Mad Chad tears up the stage in Person Theater

The sound of the chainsaw motor revving ripped through the auditorium, mingling with the cheering of the crowd as juggler Mad Chad Taylor kicked off the new school year in a whirling dervish of death defying tricks.

Part of SSU welcome weeks, and sponsored by the Residential Student Association, the event was fueled by an almost fevered pitch of back to school excitement among the crowd.

Starting at the age of 13, Taylor got his start juggling on the boardwalk at Venice Beach in southern California. Since then, he has appeared on TV shows like the "Tonight Show" and "Last Call with Carson Daly" and performed his unique brand of comedic juggling at performing arts centers and college campuses in 49 states.  

Before Mad Chad took the stage, an impromptu preshow was already underway in the lobby of Person Theater. Groups of students lounged on the chairs or sprawled on the floor.  

Questions like "Where are you living this year?" floated through the air as students drifted from group to group, networking and making connections.

After a presentation by RSA, Taylor took to the stage to thunderous applause. Zooming onto the stage on a skateboard, clad in shorts and combat boots, the self-described "most dangerous man in comedy" looked more like an average Santa Monica beach bum.

"You can probably tell I grew up at the beach," Taylor joked with the audience, "because I'm a grown-up, I ride a skateboard and I still don't have a real job."

Highly physical and participatory, Taylor's show utilized several props. Plastic baseball bats, a scooter generously offered by a member of the audience and three silicone breast implants all found their way onto the stage and into Taylor's act.  

As the show progressed, the more harmless and mundane items gave way to the more dangerous as Taylor moved on to juggling items like sharpened knives, a 10 lb. lead shot put and 100,000 volt stun guns.

Audience members were asked to contribute items to be juggled and also to come onto the stage and help with the show. As a soundtrack that included songs by artists like Nirvana and House of Pain pounded over the speakers, Taylor and the excitable audience fed off each other's energy until the enthusiasm in the auditorium was so thick that Taylor could have cut through it with one of his signature chainsaws.

"Hold on, I got a serious wedgie, right here," Taylor cautioned his volunteers as he climbed onto a unicycle.  Juggling two knives and an apple, the audience was urged to scream "eat it" any time they wanted Taylor to take a bite. Spewing bits of apple all over the stage and making a mess that would make ‘80s comedian Gallagher proud, Taylor didn't miss a beat.