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By James Ensor
Hometown Weekly Reporter
A circus in a suitcase is a hard promise to fulfill; yet, when the seemingly-benign brown case opened up and transformed into a tent, Kevin O’Keefe looked to be living up to his word. For the crowd of roughly thirty parents and kids at the Sherborn Community Center on Thursday, August 4, the performance became a dialogue between the audience and O’Keefe’s many characters.
The Bumbilini family, featuring a mustachioed O’Keefe and three balls with faces drawn on them, taught patrons of the circus phrases in Italian while performing a juggling act. With a quick trip behind the tent flaps, Mr. O’Keefe changed costumes and brought out several different characters for the crowd to cheer.
“We’re very happy to have Circus Minimus here. I’ve heard great things about him and it’s a fascinating program,” said librarian Cheryl Oulette. “He’s got a million different outfits and characters, sets and scene-changes, which all make for a great show.”
Other characters that O’Keefe brought to life were ringmaster Steve Fitzpatrick, officious Mervin Merkle, the magician to the stars Clyde Zerbini, and the runaway Keefer. The lighthearted and fun performances left the entire audience laughing, kids and parents alike.
Part of the summer reading program for kids and teens, Circus Minimus is just one of a multitude of programs that are intended to encourage reading and community involvement in Sherborn. Previous events included the WhaleMobile, an inflatable 41-foot whale designed to teach about the anatomy of whales.
“Coming up on August 16 is Davis Bates. He does singing, storytelling and other programs, and will bring his little dog that he plans to juggle with,” added Ms. Ouelette. While the summer is winding down, the library and the Sherborn Community Center will be celebrating the success of the summer reading program, “On your mark, get set… read!” with this final performer.
