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FAIRFIELD — In times like these, we need a fool.

When King Lear wallowed in the deep end of the misery pool, wandering alone in the wilderness, the only person he wanted to keep him company was his fool.

Fortunately for us, there are no shortages of fools and jesters in today's world, and one of the best is Alexander, the King of Jesters, who will be performing one show only at the Fairfield Community Arts Center on Saturday, Jan. 10.

"Historically, jesters and fools have their feet in any number of fields and put it all together with a mischievous sparkle in their eyes and a rascally attitude," said Alexander Feldon, the man behind the fool, who combines mime, magic, sight gags, stunts, music, and his own nonsense language — Grammelot.

"In this show, I come out as a monk, which is kind of the opposite of the fool," he said, "and then he rips off his mask to reveal the other side."

Feldon said the essence of the clown is the very zen-like practice of being totally in the moment and responding to what's around him, and that the really good clown never lets the audience be the butt of the joke, but takes on that burden himself.

"If the jester made a joke at the expense of the king, he could lose his head," he said. "Today, you'll find some clowns who do a gag like give a kid a flower and then it wilts, but that ends up making them look foolish. I emphatically do not go for laughs at the expense of the volunteer.

"Plus, kids feel kind of cool when they get to make a fool of the clown."

Alexander, King of Jesters, has performed his one-man physical comedy show on the Showtime network, The Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, World Performance Festival in Japan, The Singapore Arts Festival, among many others, and has made it a goal of his to find humor that crosses cultural divides.

"It's slim, but it's there," he said. "I contend that most humor is provencial rather than universal.

"In Mexico, for instance, they understand that a clown can be sad to be funny and that tears and laughter are close together, and in China, they adore the slapstick comedy but they sit further away from the stage."

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how to go

WHAT: Alexander, King of Jesters

WHERE: Fairfield Community Arts Center, 411 Wessel Drive, Fairfield

WHEN: 7 p.m. Jan. 10

COST: $7 adults; $5 children 12 and younger

MORE INFO: (513) 867-5348; www.fairfield-city.org/events