[Story updated from print version, Friday, 4:05 p.m.]

It’s not every day you see basketball-carrying unicyclists playing double-dutch on the Grand Concourse.

But there they were, three members of the legendary Bronx-born King Charles Troupe, doing their thing on a windy, chilly Friday morning in front of the Loew’s Paradise Theater just south of Fordham Road. Onlookers passed by; most smiling and amused, some just plain confused.

“Ladies, hope you come out to see the Black Top Circus, support your community,” said troupe co-leader Kip Jones.

Jones’ unicycle riding, basketball playing comedy team was hoping to return to its roots in the Boogie Down as the centerpiece of a new show called the Black Top Circus, which will also feature acrobats, comedians, a contortionist, jugglers and aerialists. And they were poised to unveil the new act on March 12 for a 10-day run at the Loew’s Paradise.

But at the last minute, on Tuesday, just three days before the first performance, Jones said Loew’s Paradise management abruptly cancelled the entire slate of shows. Now, Jones says the troupe is trying figure out what happened and what to do next. One option might include exploring the possibility of legal action against the theater. Loew’s Paradise could not be reached for comment by press time on Tuesday evening.

It means more trouble could be looming for the magnificent and historic theater, which just reopened under new management in October. The previous managers abandoned the theater after earning a reputation for not paying acts and cancelling shows without refunding ticket buyers.

Friday was to be the opening of a new chapter in the King Charles Troupe’s epic tale, which spans three generations and stretches from Crotona Park to Las Vegas to Japan, with plenty of stops and side trips in between.

The story actually begins around the time of World War I in Tampa, Florida, where a young Jerry King used to sneak into circus performances. His two favorite acts: the elephants and the unicyclists. King eventually moved to the Bronx, where he taught his son, Charles, to ride the unicycle in Crotona Park. Soon, the whole neighborhood was riding. 

Jerry King, known as “Mr. Jerry,” got the idea to fuse unicycle riding with basketball, formed a team and, in 1959, created what became known as the King Charles Troupe. They started out playing at block parties and other community events, but their reputation grew to the point where King Charles soon found themselves on TV, playing the Merv Griffin and Richard Pryor shows.

In 1968, King Charles auditioned for a Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey producer, Irving Feld, on the sidewalk in front of Madison Square Garden. A year later, the troupe signed with the Ringling Bros. Circus, becoming the first all-black act to tour with them. They stayed with Ringling Bros. for 19 years, were also featured in other circuses and played a long-running show in Las Vegas.

By the time they signed with Ringling, the troupe had all but perfected their style of playing basketball on unicycles at breakneck speed. They mixed in choreographed moves and comedy skits. Back in the day, they wore tight, flashy sequined costumes, big afros and massive facial hair. Since then, they’ve adopted more traditional basketball uniforms.

In addition to running with Ringling Brothers around the globe, the troupe had a team playing in Vegas full-time.

In 1991, Charles King and three other members of the troupe were killed in a car accident. From that tragedy, the next generation of troupe players emerged.

The diminutive but super athletic, Kip Jones, 42, counts himself among the second generation. Growing up on 167th Street and Clay Avenue, Jones stumbled into a gym where they were holding tryouts and he was instantly hooked.

At 15, Jones came to the unicycle relatively late. “It’s better to start early,” says Kingsbridge native Ramel Robinson, 25, a third generation rider. “You have no fear when you’re young.” Robinson jumped on a unicycle for the first time at age 11. His uncle, who’s still a troupe member, turned him on to the sport. Now, the two can stop, spin and jump on a dime on their unicycles. “It becomes a part of you,” Robinson says.

Tall and powerfully built, Robinson says he would probably be in the NFL or NBA if he hadn’t joined the troupe. But he wouldn’t trade his experiences with King Charles for anything. He’s travelled around the world and entertained thousands of fans.

Still, Robinson and Jones say, nothing beats the feeling of creating something new on the court and playing a game with their best friends. “It’s never dull, the ball always takes a different bounce every day,” Robinson says.

With the creation of Black Top Circus, the King Charles Troupe is again pushing itself to be different. Lately, Robinson and other troupe members have been performing periodically — on the TV show “America’s Got Talent,” with Cirque du Soleil — but they hope a string of shows in the Bronx could be the start of something bigger and more consistent.

Last Friday, the theater’s public relations director Denise Browne said the Loew’s Paradise was excited to partner with Black Top Circus to create more family entertainment. “For us, it’s about branching out,” Browne said. “A lot of people requested more family entertainment and we want to partner with the community.”

But for unknown reasons, four days later, the Loews Paradise had a change of heart.

“We’re trying to get some momentum, build some awareness for it,” Jones says. “So we wanted to start it off here where it all started, in the Bronx.”  

Ed. Note: For more information on the King Charles Troupe, visit thekingcharlestroupe.com.