Flying Funny: My Life without a Net

by Dudley Riggs

Dudley Riggs didn’t have to run away from home to join the circus. Home was the circus. Son of the acclaimed aerial flyers Riggs and Riggs, he made his circus debut as a polar prince parading in a wagon pulled by a polar bear. At the age of five, he graduated to a risqué vaudeville act during the circus off- season; at eight, he outgrew his cutes (and his child stardom) and joined his high-flying parents on the trapeze. Eventually he had to learn to “fly funny” because he grew too tall to fly straight. In one way or another, Riggs has been flying ever since. The rest, as they say, is history. And what a story it is. In Flying Funny , Riggs shares many highs and lows while describing circus life and the evolution of America’s popular entertainment during the twentieth century. From his early life in circus and vaudeville to his creation of the Brave New Workshop, we see how his show business experience and instincts helped him create in Minneapolis what became the “next wave” in American entertainment—improvisation.   As a young man, Riggs lost everything in a tornado, got an education on the fly, and sailed with the All American circus to post–war Japan. On a slow boat home and restless about his future, he developed the idea of Word Jazz—creating a script on stage as it is being performed—and shortly after he opened the Instant Theater in New York. Later, he moved to Minneapolis where he founded the Brave New Workshop, launching the careers of comic greats such as Penn and Teller, The Flying Karamazov Brothers, Louie Anderson, Peter Tolan, Pat Proft, Nancy Steen, Liz Winstead, Al Franken and many others. Today, the Brave New Workshop thrives as the longest running improvisational theater in America.   From flying funny on the trapeze to theater without a net, Dudley Riggs’s story is filled with hearty laughs and eyebrow-raising insights. With a wry sense of humor and infectious warmth, he shares the exhilaration of flying whether through the air or on the stage.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

160 pages, Hardcover

Published April 11, 2017

Reviews

[Beth Brekke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected. What a unique and interesting way to grow up. It's fun to hear about a different way of life in a time gone by. There's so much to learn from this generation before they are gone. There were a few too many details left out that would have tied it together for me (what happened to his first wife? never heard of his mother in the second half of the book, etc). Overall, an interesting read.

[Ben Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great book about Minnesota's Theater History.

[Chaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice little memoir by a man who was literally born into the circus, and made it his life. His parents were circus folk, and from the earliest possible age, he joined their troupe. This is the story of his journey through the circus and onto other venues.

It is well-written, with lots of vignettes that combine nostalgia for an age gone by with humor and awe at the life he led. The stories feature detailed and illustrative incidents written about in a vivid and engaging manner. Riggs' writing style is superb. He combines memories of his life in the big top with lessons he's learned over the years, in a variety of settings, including overseas in Japan (and nearly causing an international incident with a Japanese royal!), to starting his own comedy improvisation school/club called "Brave New Workshop."

It's also a very interesting look behind the scenes of the circus world. Spectators see only the sequins and the sparkle; Riggs takes us backstage, into the heart of circus life.

Thank you to the author and publishers for a review copy.

[Pam Herrmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

The life story of Dudley Riggs. Received this book for free at a TCL book club event. Read it in a couple days. Unfortunately didn't find it all that interesting.