Stuntman wows at Wharton

A world-record holder for bungee jumping on a unicycle off a cliff in New Zealand, comedian and Las Vegas performer Jeff Civillico took time out of his busy schedule to perform at Penn.

Tuesday night, students had the opportunity to watch Civillico ride a unicycle, juggle two clubs and eat a marshmallow off a machete during his show, “Comedy in Action,” in Huntsman Hall.

A native of Philadelphia, Civillico began his show by balancing a baseball cap on his nose and barking like a seal. After receiving laughs from the audience, Civillico balanced a chair on his mouth. He then proceeded to hoist a ladder off the ground and balance it on his chin.

Throughout the show, Civillico invited the audience to participate, whether it was two “strong men” hoisting him onto a unicycle, a volunteer showing off his ninja sound effects or another demonstrating his “snort-laugh.”

“I liked his energy. The music was great and he had Jim Carrey-like expressions,” Law School student Smita Ghosh said.

Toward the end of his act, Civillico performed a circus-style juggling trick. “I’m getting into my carny roots,” he joked. This trick was only to be topped by his Houdini-inspired closing act where he escaped from a straight-jacket while riding his unicycle.

“I just like how every show is different. I’m never bored. Like the snort-laugh thing today, that was funny,” Civillico said after the show.

Civillico explained that he learned most of his acrobatic tricks as a child, winning the juniors division of the International Jugglers Association World Championships at the age of 15. His routine and tricks “just kind of evolved” because of this, and when he practices, he focuses more on the bigger performing projects rather than the tricks.

“It was fun. I’ve never really been to a juggling show before. I liked the eating a marshmallow off a knife the best,” Penn Law student Christen Farr said.

The event was hosted by the JD/MBA Association to raise money for Music for Tomorrow, a charity that aids jazz musicians in New Orleans who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. As a new organization on campus, Civillico’s performance was one of their first big events, JD/MBA Association Co-President and second-year JD/MBA student Anil Makhijani said.

Civillico attended Georgetown University with many of the members of the JD/MBA Association, which is one of the reasons why they chose him to come. “He’s great and he was really pumped about supporting our organization and coming to Penn,” Makhijani said.

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