Fire eaters lined the stage with flaming sticks in hand. Allison Williams said to Kimberly Craig as she tried to get rid of the fire, “You know, Kim, sometimes it’s easier to eat it than it is to blow it.” The crowd went nuts!

After performing on a Canadian reality show eating fire and performing aerial skills, artistic directors of Aerial Angels Williams and actor and aerialist Zay Weaver won the money to create Stand Up 8.

It is the energy of the nine vibrant professionals who graced the stage with their talent in this theatrical circus at the Staller Center for the Arts on Monday night that baffled audience members. Stand Up 8 brought their A-game for the students of Stony Brook University with death-defying stunts, fire-eaters, a whip cracker and more.

The performers kick-started the show with informal introductions.  “I’m Kim, and this is what I do,” said Craig.  Green and blue lights lit up the stage as the Chicago-based figure skater turned aerialist danced across the floor in a fitted, light blue dress. She elegantly danced in the air like a ballerina around her hoop while it descended to the stage, enchanting the audience.

Darren Ijiltsetseg, a junior physics major said, “It was definitely different and phenomenal. They’re engaging unlike any other show I’ve seen.  I love it.”

Everyone’s attention was diverted by the sound of a whip cracking.  Williams and Brett Copes, a theatre graduate, went back and forth on the stage whipping at one another. Aly Michalka’s cover of “I Want You To Want Me” played in the background as Copes held a rose in his mouth.  Williams slowly cracked her way toward him, ultimately snapping the rose in two without causing any harm. The next daring challenge was for Williams to whip the rose that was between Copes’ legs.

Their trust was intense because Williams’ whip kept getting closer and closer to the rose until she finally whipped it in half again to a roar of applause. “It was cool. I thought it was a comedy show,” Keplair Guerrier, a 20 year old astronomy major said.

“I’ve been singing pretty much since I could talk,” performer Sandy Zwier said.  The actor and singer beautifully sang “Ave Maria” to pink-haired Weaver’s untraditional representation of a troubled bride.  Weaver wore a disheveled wedding gown as she angrily threw a bouquet of flowers into the audience.

“This show is more interactive than the other ones,” Farihah Sattar, a senior business management major, said.

The show consisted of a number of acts. Circus clown Sam Brown made his way to the stage to a welcoming cheer from the audience. The audience loved him; it was something about his personality that made the audience laugh at his every move. He communicated with the audience by mimicking the voice of Wendy Williams. Brown effortlessly kept the students entertained.

“At the end of tonight, I don’t care if you don’t remember my name, but you’re gonna remember this,” Copes said as he blew up what was approximately a 60-inch-long balloon and carefully pushed it down his throat to close the show.

“I wanted to see him pull out the balloon,” Guerrier added.

“It may be out of here that people will walk out with a dream,” Williams said.  She said that entertaining people is what she loves to do, regardless of their ability to pay.  “Entertainment should be accessible to anyone.”