Gizmo Guys rev it up at children's festival

Allan Jacobs, 61, and Barrett Felker, 57, must be shaking their heads.

Better known as The Gizmo Guys, the juggling partners have performed together for 30 years – longer than most marriages – and they show no signs of applying the brakes.

A staple across North America, The Gizmo Guys are renowned for a theatrical mix of eye-popping juggling peppered with quick-witted verbal repartee.

Rubber balls, devil's sticks, rings, Chinese yo-yos, bowler hats and clubs – they've all been part of the act at one time or another. Even their significant height difference is incorporated into the gags.

“We've had differences over time, but we're very clear that we work better as two people as opposed to working solo. As a duo, there's a synergy, an effect we can't create as one person. So if we get into an argument, we suck it up,” laughs Felker, the shorter partner.

After a 10-year absence, they return to the International Children's Festival of the Arts on May 31 to June 4 at the Standard General Tent flanking the Sturgeon River.

Although there are no fancy sets, the show is completely razzle-dazzle with nimble sleight-of-hand juggling and comedic timing.

The Gizmo Guys have appeared on television programs, performed on three continents, won numerous juggling competitions and taught at international juggling schools.

Both Felker and Jacobs are self-taught. A cousin taught Felker and Allan's college roommate showed him the basics.

“There were no schools back then. You just put your nose to the grindstone and figure out what to do. That's how we learned. Juggling in the United States and Canada was a very tight-knit group. One thing that was understood was that we would help each other,” said Felker.

He learned juggling at 15, moved to Boulder, Colorado to hone his skills. He ended up winning the International Jugglers Association team championship. It led to a half-time solo gig with the Harlem Globetrotters that morphed into a three-year tour.

Jacobs on the other hand was studying psychology at the University of Massachusetts and found a job working with a comedy theatre troupe that juggled.

The duo met at the 1987 International Jugglers Association annual convention and clicked.

“Allan was heavy on the funny and light on the juggling. I was heavy on the juggling and lighter on the funny.”

They became New York street buskers whipping up routines on the fly and testing them on passers-by, most typically at South Street Seaport, an outdoor shopping centre.

“We didn't have an act. We had to work and develop what we were doing so we could approach a theatre manager.”

At one point they performed 400 shows a year, before scaling back to a manageable level.

“We like to create something visually pleasing. We put things in a sequence that flows and then we add comedy and music. I think we do a good job.”