In his memoir Jester Prince: How the Flying Karamazov Brothers Reinvented Theatre and Saved the World, Almost, Howard Jay Patterson shares a life spent keeping The Flying Karamazov Brothers in motion. What begins as juggling with Paul becomes paid work after the group names itself on the road to Expo ’74. From that point on, Howard commits to making the act public. He moves the group from Renaissance Faires into fixed engagements, then into larger theaters, and eventually onto Broadway. As the scale of the work increases, Howard’s responsibilities increase with it. Touring expands beyond the United States and draws his family into the traveling life as he continues to push the company forward while adapting to the demands created by success, until injury and exhaustion start calling the shots.

Jester Prince by Howard Jay Patterson lured me in with a cover that reminded me of Fleetwood Mac's Rumors cover, and kept me reading with a supremely conversational writing style. It feels like a conversation across a table; immediately approachable with prose that is grounded in lived experience. Patterson's language is incredibly visual, the standout being his account of arriving at the Edinburgh Festival, where rain darkened the stone streets and backstage superstition quietly made sure that behavior was on point. Most of what he describes is often more cinematic than the excellent photography beside those very descriptions. Troupes are becoming less common. Patterson situates his work inside a specific social and historical setting, the mostly international touring culture in the late twentieth century, and the shifting reception of experimental performance within public festivals. Overall, Patterson gives us a vibrant time capsule from a perspective that is fresh, distinctive, and alive. Very highly recommended.

Jester Prince by Howard Jay Patterson is a monumental memoir of one of the founding members of the famous vaudeville-style juggling group, The Flying Karamazov Brothers. The author takes us on a journey from his earliest days in Los Angeles to his seminal time at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he and his friends honed their skills. A succession of performances at various Renaissance Fairs led to Broadway, television appearances, a role in the movie The Jewel of the Nile, and ultimately all entertainers’ dream, a performance at Carnegie Hall. The Karamazov Brothers would change personnel from time to time, as individual circumstances changed, but the author's role continued for thirty years until his retirement in early 2007. Readers will be swept along on a momentous journey of thrilling the world with extraordinary feats of juggling, comedy, music, and satire.

The author carries you along on a roller-coaster of emotions and experiences in his incredible life story. The Flying Karamazov Brothers truly were a product of their time. Their unique brand of entertainment, combining juggling with serious political commentary, as well as comedic banter, was perfect for a generation looking to assert their own unique lifestyle ideals on a conservative nation. The highlight of the many anecdotes and stories was the time the group spent filming The Jewel of the Nile in Morocco. You will enjoy the excitement of a major movie production and the skilled stunts the group was expected to perform. The glitterati that they rubbed shoulders with remind readers of just how successful these entertainers were. From Robin Williams, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Seinfeld, and Dolly Parton, the number of A-List celebrities they met was just phenomenal. As a non-musical person myself and one who is rather uncoordinated, I did appreciate the author outlining the basic principles of learning to juggle. What it made me understand was the commitment and passion needed to succeed in an industry where they would forever be struggling to show their skills as true entertainment and art. Jester Prince is one of the best memoirs I have read in a long time, and I highly recommend it.