Clown of international stature

Avner the Eccentric kept up the tradition of outstanding kid shows at the Colorado Festival of World Theatre.

With his gray beard, red suspenders and deadpan attitude, this mime from Georgia (who studied in Paris with Jacques Lecoq) went through so many supremely silly schticks, everybody at the Woodland Park High School theater was giggling uncontrollably.

I don't think I've ever seen anybody balance a feather on their nose (which got really silly when it started to fall and he chased after it), nor somebody who can get so many laughs out of dropping things.

But my favorite bit was Avner's paper eating. He devours sheet after sheet, relishing them like Charlie Chaplin's shoes in "The Gold Rush," then he reaches in his mouth and pulls out a never ending streamer. His expressions as he searches for the end of the stream are priceless.

The festival concluded on Sunday with a Mountain Celebration.

I was expecting a party, with dancing and music, in a beautiful outdoor setting. It was actually more of a concert (with a talented gypsy band) in an enclosed tent. Oh, well.