Juggling act fights gravity in Iola show

There is an epidemic that has been taking over the world for quite some time now — gravity. There are two men, Jon Wee and Owen Morse, dedicated to beating it.
Wee and Morse, a two-man juggling act known as the Passing Zone, will be at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center at 7:30 Saturday evening to recruit people who are willing to fight against gravity through their comedy juggling show “Gravity Attacks.”
“If we could just methodically get a support group I really think we could really beat this thing,” Wee said.
Wee said they had always realized gravity was their nemesis and the possibilities of a gravity-free world would be endless.  
The Passing Zone has a twist; it mixes death-defying stunts with comedy.
Wee said the only way to get through a tense situation is to laugh through it. Stunts could always go wrong, but that’s the fun of the show. The audience never knows what will happen.
“We make sure our stunts are dangerous enough to (keep the audience on the edge of their seats), but safe enough so nothing goes wrong,” Wee said. “Part of the fun is the audience has to figure out which mistakes are part of the show and which ones are real.”
While keeping spectators on their toes, they also add to the tension by integrating audience members into stunts. It seems risky but Wee and Morse are confident in their abilities — after all, they have been part of the juggling act for 24 years and juggling individually for years before that.

WEE AND MORSE met in 1986 at a juggling convention while attending college. They decided to compete their degrees, then peruse their dreams of juggling.
“Owen was studying psychology and I economics,” Wee said. “We have our degrees in a drawer somewhere. We are waiting for the day we use them and get real jobs.”
That doesn’t seem likely; their success has launched them onto national television multiple times, such shows as America’s Got Talent, the Today Show and the Regis and Kelly Show. They also have performed at the White House.
They got their break in 1990 when they performed on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson — a claim to fame not many people can say they had the opportunity to do let alone twice before Carson stepped down.

BEFORE THE  Passing Zone was booked at the Bowlus, director Susan Raines was able to see a performance; “They are truly hilarious,” she said.
During the day Saturday, the Passing Zone and Raines will take to the streets during Farm City Days to give people a sneak peak of what to expect that night.
Raines said she would pass 100 first-come, first-serve flyers that will discount tickets by $2.
Tickets can be purchased at the Bowlus and are $22 for orchestra and $20 for balcony seats. After Friday at 4 p.m. tickets can be purchased at the Bowlus beginning at 6:30 p.m. for $24 orchestra and $22 for balcony seats. Full-time students are half price.
The show is great for all ages, she said.
“I know when something is advertised as being great for all ages it’s usually a kids show, but this is really genuinely for all ages,” Wee said. “Bring your kids, bring your grandparents.”
For more information contact the Bowlus at 620-365-4765 or visit its website, www.bowluscenter.org.