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Feats of entertainment come to Fitton

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By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer 11:04 AM Thursday, January 14, 2010

HAMILTON - David Kaplan, an entertainer coming to the Fitton Center Jan. 22, says he’s not quite a magician, and not quite a musician.

So what exactly is he? The Fitton Center’s Web site states that Kaplan will perform “feats of prestidigitation” - which is where the word “presto” comes from.

“I’m an eccentric variety entertainer, whatever that means,” said Kaplan, whose act also includes a rogue bowling ball, and a turkey baster, which is part of his musical repertoire.

Asked how he came up with his act, Kaplan said, “Process of elimination, I guess. I just go out there and see what happens. I was originally a musician and I got into juggling in my late 20s. I started to break up the juggling with magic tricks, then I made it into a music-based presentation.”

The musician/magician/juggler, a Cincinnati native who lives in Columbus, honed his act and started presenting it in the early 1980s.

The concept is that Kaplan tries various tricks and “things don’t happen as they’re supposed to happen,” he explained. Then his various feats try to make things right. These include unusual musical instruments like a balloon, which is “played” by letting the air out of it, and that turkey baster.

“The turkey baster is kind of a cross between the slide whistle and a flute,” he said.

Kaplan admits that his act may sound like it’s a bit all over the map, but that’s part of the fun,

“My curse is that I come up with these things that nobody has refined,” he said.

The show is part of Fitton’s “Family Fridays” series. A reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. followed by the show at 7:30 p.m.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.

How to go

What: David Kaplan’s World of Comedy

When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22

Where: Benninghofen Theatre, Fitton Center, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton

Cost: members $15, non-members $17, members children up to age 16 $7, non-members $8. Call (513) 863-8873.

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