By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
MILLSTONE – On the heels of the Millstone Township Middle School’s student production of the musical “Barnum,” the Millstone Performing Arts Center will host another spectacle when a human performer and his four-legged friends come to town.
At 2 p.m. April 24, Johnny Peers and the Muttville Comix will perform in the arts center, 5 Dawson Ct. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased online at https://mpac.thundertix.com/. Tickets may also be purchased by calling Gina Whalen at 732-446-8480 or by emailing [email protected].
The performance by Johnny Peers and the Muttville Comix is billed as slapstick comedy with a comedic performer who will lead more than a dozen dogs through a series of tricks that will entertain audience members of all ages.
“My show consists of visual comedy and skill,” Peers said. “It is basically organized confusion with a dozen or more dogs of all types doing amazing tricks and funny bits of nonsense, along with audience participation.”
Peers has been performing for more than 40 years and will be making his first visit to Millstone Township. He has appeared with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and on the “Late Show with David Letterman.”
He cited Lou Jacobs, a clown who performed with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, as an inspiration for his show.
“Lou Jacobs did an act with a dog where the dog got the better of him,” Peers said.
He said the dogs in his show are a mix of mutts and purebreds, many of whom came from rescues and shelters.
“Most of them are dogs nobody wanted,” said Peers, who has been working with canines since the 1970s.