'DISNEY LIVE!' Circus work helps performer

Leo Acton wanted the challenges of live theater.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CLEVELAND -- Perhaps one of the reasons why Winnie The Pooh constantly says "Oh bother" is because the honey-eating bear and his mischievous cohorts are always getting into trouble.
Such will also be the case when the "Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh" production comes to northeast Ohio on Nov. 17-20 at Playhouse Square Center's State Theatre. But this time, the popular Disney characters will have the assistance of three Hunny Helpers on stage to make sure the story moves along and Pooh doesn't forget, well, his lines.
"There are three of us honey helpers and we're a comedy trio," said actor/performer Leo Acton, calling from Kansas City.
He added, "So we come in throughout the show and do a lot of comic relief. We do a lot of juggling, pratfalls and slapstick, and it kind of takes the show up another notch." Clowning around on stage is something with which Acton is quite familiar, having graduated from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & amp; Bailey's Clown College and toured with the famed circus for five seasons. However, it was just about two years ago that the California native decided to leave behind pie-in-the-face circus life for the excitement and challenges of live theater.
Literally days after making the life-changing decision, he received a phone call inviting him to be a part of the brand-new "Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh," which opened overseas last year. The transition from three-ring circus to children's theater was smooth for Acton, considering the universal nature of entertaining.
As for "Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh," fans will be excited to see Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo and Owl come to life on stage with quintessential Mouse Ears magic.
"I think it really represents the concept of friendship and individuality," Acton said.