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BROOKLYN WEEKLY, APRIL 14, 2019
SWING TIME: After the show “ABCirque and Play,” at the Muse
on May 12, kids can try their hands on the aerial silks, juggling,
hula hoops, and more, Alexander Rivero
Kids can join circus show
It’s a Side Pony tale!
Comedy show celebrates its fi fth anniversary with party
SIDE HUSTLE: Julia Shiplet, Ben Wasserman, Emily Winter, and Carolyn Busa will celebrate the fi fth
anniversary of their comedy show Side Ponytail at Friends and Lovers on April 17. Side Ponytail
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They are a-Muse-d
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Welcome to the Big Top,
little ones!
Brooklyn kids can join
the circus without running
away from home! A
Bushwick circus troupe
will show off its tricks
and then welcome children
into the ring to try
the acrobatics for themselves,
at the show “ABCirque
and Play” at the
Muse on May 12.
The afternoon show
will feature performers
showing off some of
their most impressive
feats, including juggling,
hula hooping, and fl ying
through the air with
greatest of ease. After the
performance, pint-sized
audience members can
try some of the twisting
and tumbling for themselves,
according to the
founder of the Bushwick
circus space.
“They can dive into
our giant ball pit, swing
on our aerial hammocks
with the aerialists who
performed or they can
meet the strongmen,”
said Angela Buccinni
Butch. “It’s much more
special, real, and tangible
for the kids when they get
to watch it that close up
and then they actually get
to interact with those people
and experience it.”
The show debuted
about two months ago,
and Buccinni Butch
hopes that the May 12
edition will turn it into a
monthly event.
Letting kids learn
directly from the artists
who inspire them
exemplifies the welcoming
spirit of the circus,
said the Cypress Hills
choreographer.
“Some kids will not
let the juggler alone after
the show, some are
just need to fl y with the
aerialists – everyone has
this draw to a different
kind of magic,” she said.
“There is this celebration
of how different we all are
and there is something
for each person based on
their strengths.”
But the show might
not go on at the Muse’s
current space, a former
warehouse in Bushwick,
where the group
has taught circus classes
and held performances
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
Come and see the funny
Side!
The Brooklyn stand-up
comedy show “Side Ponytail”
will celebrate its fi fth
anniversary on April 17
with balloons, matching
outfi ts, and a surprise guest!
The show, named after the
iconic ’80s hairstyle that appeared
on many of its early
advertisements, has gone
through several iterations
over the years, and now
takes place every Wednesday
night, and on the last
Saturday of each month, at
Friends and Lovers bar in
Crown Heights. The show
has welcomed plenty of big
names over the years, including
National Public
Radio’s Ophira Eisenberg
and Judah Friedlander
from “30 Rock,” and has always
showcased a relaxed,
easy chemistry between its
hosts.
We chatted with each of
the show’s four producers —
founder Carolyn Busa, Ben
Wasserman, Emily Winter,
and Julia Shiplett — about
the show’s longevity and
evolution over the years.
Five years is a long
time for a comedy show.
How have you lasted so
long?
Emily Winter: First,
Carolyn Busa is an amazing
woman. She started this
show, and the rest of us are
lucky to have been added as
her co-producers.
Ben Wasserman: A lot
of it is just putting in the
hard work, with hustle and
grit, of producing, curating,
and promoting a show.
EW: We’re all such hard
workers and so passionate
about comedy, and I think
we bring an energy to our
show that feels authentic
and fresh.
How has the show
changed over the years?
Carolyn Busa: We
moved bars, to Friends and
Lovers, in January of 2017.
We’ve gone from a monthly
show to a weekly show. We
used to be on Mondays until
we switched to Wednesdays
in December of 2018.
BW: One thing that
I’ve noticed since we went
weekly is a more communal
vibe. We’ve been able to establish
it as a fun hang with
a sense of community.
EW: We’re also better comedians
ourselves! As our
friendship has grown and
deepened, so has our comedy,
and I think the result is
something really special.”
What is your favorite
part of the show?
BW: My favorite part is
killing it every night, and
getting a laugh, and getting
applause, and showering in
adulation. It feels good.
Julia Shiplett: Having
a home base to call ours is
really special. Getting to
regularly do comedy with
people you admire in a
space you’re comfortable is
a real treat in this city.
EW: One of my favorite
parts is putting up someone
who is so unique and
funny but may not have the
TV credits that our other
performers have. Watching
them succeed and surprise
an audience is incredibly
rewarding and exciting.
How does the show
compare to others in the
city?
BW: Well, we’re the
best.
CB: People tell us it’s
a fun experience. Other
places can feel very tense
and nervous, where the
comic is tense because they
don’t want to bomb, and the
audience is tense because
they’ve never heard of this
person. We’ve made something
where people are able
to relax and have fun.
EW: We really do a good
job of keeping our show 90
minutes or less. So many
shows are way too long, and
it bums out the performers
and audience. We don’t do
that at Side Pony.
How would you describe
the crowd?
BW: We try and showcase
a diverse lineup of
comedians with different
voices and experience,
and the audience is refl ective
of that. It’s everything
from tech bros to Park
Slope moms.”
JS: We have returning
audience members, but also
new people all the time.
Sometimes they are a little
timid, sometimes they are
hot from the start. But, like
your own children, we love
them all. Okay, some more
than others.
Have there been any
particularly outlandish
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