FLYING KARAMAZOVS TO LAND IN FULLERTON

They’ve juggled sardines (out of the can), hissing cats, crumbling cake wedges and pizzas (with the toppings), all the while waxing on topics from Shakespeare to quantum physics.

But when the Flying Karamazov Brothers begin throwing their weights around Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton tonight at 8 o’clock, the focus will be on airborne cardboard. Beside juggling and balancing boxes of all sizes during its “Juggle and Hyde” show, the five-man comedy troupe will wear cardboard costumes and perform against a set made of the heavy brown paper.

It may not seem as compelling (or funny) as, say, tossing an octopus, but the long-haired and bearded Karamazovs (no, they’re not really brothers, but they do have a fondness for Dostoevsky) think cardboard contains plenty of thrills.

“Cardboard boxes are wonderful things that we’ve gone a little crazy over,” explained founding member Howard Jay Patterson--a.k.a. Ivan Karamazov--during a recent telephone interview from his home in Port Townsend, Wash. “You have to really look at them to realize how exciting they are. You’ve never really looked at them?”

Well, no.

Patterson, 31, continued in a philosophical vein: “We were drawn to them because of their ubiquitous quality in our culture. Most people think of them as just holding objects, not as actual objects. We put them in (the show) as real objects; there’s something very surreal about seeing one balanced on a chin.”

The Karamazovs came upon the idea while in Africa last year participating in the filming of “The Jewel of the Nile,” starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas.

Despite small roles, the troupe was privy to the making of the movie’s many action scenes, which used hundreds of cardboard boxes to help cushion the falls of the stunt men and women. To save money, the film makers used the boxes and old mattresses instead of more expensive air bags, Patterson said. What may have seemed mundane to everyone else became a source of inspiration to the quintet.

“We found ourselves becoming fascinated with them--you should hear what it’s like to have hundreds of boxes being put together and then (see them) laid out for a stunt,” he said earnestly. “Once we started to work with them, they began to take over the show, and we knew they’d be the focus. . . . I guess it’s strange, but we’ve been called strange before.”

Of course, Patterson said, the Karamazovs will continue their 10-year tradition of letting the audience try to stump their juggling skill with assorted objects. The troupe will try to tease gravity with anything the crowd offers, as long as it’s “heavier than an ounce, lighter than 10 pounds and no bigger than a bread box.” In the past, the Karamazovs have been asked to toss knives, mallets, traffic cones and assorted aquatic creatures--or at least parts of them.

“About the most difficult thing I ever got challenged with was (three) 23-pound anvils,” Patterson recalled. “It’s difficult to get a grip on something like that. That’s why we’ve got the 10-pound limit . . . . Large fish heads have also presented troubles. The challenges aren’t always predictable.”

Neither are the Karamazovs. How do you describe performers who staged a juggling version of Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors” and believe the audience should be treated to juggled ideas as well as juggled bowling pins? The Karamazovs are known for the philosophical talks, some almost serious, most pun-filled and resolutely silly, woven into their shows.

The topics are usually tied to what individual members are interested in at the moment. Patterson said that the local shows will include his discourse on meditation and the martial arts, two topics he has “become obsessed with lately.” Paul Magid (a.k.a. Dmitri), who helped start the group in Santa Cruz in 1974, will perform while presenting his views on modern physics. The other members, Randy Nelson (Alyosha), Sam Williams (Smerdyakov) and Timothy Furst (Fyodor), can also be expected to throw out their opinions.

“We definitely have messages . . . and there are a lot of statements, both on superficial and subliminal levels, going on in the show,” Patterson said, “but that’s to keep us interested and the audience interested. Still, the most important thing is giving the audience some fun.”

Besides the juggling and tongue-in-cheek ruminations, Patterson said, the local shows will feature a spoof of the movie-making process, some unusual break-dancing and musical instruments being played while balls and pins are being flipped.

The Karamazovs’ show has evolved since they first performed in the mid-1970s. Patterson and Magid, both at UC Santa Cruz at the time, originally started juggling on the streets to make a little money. But as others joined, the troupe began appearing at local fairs, then on campuses and finally in major theaters. The shows became more creative and off-the-wall as the group developed, Patterson said.

The Karamazovs are in the midst of a national tour.

“Things have been good to us,” Patterson said. “We are amused by just about everything, so we have fun, lots of fun.”