-tattooed guys loved my show." At the Palace of Wonders, a sideshow-themed bar, he attracted plenty of both families and tattooed folk. (He sold flea-themed temporary tattoos at the beginning of the show, so the two demographics started to blend together.)
"I feel a little guilty coming to a flea circus," said Kathy Hutchins, who brought her 12-year-old daughter. "I have dogs and cats, so I've spent a lot of time trying to eradicate fleas. I hope they're not relatives of Midge."
Gertsacov lamented the flea eradication industry during the flea history segment at the beginning of the performance. He also started off with a "flea" market, selling plastic magnifying glasses, "Save the Fleas" bumper stickers and 2-by-3-inch programs.
As for the race: Despite the zeal of Midge's fans, Madge pulled ahead at the finish and won. Gertsacov said it was time for Midge to rest, so, using tweezers, he placed her in a miniature Airstream trailer adorned with a sparkly green "M" on top.
For a solo stunt during the show, Madge walked a tightrope while balancing a chair and a pole. Gertsacov watched the death-defying act through a magnifying glass and put her in a spotlight by shining a flashlight on her.
The show's grand finale was supposed to have Midge and Madge shot out of a cannon, sailing through a fiery ring and landing safely in their cushy trailer.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, a moment of silence for their brother Leopold, who died while attempting this trick."
The sister fleas stayed safe because Gertsacov was cursed with two malfunctions. The ring of fire wouldn't light, and then the cannon wouldn't shoot. The ringmaster improvised his way out of it, urging the audience to visualize the stunt.
By the later show, he said, he hoped to have worked the bugs (ha ha) out of the system. That 8 p.m. show admitted patrons 21 and over only because the fleas performed "completely nude," Gertsacov said.
Amy Pollok, whose husband co-owns the bar, brought her two daughters to the show. The girls, ages 3 and 6, enjoyed the flea circus but Pollok suspected that "it might have been the popcorn." Pollok, for her part, tried to buy into Gertsacov's magic.
"I would like to believe there is a flea out there named Madge," she said.

Toronto Star: Lord of the Fleas

2003-02-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Toronto Star: Lord of the Fleas

by Emily Howell, age 10.

published 2/6/2003

Everyone I've talked to is curious to know if in a flea circus the trainer uses real fleas. So when I told them that I was assigned to visit a flea circus that was coming to Toronto, they told me to figure out the mystery.

Do they use real fleas in a flea circus?

Before I went into the flea circus, I thought that the trainer, whose name is Prof. A.G. Gertsacov from Rhode Island in the United States, actually didn't use fleas, although he claims he does.

He calls his fleas Midge and Madge, and you can't see them. He says they're there, and they can do tricks like racing in cars and swinging on a trapeze in a very colourful but very small Big Top.

Prof. Gertsacov, who is a big happy guy with a moustache, beard and a top hat, asked everybody in the audience to cheer for either Midge or Madge. I was sitting on the Madge side and cheered as long as I could.

The show was at the Artwords Theatre on Portland St. It was the first time Prof. Gertsacov had come to Toronto, although he has been in Canada before. He also said he has been to 37 states of America and he's also brought his fleas to Brazil and Chile.

When I was interviewing him, I picked up some flea facts.

Did you know that if a flea were the size of a woman, it would be able to jump over one of the great pyramids of Egypt? You didn't? It's true!

Another fact is that a flea usually lives for only about two years. Prof. Gertsacov said Midge and Madge were 16 months old, so they don't have much longer to be performing in his circus.

I asked him if his fleas ever get sick.

"Occasionally, they don't like to perform," he said. "And the flea union is very tough."

I also asked him if his fleas ever have temper tantrums, like my brother Jake used to have.

"They can be little divas," he said. "But they're also quite talented."

Prof. Gertsacov uses 12 fleas at a time when he travels. So if Midge and Madge get tired, there are 10 other fleas who can take their place.

He's been doing his flea circus since 1996. He really likes it, but he also likes doing other things, such as acting like a clown. He also does what he calls "a crazy puppet show."

He calls himself a "psycho entymologist" because he understands the psychology of fleas.

He's hoping to one day star in a movie playing the role of P.T. Barnum, the famous circus entertainer.

You'd really enjoy going to a flea circus. I had lots of fun, and Prof. Gertsacov said he hopes to come back to Toronto soon to do more shows.

I'm sorry that I can't tell you if he uses real fleas or not. But the whole fun of the flea circus is the mystery. So you will have a good time even if you don't see any fleas.

Emily Howell, 10, is in Grade 5.

Under the Tiny Top with insect daredevils Midge and Madge

Toronto Star: Clown Says It's Time To Flea

2003-01-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Clown says it's time to flea

Adam Gertsacov leads Acme Circus acts Four days of shows centre on clowning

Section: Entertainment, pg. G09

Strike up the band. The circus is coming to town. The Acme Miniature Flea Circus, that is.

Fresh from Times Square, Professor A. G. Gertsacov, ringmaster of the most renowned flea circus in North America, presents his trained fleas Midge and Madge tonight through Sunday at Artword Theatre.

Billed as "part side show, part exhibit and a whole lot of fun," the Acme Miniature Flea Circus is the creation of Adam Gertsacov, a 38-year-old clown from Providence, R.I.

With a bit of a John Goodman look to him, in a lavender top hat and matching silk tails, Gertsacov wields a magnifying glass rather than a ringmaster's whip as Midge and Madge race round the ring in tiny chariots, push a miniature chair across a tightrope and, for their death-defying finale, get shot from a cannon through a ring of fire.

Gertsacov, schooled at the Ringling Bros. Clown College, The Dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre and several other training grounds for professional funny people, describes himself as an actor, director, teacher, writer and clown. He has toured his flea circus around North America and to places as far away as Sao Paulo Brazil.

And that's not his only act. Gertsacov does one routine he describes as a puppet show for goldfish and another called Buffoon Anonymous, in which he enters a 12-step program to deal with his addiction to clowning.

Born to buffoonery, Gertsacov was working as a clown for the Pan-Twilight Circus in Rhode Island when he got the idea for a flea circus. He was asked to come up with an animal trainer act. His first effort was a box turtle act, using people dressed up as turtles. When that floundered, he tried a flea circus.

At first he simply mimed the whole thing, using imaginary fleas. Then, as the story goes, a fellow clown, Avner the Eccentric, advised him to get serious - get some real fleas.

"He said, 'You're so big; they're so little. This is your act,'" the six-foot-two, 250-lb "psycho-entomologist" recalls.

"I got a grant from the state arts council. I hired a designer, Dennis Hlynsky, to create all the sets and props and I bought some fleas from an entomological supply company," says Gertsacov on the phone from his Rhode Island home.

The whole show unfolds on a waist-high table-sized arena, preceded by a little carny action as Prof.Gertsacov flogs miniature programs ("you can't tell the fleas without a program") and other flea mementos to the audience. This is the flea market segment of the show.

The ringmaster also recites some "flea verse" ("Adam / had 'em") and gives a short lecture on the human flea, or pulex irritans, informing his audience of the amazing strength of the parasite: "A flea the size of a woman could leap over the Great Pyramid of Giza in a single bound."

For those curious about the Acme Miniature Circus, Prof. Gersacov has agreed to answer some Frequently Asked Questions:

Will the audience be able to see the fleas?

"It would be very difficult to see the fleas. A flea is smaller than the period at the end of a sentence in the newspaper. But you can see quite clearly what the fleas do. You can see the little chariots across the stage - they go about 10 inches in about a minute-and-a-half - and you can watch the chair on the pole crossing the wire."

Is the show suitable entertainment for all ages?

"Well the fleas are totally nude. But I like to say the show is suitable for ages 6 through 106. What's exciting is that all the audience is cheering for these insects. If they could see them, they'd probably like to kill them, but people fall in love with the fleas."

How do you train the fleas?

"I only use female fleas. The females are a little bit stronger and they're more easily trained. But training is really kind of a funny word. I capitalize on their instinctual behaviours and teach them things they're already able to do, using positive reinforcement. Then I am able to get them to do it on command. Some flea circuses were kind of inhumane. There was one where they glue a little sword to the flea's legs. My fleas are actually trained to do the things they do."

Have any fleas been harmed giving their performance?

"When I first started doing the show, there were some flea fatalities, but I've figured out how the fleas can do the tricks safely, even the death-defying finale. As long as I take all the proper precautions everything is ok."

How long do the fleas survive and what do you feed them?

"I chose these fleas because they live about 24 months and that gives me enough time to train them. One of the things amazing about fleas is they can live without food or water for several months. They're parasites and they eat blood. But they only have to be fed every 15 days or so. I prick my finger and put a little blood in a Petri dish and they can eat the blood that way. I treat the fleas as if they were my own flesh and blood."

Can members of the audience go backstage to meet the fleas?

"No. I don't like to scare them with other people. Sometimes I allow people after the show to take a look in the trailer (a miniature Airstream trailer with a big M on it) and they can see them at rest."

What: The Acme Miniature Flea Circus

When: Today to Sun., Jan. 26 (more than one show per day)

Where: Artword Theatre, 75 Portland St.

Tickets: $10; children (12 and under) $5; seniors $7 @ the door or advance @ Ticketmaster, Rotate This, Browsers and Den Of Magic

Fluid Movement: Behind the Glitter

2003-01-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

An Interview with Flea Circus Impresario: Adam Gertsacov
by Keri Burneston NOTE: This interview first appeared in the January 2003 issue of Fluid Movement, an email newsletter of Fluid Movement, a Baltimore-based performance art group that juxtaposes complex subject matter with delightful and unexpected mediums.

It is reprinted by permission.

Q:	So, Mr. Gertsacov...I first heard of your famous "Acme Flea Circus" at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. I didn't even know what to think. I didn't know if the show was some post modern take on fleas...or if it was a hoax...or if you really did have TRAINED fleas. I have to say that the show was truly a delight! Can you explain this miniscule wonderment to people that may not know what a flea circus is? And please explain a little bit about the history of these traveling shows.
A:	The Acme Miniature Circus is a genuine Victorian style flea circus that features two trained fleas (Midge and Madge) who perform spectacular circus. During the course of the show the fleas pull chariots in a chariot race, dance on a tight-wire, dive through hoops, and at the end of the show, defy death in a flame-filled finale (which is hopefully not a flea flambé!) As for the history of the flea circus, the first flea circus that I've heard about was in 1829, when Professor Bertolotto, an Italian gentleman, displayed his Industrious Fleas in a show in London. It was the rage of the nobility, and even the Queen came to see the show. Bertolotto featured in his show a recreation of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, which you can imagine was quite popular in England! Flea circuses as an entertainment were popular during Victorian times, but then in the early 1920's/30's suffered a decline, and went out of style. I'm not exactly sure why, but I think it was the rise of vaudeville and film. People could see a lot more interesting things than a miniscule show. Perhaps the most famous flea circus of the twentieth century was Professor Heckler's, who had his show at Hubert's Dime Museum on Times Square for over 30 years. In 1957, Heckler left Times Square because he said that the nudie shows were giving his fleas a bad name. In 2002, I brought the flea circus back to Times Square for an extended run at the Bindlestiff Palace of Variety, less than two blocks from where Hubert's stood. I felt that since they cleaned up Times Square, it was only right to bring the fleas back! A lot of people who had been to Hubert's in the 40's and 50's came to see my show, and would reminisce about Heckler and the old Times Square.
Q:	So, how exactly did you become a carrier of the flea circus torch? How, when, where and why did you become inspired to create your show?
A:	My show is not the only flea circus. There are 5 or so other flea circuses around the world. There are also some magicians who do flea circuses as part of their magic act, but it involves, you know, magic. And it's usually just a tiny portion of their show. How I got started doing the flea circus is a slightly long story. I first performed a flea circus as part of a circus I was involved with as a clown. The show was the Pan-Twilight Circus. We did this great show based on the story of Pandora, and at the beginning of the circus, the entire circus came out of a small box, and then Pandora spent the rest of the show trying to put the circus back in the box. We had a 16 foot long puppet elephant (I performed as the elephant's back-end! Pandora tried to train the elephant, And says "Sit, Penelope, Sit!" And I shove out some brown softballs from the elephants rear end. She says: "I said Sit!!!" Probably the biggest laugh in the show.) Anyway, they asked me to do a clown animal trainer act, based on the idea of boxes. I came up with one, but it was too short. They said, what else do you have? And I had just seen Chaplin's Limelight where he does a Mime/Clown Flea Circus. So, I said I could do a flea circus! That show was an imaginary flea circus. The band (17 pieces!) played the sound of the fleas, and everything was pantomimed. After the show, I took a master class with Avner Eisenberg and he said "Get rid of the clown stuff. Get yourself some fleas. You are so big, they are so little. You love the fleas. That is your show." So I started thinking about that, and talked to a friend of mine [Dennis Hlynsky, a professor at RISD]. After some discussion, I applied for a grant, got the grant, and had Dennis build the tiny sets and props. I then bought some fleas from an entomological supply company, and started observing them, to see what I could get them to do. It took me about 2 years on and off to figure out how to make a show from the fleas. I started touring the show in 1996. And now here I am!
Q:	So, you went from being a circus clown into flea performance- really big scale to miniscule...I know that most of the success of your Flea Circus comes not from the stars, Midge and Madge, but from your persona- that's sort of part ring master, part scientist...do you keep this character through your other puppet shows as well?
A:	I do a variety of shows, and I would say that for each show I create different characters. And each of those characters is kind of an expanded version of myself. It's not exactly me, but it's still me. There was a Canadian clown teacher Richard Pochinko who had a very specific idea of clown training. As part of your training you would create 6 masks-- one for each direction (North, South, East, West, Up, and Down). You would create two characters for each mask, one based on innocence and one on experience. At the end of his class you had 12 extreme and archetypal characters (at least archetypal for you!) Pochinko's idea is that your clown is at the center of these 12 extreme characters that you've created, and can pop out to any of the extremes without going directly through the center. I've never done that particular work but I like to think about that when I'm creating characters for my shows. Each of my characters is me, but at the same time it's an expanded version of myself. The flea circus guy is clearly me, and at the same time, I'm not quite as ringmastery/sales oriented in my real life. I do a series of small scale puppet shows (for example I do the Barbie Oedipus, in which I perform Oedipus Rex in 12 minutes using Barbie dolls as actors. As a matter of record, I must state that this show is NOT ENDORSED by the Mattel Corporation in any way). When I work as a clown in fairs and festivals and even circuses, I often don't speak at all. (I know that seems difficult to believe!) My character there is kind of a big baby innocent rube who has visions of grandeur that get foiled by his own desires and appetites. When I was the Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Maryland, I had to speak, so I had to find another dimension to that character. In my next project I will be portraying a very specific character-- I'm doing a historic interpretation of P.T.Barnum. Of course he'll probably be more like me than the actual Barnum (how could he not? That's the material he will be based on!) but he's still going to not be me. So all of my work has the seeds of clowning in it.
Q:	So, you have also done a show called "Vegetable Macbeth." Using food as puppets is actually a concept that is near and dear to my heart. Fluid Movement's first ever production was a 10 minute adaptation of a 4 act opera called "Carmen- The Hot Dog Opera". All of the performers were actually elaborately dressed tofu hot dogs. Preparing the cast of 12 for the show was nearly a 2 hour endeavor, whereby I cut out their little round singing mouths, oiled them so they didn't crack, taped them carefully onto sticks and had to put in eyeballs, earrings and head wear. I'm curious as to what types of vegetables you use for your show and what is involved in bringing them to life.
A:	Carmen- Hot dog Opera! I love it! The Vegetable Macbeth is part of my show *The Puppet Tragedies* and is a relatively new show for me: It's a found object show (although the objects are actually bought in the supermarket) I manipulate all of the vegetables and give them voices. Casting was a lot of fun. Duncan is a large tomato, and his soldiers are all mini tomatoes, Lady Macbeth is a large artichoke turned upside down, and the Scotsman is a large potato. The witches are one very wilted celery stalk. At the end of the show, I end up juicing the cast members and drinking them.
Q:	Food puppets seem to have an inherent sense of tragedy. I guess cause in their more traditional life, they are meant to be cut up and consumed. But it does do something to the psyche to see the ìcharactersî you start to sympathize with treated this way. If you had to name your all-time, hands-down, absolutely favorite show you've ever done...what would it be?
A:	Wow, that's a great question. The flea circus is the one I've done the most, and as a result I'm best at it, and I love doing it, but I don't know if it's my favorite. Probably the most favorite show that I ever directed/conceived was a show called The One Sure Thing: A Cabaret on Death. It was my master's thesis in theatre and group communication. I took 5 people (mostly non-actors) and using automatic writing techniques, improvisational exercises, and some songs that one of the performers had written, and a friend of one of the performers who was a cellist, and in 3 1/2 weeks we created an amazing cabaret of songs, poems, sketches, epitaphs, and dreams about death. One of the most amazing moments in that show was when the guy who played Rasputin (in a clown sketch, wearing a gigantic ridiculous floorlength beard) stood up and took off the beard and started talking about his grandfather, and how he could listen to an engine and hear it go click click clang and know how to fix it, and how the last time he saw his grandfather he flew in to Wisconsin, not drove, and his grandfather was dressed in his Sunday best, in the coffin, and he looked down at his grandfathers hands, rough callused, skillful farmer's hands and realized that he had a connection with his grandfather, because he was good with his hands too. Getting ordinary people to do something extraordinary, to sit up and tell their stories, that was a real treat. I've always wanted to do that show again, with a different ensemble, which would mean different stories and songs.... That way it would be the same show, but completely different too!
Q:	That sounds a lot like how Fluid Movement works--although our work isn't usually so confessional, but we do get people to do things that are pretty surprising. Unfortunately, our conversation in this form must come to an end. How can people track you down to see some of your clowning and fleas and juicing live?
A:	People can find out more about my work at http://www.acmeclown.com I also have a couple of websites about specific projects: http://www.trainedfleas.com Flea Circus http://www.ptbarnum.org P.T. Barnum http://www.riatoz.com (a coloring book that I wrote!) You can also join my mailing list by sending an email to: fleacircus-subscribe@yahoogroups.com My next set of shows is in Toronto: January 23-26,2003 under the small top of the ARTWORD THEATRE Suitable for ages 6 to senior POSITIVELY NO DOGS WILL BE ADMITTED TO THE SHOW!

New York Times: Old-Time Vaudeville Looks Young Again

2002-11-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

THEATER

THEATER; Old-Time Vaudeville Looks Young Again

By DOUGLAS MARTIN

Published: November 24, 2002

YOU won't believe your eyes and you'll be scratching your heads in amazement!'' the barker beckons.

The appeal is irresistible -- a genuine flea circus on 42nd Street. Has time spiraled in reverse? Maybe. We venture into the Palace of Variety and take in the cluttered lobby. Prominently displayed is the sturdy stool that once supported Helen Melon, the fat lady of Coney Island.

''She's so big and so fat that it takes four men to hug her and a boxcar to lug her,'' a sign proclaims.

We plunk down $4, and within minutes are listening to Professor Adam Gertsacov, every bit the fantastical impresario, in his purple top hat and cash-register voice, introducing us to the wondrous insects itching (sorry) to perform. Yes, they can pull objects more than 100,000 times their weight, and, yes, Shakespeare wrote his most famous line about the species: ''To flea or not to flea.''

Midge and Madge are the stars of the Acme Miniature Circus of Performing Fleas: they pull chariots, walk the high wire and, truth to tell, are visible only through the magnifying glass Professor Gertsacov uses to move them about with tweezers. The finale comes when he puts the fleas in a cannon and blasts them through a ring of fire.

Were there really fleas? Maybe, maybe not. What surely existed was a high-spirited glance back at an entertainment form that had been dead as a doornail on 42nd Street since Professor Hecker's Show at Hubert's Dime Museum closed in 1957. It is part of a revival of old-time show business in New York City -- with plenty of echoes nationally -- that includes vaudeville, burlesque, sideshow, baggy-pants comedy and the circus arts, all with more than a dash of the urban self-consciousness associated with performance artists.

The old has become new. For the first time in 70 years, there is a continuous vaudeville show in Times Square, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. It appears in the same space as the flea circus, showcasing in one recent performance an old-fashioned ukulele duo, a yo-yo master, a trapeze artist, a whip act, a sword swallower. But the new edginess is evident in the yo-yo guy doing hilariously risqué tricks, and the trapeze lady ending the evening with a spectacular airborne striptease.

It is sometimes called the New Vaudeville, though nobody seems to relish the moniker. (Penn & Teller, the magicians for the thoughtful and accused of being New Vaudevillians more than a decade ago, despise the term.) What could be new about acts as ancient as jugglers brilliant at bumbling?
The answer is attitude. Today's performers are clearly younger, the intellectual riffs on seemingly old-fashioned acts are green-apple fresh and, in some instances, shows are longer, deeper and more thoughtful.

Todd Robbins, a magician and sideshow performer who has just started a new variety show in SoHo, says why not call it Newer Vaudeville. Trav S.D. (Get it? Travesty), who has his own vaudeville show starting Dec. 13, said vaudeville's turn-of-the-century pioneers were immigrants a step removed from Ellis Island. They worked the boards because it beat working in factories.
''Instinctively, we're artists,'' he said of the new generation.
Some call the new scene postmodern vaudeville, a term that makes others groan. ''Postmodern is so last century,'' said James Taylor, publisher of Shocked and Amazed magazine, which is devoted to the sideshow arts.
Dick Zigun, whose Coney Island U.S.A. has pioneered the resurrection of old entertainment forms in New York City since he established a beachhead in Coney Island in 1985, thinks neo-geo-vaudeville might be just the term. He has no idea why.
Katherine Valentine, who put together Va Va Voom Room, a traveling troupe of actors who combine old striptease routines, juggling and humor with a performance-art sensibility, says it all comes down to the Big Wow.
''You've got to have a gimmick,'' she said. ''A really brilliant gimmick.''
The Bindlestiff lineup changes at least every weekend. And the acts change much faster. Mr. Pennygaff, sword swallower extraordinaire, began a recent show by announcing that anybody who didn't like him could wait six minutes and see something completely different. And sure enough, the Fire Goddess materialized. There was a cotton-candy evanescence to things.
''This combination of performers may never be seen on the same stage again,'' intoned Mr. Pennygaff, who in reality is Keith Nelson, one of the founders of Bindlestiff. You know the type: he cuddled an Emmett Kelly doll as a child, traded a bottle of whiskey for juggling lessons and majored in anarchist studies at Hampshire College.
His partner is Stephanie Monseau (Ringmistress Philomena), who started out as a modern dancer. The two met a decade ago when both were waiting on tables in the East Village, and have since toured hundreds of thousands of miles doing everything from rope tricks to eating light bulbs to distributing esoteric left-wing literature. As the enjoy-yourself-or-else mistress of ceremonies, Ms. Monseau has cultivated a sneer as she snaps a bullwhip to bisect the cigar protruding from a trembling Mr. Nelson's fanny.
''We're not using our vaudeville skills to turn theater into circus,'' she said, ''but to enhance the theater experience.''
There are plenty of vaudeville experiences right in the Palace of Variety, part of the four-storefront Chashama arts complex that the real estate mogul Douglas Durst has lent his daughter Anita, an avant-garde arts producer. She likes vaudeville because she thinks its conventions demand more thought than free-form performance art, and it's cheap.
''Everybody is able to experiment without too much at stake,'' she said. ''They can make mistakes and it's not like they're going to lose thousands of dollars.''
People don't do stuff for money anyway. Take the guy who comes to the 11 p.m. amateur night at the Palace of Variety and exhibits his talent. He lies down so that female audience members can run a vacuum cleaner over him. If a male tries, he barks: ''No! That's weird.''
Other acts appear weekly, including the Kourageous Kipplengers, who come on like a frumpy middle-aged couple but play mean kazoos. Like other headliners, they bring accomplices. An act promised by Trav S.D. in his American Vaudeville Theater is Trixie's All Girl Chorus.
It's old-fashioned variety entertainment of the sort Ed Sullivan so astutely scooped up, but with twists. So what would you expect from these guys? Trav, who never uses a two-syllable word when five will suffice, said he started in show business as part of a trained cat act. He was too big for the suit and couldn't keep up with the other cats, so he became a swordfish swallower. He worked without a net.
If you don't believe that, you might take in Todd Robbins's ''Sideshow Saturday Night'' at the SoHo Playhouse. Appearing in some shows will be Lizard Man, who is dedicated to turning himself into a lizard. Already, he has green scales tattooed on every square inch of his body and a tongue split with a laser. The implants above his eyes make him look like an iguana.
''When you do something real that people think is impossible, they can't deny what they're seeing,'' Mr. Robbins said. ''They start to wonder how these things are possible and that means they're thinking.''
Thinking is what ''Clown Brain'' at the Flea Theater in TriBeCa is all about. Dick Monday, leader of the New York Goofs, a clown group, works with a psychotherapist to pursue his nagging existential question: why is he happier as a clown than without makeup? (Mr. Monday just turned 50 and has taught clown skills to the younger generation of vaudevillians, who are almost all under 40.) His quest is interrupted by old-fashioned vaudeville bits, like Mr. Monday playing ''Moon River'' on a saw. When he plays the piano, a key falls off. ''That always happens when I get keyed up,'' he intones.
A psychotherapist in the audience says the answer to Mr. Monday's question, arrived at rather torturously in the play, is obvious. ''It's about fun, connecting to basic stuff,'' Martha Rose said. ''Laughter.''
THAT'S sure true of ''Happy Hour,'' in which three 20-something clowns jump on trampolines and carry whoopee-cushion humor farther than you might imagine. Events crescendo haphazardly to the oddest climax: a performer in rabbit ears hops from lap to lap in the audience.
''The audience doesn't know whether to cry, laugh or throw up,'' said Matthew Morgan, the bunny.
Vaudeville had its origins in beer halls, and its first audiences were immigrants seeking refuge from tenements and factories. Andrew Davis, who wrote his doctoral dissertation at New York University on burlesque comedy in 2000, likens the present time to the period when the vaudeville arts were young and sparkling, a few years before they became the staple of theater chains.

''There's a lot of exploration and nobody's quite sure where it's going,'' he said. He thinks the ultimate synthesis will involve an unpredictable cocktail of vaudeville, burlesque, circus, sideshow and, as is happening, particularly in Los Angeles, elements of the dance club scene. Increasingly, new immigrants, as yet not much involved, will provide impetus in spirit, he thinks. His hope is that cable television does not jump on the new variety and wring out its vitality, as it has with stand-up comedy.

It isn't going backward, but the occasional glance through the rear-view mirror seems inescapable. For example, a new show at the Palace of Variety does take on the routines of Chaplin and Keaton.
Called ''The Golden Age,'' it is the brainchild of Joel Jeske. He dedicated himself to revivifying old-time variety when he was shocked (yes, shocked) at the news that Universal Studios was removing the characters of Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy from its theme parks. Few recognized them.
Mr. Jeske's conversion to premeditated zaniness happened in his native Chicago when Professor Inferno taught him his legendary act: holding his hand over various candle flames. The performer then screams at different pitches to create incendiary tunes like ''My Old Flame.''

But what is the New Vaudeville without the New Burlesque? Better clothed, for sure. From San Francisco to New Orleans to SoHo, women have taken the classic striptease numbers and remade them in imaginative, often feminist modes. Men, too, actually: theproductions are equal-opportunity exposers.

Still, the shows are more than nudity, and the nudity itself challenges contemporary body stereotypes. At the East Village club Fez, Va Va Voom Room, a new burlesque revue, was appearing the other night. Two of the most creative strippers were delightfully zaftig: one called herself Bob and wiggled out of a cowgirl outfit. The other, Dirty Martini, stripped on pointe in a costume of balloons, popping them with a cigarette.

Interspersed with the strippers -- among them a man who hilariously and acrobatically stripped in female drag -- were acts ranging from magicians to a beatnik-style French lounge singer who became so depressed by his act that he finally simulated suicide. There was also ample audience participation, a hallmark of the new variety: birthday celebrants were called to the stage to experience the ''spanking machine.''

It all harked back to ''Lydia Thompson's British Blondes,'' the show that introduced burlesque to the United States in 1865. It consisted of three parts: songs and coarse sketches; baggy-pants comics along with acrobats and magicians, and a finale featuring an exotic dancer or a boxing match. Not until Little Egypt introduced belly-dancing at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 did the striptease become standard burlesque fare.

Things progressed. Come 1933, Sally Rand at another event in Chicago, a Century of Progress International Exposition, introduced the fan dance. As near as anyone can tell, Dirty Martini does a perfect imitation. The old has become new. Life is grand.

''So step right up, folks!'' the barker barks. ''Witness the historic and triumphant return of the flea circus to Times Square. It's only $4, but we'll take $8. And, yes, ladies and gentlemen, the creatures perform naked.''

Shows on the Side
New York's current vaudeville revival is centered at the Palace of Variety, at the Chashama arts complex, 125 West 42nd Street, where these shows are now running or are about to open: Bindlestiffs, the Golden Age, Acme Miniature Circus of Performing Fleas, Kourageous Kipplengers and American Vaudeville Theater. All can be reached at 1-877-BINDLES or cirkus@bindlestiff.org. or www.bindlestiff.org.

And in other Manhattan theaters:
* Va Va Voom Room: 212-330-9349 or www.vavavoomroom.com.
* Happy Hour: 212-631-5819 or HappyHourNYC@yahoo.com or www.xstreamix.com/happyhour.
* Sideshow Saturday Night With Todd Robbins and Friends: 212-615-6432 or www.magicalnights.com.
* Clown Brain: 212-206-1515 or www.smarttix.com or www.nygoofs.com
Photos: Joel Jeske, left, screaming in tune at the Palace of Variety; Mr. Pennygaff of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, center, with ''sword''; and Dirty Martini popping her balloons at Fez. (Richard Termine for The New York Times); (Tom Tavee); (Richard Termine for The New York Times)(pg. 5); Mark Gindick, top, Ambrose Martos, left, and Matthew Morgan in ''Happy Hour.'' (Richard Termine for The New York Times)(pg. 6)

Cape Cod Times (AP) : An Itch To Entertain

2002-10-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

"An Itch To Entertain"
The flea circus comes back to Times Square
By CAMERON BLOCH (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)


AP article that appeared in Cape Cod Times. Click to make larger.

NEW YORK - Saturday was turning out to be a hard day for Professor Adam Gertsacov.
Half of his cast was on strike, the other half went missing and he had yet to discover that the cannon - which hurtles his charges through a flaming "ring of death" - was destined to malfunction.
But Gertsacov, who calls himself a "psycho entomologist," was determined that the show would go on, especially since it was the debut of his Acme Miniature Circus at the Palace of Variety, a newcomer to 42nd Street near Times Square.
Midge and Madge, two sisters of the species pulex irritans - fleas Gertsacov purchased from an entomological supply house - would need to put on the show of their young lives to satisfy the New York audience.
The picture of a showman
Gertsacov is 37, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. But he is also a graduate of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Clown College.
He dresses in what might be called the layered clown look. From purple top hat to red-white-and-green shoes, he is the picture of a carnival showman in a black silk shirt, bow tie, gold lame vest, magenta corduroy tails and floppy, plaid pantaloons.
On this day, he is running behind schedule, and the noon show will start a half-hour late. But the delay has given the professor (a vaudevillian honorific) time to promote his show on the sidewalk outside, offering discounts and banter.
"It's only $4. We'll take eight, but it's only four," he barks. "The fleas perform naked ... with no clothes on."
Gertsacov explains that his show is the first flea circus to appear in Times Square since 1957, when a Professor Heckler ended his long run at Hubert's Dime Museum because "the nude shows were giving his fleas a bad name."
While the history of the flea circus is somewhat hazy, there are reports of such shows in Europe in the 1820s. They died out in the middle of the last century, according to Gertsacov, apparently victims of television's success.
Gertsacov credits a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts with helping him develop the Acme Miniature Circus. Since 1996, he has put on the show some 500 times in 35 states and brought it to Montreal, Canada, and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
No opportunity missed
Now, he's doing two shows a day on weekends at the Palace of Variety through the end of December. His opening performance drew a dozen spectators to the small theater, including at least one infant, several children and their parents and some obvious vaudeville enthusiasts.
They applaud as the showman enters with his tray of souvenirs.
Not one to miss an opportunity, Gertsacov offers miniature programs for 10 cents each. Written on the back of the programs are "Some Fun Flea Facts." Other wares include magnifying glasses (25 cents), flea tattoos (25 cents each or five for $1) and "Save the Fleas" buttons.
The button money is necessary, he says, "because flea eradication has reached enormous dimensions."
Striving for audience participation, the professor moves on to a brief history of the tiny insects, illustrated by an oversized "Book of Fleas."
Contrary to popular opinion, "fleas have many positive qualities," he lectures. "If a flea was the size of this woman," he points randomly into the audience, "she could jump over one of the pyramids."
Fleas, he notes, are so strong they can pull an object more than 100,000 times their weight, an ability they are to demonstrate in the upcoming show.
Reassuring the crowd that during the performance none of the fleas will be harmed or abused, Gertsacov moves to the spindly table center stage where he has mounted the elements of his circus on a table: a "high" wire, a performance ring, a pair of miniature chariots parked in front of the infamous Cannon of Doom and a tiny house trailer. Here the stars, Midge and Madge, are resting until the maestro extracts them with tweezers for Act 1, the chariot race.
At this point, Gertsacov divides the audience into two sections and coaches each side to root for their designated flea during the race to come.
Despite encouragement from both audience and master, one of the fleas - Gertsacov takes a look with his magnifying glass to determine that it is Midge - has gone on strike and refuses to race. He apologizes that this happens more often than he likes; the insects are testy.
A star escapes
To put the crowd in a better mood, the professor provides an interlude of "flea verse," reciting a clever paraphrase from Shakespeare's "Hamlet": "To flea or not to flea ... "
Meanwhile, Madge, star of the high wire act, has escaped into the audience.
"I need to think like a flea to catch a flea," says Gertsacov, who ultimately tracks her down with the magnifying glass in the hair of a bemused man in the front row and recaptures her with his tweezers.
Placing the recalcitrant flea on the wire stretched between two foot-high standards, the professor views the action through his glass, describing Madge's tortured traverse under the weight of a balancing bar and tiny chair. Almost as an afterthought, he notes that she is blindfolded, to the roar of her happy boosters in the audience.
The crowd derives a moment of calm from another interlude featuring a pair of "Tibetan dancing beetles" who face off in the circus ring.
And then, the exciting finale: the Cannon of Doom.
Gertsacov carefully places the fleas, now apparently on their best behavior, into the cannon. But first he calls for a moment of silence in memory of Leopold, the brother of Midge and Madge, who died doing the cannon trick two years ago.
The maestro lights the Ring of Death and the audience is primed for the blast that will send the fleas through the flaming ring back to their trailer.
But alas, the cannon fails to go off. Only momentarily bewildered, Gertsacov promises the audience they can return for the next show when it surely will work.
"Sorry, I haven't worked the bugs out of the system," he quips.
The crowd gives Gertsacov (and the M&M sisters) a round of applause.
But 4-year-old Sophie Berg, in town from Philadelphia with her family, is a bit puzzled.
"Mommy," she says, "I couldn't see the fleas."

AOL's Digital City: PICK: These Performers Could Fit On the Head of a Pin

2002-09-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

THESE PERFORMERS COULD FIT ON THE HEAD OF A PIN

The actual listing from Digital City.com

Victorian-style flea circuses first appeared in Europe in the early 19th century, and gradually became less common as we entered the modern age. Professional clown Adam Gertsacov keeps the amazing curiosity alive with entomological entertainment that dazzles, disgusts and confuses his audience. His tiny performers are real fleas -- human-blood sucking fleas. But they are also real performers, racing on chariots, balancing on a tightrope and being shot out of a cannon. Gertsacov uses a high-powered microscope and tweezers to coax his little big top stars to do their magical feats. And Midge and Madge happily oblige, as long as they are fed a few drops of Gertsacov's blood. (This is too ludicrous and perversely fascinating to miss, folks!)-- R. Howkins
Special Event: Children, Comedy, Festival, General Arts & Culture: Children, Comedy, Festival, General, Music, Parade,

Odyssey: Animal Angles

2001-12-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

ANIMAL ANGLES

by Ruth Tenzer Feldman

This circus fits in the palm of your hand.

The performers are fleas. Yes, fleas!

Flea circuses were popular in Europe and the United States in the 1800s. There are still some left. One is Adam Gertsacov's Acme Miniature Circus, where fleas run a chariot race and balance a chair and pole. These tiny performers (about 0.1 to 1.0 centimeter long) can pull an object 130,000 times their weight and can leap horizontal or vertical distances 150 to 200 times their length at an acceleration 50 times faster than the Space Shuttle.

Circus fleas compress and release resilin, a super-elastic protein, in their leg and thorax muscles. In nature, this action catapults them upward, allowing bristles and hooks all over their bodies to snag a luckless animal host. In flea circuses, performers instinctively jump toward heat and carbon dioxide, and away from light.

It's easy to catch flea circus performers. There are hundreds of flea species, and they live everywhere, feeding on the blood of mammals and birds.

Fleas belong to the order Siphonaptera, meaning “wingless siphons.” Their mouths include barbs for piercing skin and hanging on tight. Ouch!

Gertsacov's circus performers are the human fleas Pulex irritans, meaning “irritating dust.” Some fleas are more than irritating. The rat flea Xenopsylla cheopis is an efficient carrier of bubonic plague, known during the Middle Ages as the Black Death. As plague-infected rats die, their fleas, which drink diseased rat blood, transmit the disease to humans. Plague is still around, but can now be cured.

Some flea species are not meant for the circus, as they don't jump. But jumpers or not, fleas were handy subjects for Anton van Leeuwenhoek in the 1600s. His microscope became known as the “flea glass.” What an entertaining fact!

PHOTO (COLOR): Nano-entertainment! A female cat flea (Clenocephalides felis) tows a miniature 19th-century cart along a human finger at a circus in Munich.

~~~~~~~~

By Ruth Tenzer Feldman

Connect Savannah: A Visit To An Old Fashioned-Flea Circus

2001-08-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

"A Visit To An Old-Fashioned Flea Circus"

by Linda Sickler
There's no doubt that Adam Gertsacov has one of the most unusual jobs in the world.
He performs as Professor A.G. Gertsacov, the ringmaster of the Acme Miniature Circus. His stars are Midge and Madge, trained fleas extraordinaire.
The show opens with a miniature chariot race, which covers an eight-inch course. Next comes the high-wire act, in which Madge -- at least we think it's Madge -- balances a pole and a miniature chair.
In the finale, Madge and Midge are shot out of an air cannon, through a flaming hoop of death. They land safely to thunderous applause.
The one question Gertsacov is always asked is, are Madge and Midge real? "They are real fleas," he said.
"They are not glued down. I only use two fleas in the show. They do three tricks. My focus is not on tricks, but on the audience experience. My show is really funny."
Gertsacov is a professional actor, director, and clown, based in Providence, RI. After founding the Acme Clown Company, he has appeared at theaters, fairs and festivals around the world.
What kind of a person runs a flea circus? After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania (Class of '86) with a major in theoretical communication and a minor in theater, Gertsacov earned a master-of-arts degree in theater and group communication at the Rhode Island College/Trinity Rep Conservatory.
After completing Bryant College's entrepreneurship program, Gertsacov applied to the Ringling Brothers Clown College in 1989, not realizing how competitive it was. "There were 2,000 applicants for 54 spaces," he said.
Despite the odds, Gertsacov was accepted and made a profound discovery. "I realized all the acting work I had done was about being a clown," he said.
Gertsacov also has studied at the Dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre, and the Boston School of Bartending. He served as an apprentice to the Czech clown, Ctibor Turba, and also studied with several other well-known performers, including Dario Po and Avner the Eccentric
There are other acts that Gertsacov presents, but it is the flea circus that gets the most attention. "I started doing the show using imaginary fleas," he said. "It was all mime. I was pretty happy with it."
It was Avner the Eccentric who convinced Gertsacov that he should use real fleas. "He said, 'This is good, but you've got to get rid of the clown stuff and do a flea circus,' " Gertsacov said.
"You're big, the fleas are small," Avner said. "That's your act."
Gertsacov began doing intensive research to try to crack the secretive code of the flea circus. "I met a guy from Rhode Island who had a flea circus in the 1950s," he said. "He wasn't real forthcoming about how it was done, but he convinced me it could be done. I put together a grant proposal to build the program."
With the grant funding, Gertsacov was able to hire Dennis Hlynsky, an artist and professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, to design and build the suitcase that houses the marvelously detailed flea circus and its props. Everything, including Gertsacov's costume with top hat and purple vest, is designed to suggest the Victorian era, when flea circuses flourished.
"The history of the flea circus is kind of murky," Gertsacov said. "It is a low form of entertainment. The first reference to a flea circus I can find is 1828, when Senor Bertoletto performed in Covent Garden in London.
"Among other things, he redid Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, using fleas. It was all the rage in London in 1828."
Flea circuses reached the peak of their popularity in the 1890s, Gertsacov said. "I have read that most every town had its own flea circus," he said.
"Professor LeRoy Heckler's was the most famous," Gertsacov said. "He appeared at the 1903 Chicago Exposition, then moved to New York. He left Times Square in 1957, saying that nude girls had given his fleas a bad name."

ORIGIN OF TERM 'FLEA MARKET'
At least one other aspect of the old-time flea circus still exists today. Flea circuses were often booked as sideshows at markets and fairs where merchants sold their goods outdoors, which gave rise to the term "flea market."
"In the last few years, there has been a resurgence of flea circuses," Gertsacov said. "There are at least three to four people doing flea circuses today."
Yes, the fleas are trained to do their tricks. Gertsacov's training methods are a trade secret, but he will say that the tricks are based on basic flea behavior, and taught through positive reinforcement.
"I'm not training them to do mathematics," he said. "They do chariot races. Do they know they are racing? It's hard to say."
It takes three months to train a flea. "It took me six months to figure out how to train them," Gertsacov said.
Madge and Midge are "Pulex irritans," better known as the human flea. "There are over 2,000 species," Gertsacov said. "Human fleas are the traditional circus fleas."
Human fleas make the best performers because they are larger than other species. Today, human fleas are rather rare, but at one time, they were all too common.
"About 100 years ago, everyone had fleas," Gertsacov said. "Very ritzy ladies wore a flea trap in their bosom. It was a piece of jewelry that was baited with blood and honey. The blood lured the fleas, who got trapped in the honey.
"Today, we don't have fleas so much," he said. "We wash, do laundry and wash our bedding."
The most common flea found today is the cat flea, which is found on both cats and dogs. Not only is it too small to be trained, it lives only six weeks.
By contrast, the human flea lives much longer. "It lives 24 months, only on humans or pigs," Gertsacov said.
Fleas survive on blood, and Purina doesn't make flea chow, so Gertsacov has developed a unique feeding method. "I feed them once every 15 days," he said. "I prick my finger. It takes only a drop. Fortunately, I don't have to put them on myself to feed. I have a system with a Petrie dish."
Since the flea circus began, Gertsacov has never had a flea escape. Perhaps that's because they are housed in a luxurious, custom-designed, fur-lined trailer between shows.
"I buy fleas from an entomological supply company that supplies fleas to scientists," Gertsacov said. (The going rate is $5 per dozen.)
Incorporating art and theater, Gertsacov started his company in 1991. He creates and performs his own shows, tours and teaches clowning at workshops.
"I would say it's a hard job because it's a business, like any other," Gertsacov said. "But at least part of the time, I get to do what I love."
What he loves is creating an unforgettable experience for his audiences. "My other shows include the Puppet Tragedies," Gertsacov said. "I do 'Oedipus Rex' in 12 minutes, using Barbie dolls. I also do the 'Vegetable Macbeth.' "
Gertsacov also is an author, and currently is writing a book about, of all things, Rhode Island. "I was recently appointed the Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Md.," he said.
In addition to watching the fleas' performance, spectators can buy souvenirs, including buttons, T-shirts and bumper stickers. The most popular reads, "Save the flea!"
Not that the flea is in any danger of becoming extinct. But Gertsacov believes that in addition to entertaining the masses, his circus proves that fleas can be put to good use.
"There is no Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Fleas," he said. "This shows a positive use for fleas. It is so amazing what they can do."

Linda Sickler is senior staff writer at Connect Savannah.

Current Science: Circus Minimus

2000-12-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

CIRCUS MINIMUS
There are no small parts, only small performers, in the Acme Miniature Circus.
by Hugh Westrop

First there was Barnum & Bailey. Then came Siegfried & Roy. Now make way for Midge and Madge!
Midge and Madge are the featured players in the Acme Miniature Circus. They're fleas, wingless insects no bigger than a freckle. Their traveling act is one of the weirdest and wackiest in show business.
UNDER THE SMALL TOP
Midge and Madge were flicked to stardom by Adam Gertsacov, the circus's owner. In the guise of Professor A.G. Gertsacov, he also presides as ringmaster over each of Midge and Madge's shows.
The professor opens each performance by hawking a line of flea souvenirs- flea buttons, flea tattoos, flea T-shirts. Then he recites such flea doggerel as "Fleas? Adam had 'em," followed by flea fun facts. "Did you know," he asks the audience, "that fleas are the world's champion jumpers? If a flea were the size of a woman, it could jump over the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt in a single bound."
Then gasps of wonder arise from the spectators as the professor exposes the contents of a large suitcase. Inside lies a beautifully detailed miniature circus ring-- and Midge and Madge.
Guiding the two fleas to the ring, the Great Gertsacov assists them in a series of jaw-dropping stunts. Like horses at the ancient Roman Circus Maximus, the fleas are hitched to tiny chariots and compete in a race-- a real nailbiter. The audience hoots and applauds.
Next comes the tightrope act. Madge carries a tiny chair and pole across the high wire. The audience oohs and aahs. For the grand finale, Midge and Madge are lowered into a miniature air cannon. 3....2....1.... Pop! A puff of air shoots the fleas over the ring, through a flaming hoop, and into their sumptuous, fur-lined trailer. Loud hurrahs!
OLD SHOW
Similar spectacles were common 200 years ago, when flea circuses entertained the hoi polloi of Europe and North America. Pulex Irritans, the species of flea that infests humans, was common back then too. "People didn't bathe often," explained Gertsacov, "so they were crawling with fleas."
That changed during the last century with the advent of improved personal hygiene and inventions such as the vacuum cleaner and the washing machine. Pulex irritans became, if not endangered, then much rarer. Today, the most common of the 2000 known species of fleas is Ctenocephalides felis, which infests cats and dogs, said Gertsacov.
Midge and Madge are Pulex irritans, ordered from an entomological supply company. "It took about three years of experimentation to figure out how to train a flea," said Gertsacov
TRAINING TIPS
How does one train a flea? Gertsacov said he employed the same techniques all animal trainers use. First, he studied the flea's natural behaviors. Then, through operant conditioning, he encouraged the fleas to perform those behaviors on cue with circus props. Operant conditioning is a form of instruction in which the subject is encouraged through the use of positive reinforcement-- rewards-- and negative reinforcement--punishments. (Gertsacov says he doesn't use negative reinforcement.)
"It's not as if I train the fleas to sing or fly the space shuttle-- things they aren't equipped to do," explained Gertsacov. "They perform things in their act, such as lifting objects, that they do in nature."
Gertsacov won't reveal what reward he gives his fleas, but an educated guess is blood. Fleas are hematophagous -- they feed on blood. A flea that can't find a warm-blooded host becomes dormant (inactive and can stay that way for up to a year.
In the early days, Gertsacov let Midge and Madge bite him for their meals. Now he pricks himself for the blood that he feeds them.
When not in training, Gertsacov's fleas enjoy the lifestyles of pampered celebrities. Fleas are ectoparasites. A parasite is an organism that lives at the expense of another organism. An ectoparasite is a parasite that lives on, as opposed to in, the host organism. But fleas also spend time off their hosts-- in carpets, beds, sofas, and in Midge and Madge's case, fur-lined trailers.
DISEASE CARRIERS
The Acme Miniature Circus is a true slice of showbiz magic. Where else do audiences root for such creepy characters? Fleas can transmit bubonic plague ("Black Death"), one of history's worst medical scourges. Just last summer, a flea-borne outbreak of bubonic plague turned several prairie dog towns in Montana into ghost towns.
Needless to say, spectators feel more than enthusiasm at an Acme show. Gertsacov ensures that Midge and Madge don't get loose during a performance. Still, people are suggestible around fleas and other wee beasties. "When I look out at my audience," said Gertsacov," I see a lot of scratching."

L.A. Times: Under The Small Top

2000-01-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

Under the Small Top
Bitten by the show-biz bug, Adam Gertsacov's Acme Miniature Circus stars are fleas that perform amazing feats. Just don't ask how he gets them to balance on the high wire.

Page 2 / News, Trends, Gossip and Stuff to Do
January 28, 2000|DENNIS ARP, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

On those magical nights when everything clicks, Adam Gertsacov can hold both an audience and his star performers in the palm of his hand. People crane their necks for a better view of the Acme Miniature Circus' curious wonders. They thrill to the exciting flea chariot race and marvel at the flea-on-a-wire aerial act.

They gasp at the death-defying finale (which, by the way, took a few deaths to perfect, but why quibble?).

Suddenly, Gertsacov said, "people start caring for these two bugs they'd probably try to kill if they weren't performing for them."

And just as suddenly, they are transported to the Victorian age, when traveling showmen mixed a dash of hokum with a healthy dose of bravado to create entertainment on the fly. Gertsacov revives that spirit with what he believes to be one of only two flea circuses making the rounds today. (The other, he says, is based in Australia.) His act is part sideshow, part history lesson and part spectacle of entomological derring-do. And it all fits on a tabletop stage not much bigger than a TV tray.

Gertsacov, 35, unfolded that table this week in Costa Mesa at the 22nd annual International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People, which continues through Saturday. All around him, acting troupes and dance companies hawked their talents, hoping to land bookings at theaters and festivals.

But even as they were setting up, they ducked their heads into Gertsacov's booth for a glimpse of his self-contained fold-out big top, though stars Midge and Madge, trained fleas of the species pulex irritans, were resting in Gertsacov's hotel room, safe in the fur-lined comfort of their wooden traveling case.

Gertsacov, who drove from his home in Providence, R.I., to attend the showcase, spends the first 10 minutes of his show pitching a plethora of products, from "Save the Fleas!" bumper stickers to show programs the size of Post-it notes.

This is the "flea market part" of the performance, he said. "People go to a flea circus expecting to be hornswoggled. If they aren't, they go away disappointed."

But the show still is more fleas than fleece. Clad in lavender felt top hat and matching corduroy coat, Gertsacov shares flea trivia and tidbits from history. For instance, fleas can pull 131,000 times their own weight, and a Swedish queen once hunted them with a tiny crossbow. He glosses over that whole black plague episode; the blood-sucking parasite thing is kind of a downer. He even recites flea poetry, or as he calls it, "flea verse." A sample:

Fleas?

Adam had 'em.

The banter builds to the show's climax: the exhibition of Midge and Madge's strength and skill. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Gertsacov gently places his minuscule stars at the helm of chariots with shirt-button wheels, which they race. That is, when one of them isn't being obstinate.

"Madge is slightly more temperamental," Gertsacov said. "But each can be a bit diva-esque."

Sometimes, the competitive juices flow, with half the crowd chanting, "Midge! Midge! Midge!" and the other half exhorting, "Madge! Madge! Madge!" (When Gertsacov performed in Brazil two years ago, "the crowd cheered like it was a soccer game," he said.)

Then it's on to the high wire, which they negotiate while carrying a tiny chair and balancing pole. There's scarcely time for a rest before Midge and Madge are whisked into a miniature cannon for the grand finale.

Before our heroes are fired through the flaming hoop of death, Gertsacov pauses for a moment of silence for all the high-flying fleas who gave their lives for low art.

"It took a while before I could figure out how to get them to land in their trailer without getting hurt," Gertsacov said, pointing to the door of a palatially decorated model Airstream emblazoned with a metallic "M." Figuring out how to safely fire his fleas into the trailer's open door was just one of the problems facing Gertsacov when he began putting the show together in 1994.

He was performing as a clown when a circus in Providence asked him to come up with an animal-trainer act. He concocted an imaginary flea circus, using mime to move his make-believe fleas. He showed the act to a clown friend, Avner the Eccentric, who advised, "Get some real fleas. You're big, the fleas are small, you love the fleas. That's your act."

Gertsacov bought the fleas, which live about two years, from an entomologist supply company in Connecticut, put them in an enclosed space and just started watching. He did plenty of other research (females are preferable to males because they are larger) but learned mainly that flea trainers are loath to share their secrets. That's a tradition Gertsacov continues. "I will tell you that through art and patience, you slowly begin to figure out what they can do," he said. He usually has seven or eight Midges and Madges in training.

Gertsacov also discovered that his show plays equally well with children and college-age crowds. He traveled last year with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, which describes its acts as spanning "the exotic to the erotic."

"Mine is definitely the exotic," Gertsacov said, "although the fleas do perform totally nude."

Audience reaction usually builds from bewilderment to fascination and glee, he said. But there's one response he can just about always count on: "I see a lot of scratching."