Keep Street Theater Alive

So I've never been one to stop and watch street performers much in the States and never in my life have I given one money, until today that is. There is something different, entertaining about street theater in Europe. I'm not talking about people playing instruments and I'm not talking about mimes with face paint. No I'm talking about people that have a skit or act and they perform it in plazas on the street. I saw lots in Paris and a few in Madrid, but today I saw the first one that I ever gave money to.
I was walking back from an adventure across the city. I could have taken the metro, it was probably about an hour long walk but I decided I wanted to explore and see what I could find on my way home. I was in the home stretch, last fifteen or twenty minutes and walking past the Palacio Real when I saw a large crowd of people and heard a man yelling in English. So what do I do? Stop and go take a peak of course! I managed to stumble across an Australian guy who spoke essentially no Spanish doing an act in the street and when I walked up he was partially wrapped in Saranwrap and was spinning furiously as a girl held the roll for him. He went on and on until the roll was empty. Then he pulled another man from the audience and had the two of them tie him up in a chain and eventually after many antics managed to escape from them. It wasn't his act so much as everything he did in between that was hilarious and only if you'd been there could you truly appreciate it.

In the end though he said he was traveling around the world and this was what he was doing to pay his way and yelled help keep street theater alive and somehow after watching this guy for half an hour and being thoroughly entertained I felt he was the first street performer worthy of some spare change. :)