 Their success on the London stage allowed the Grimaldis to enjoy an affluent lifestyle in contrast to other working @-@ class families living in Clare Market and Holborn . By the age of six , Grimaldi was considered a prominent stage performer by the press , with one critic from the Gazetteer commenting that " the infant son of Grimaldi performs in an astonishing manner " . One evening , Grimaldi was playing the part of a monkey and was led onto the stage by his father , who had attached a chain to Grimaldi 's waist . Giuseppe swung his young son around his head " with the utmost velocity " , when the chain snapped , causing young Grimaldi to land in the orchestra pit . From 1789 Grimaldi would appear alongside his siblings in an act entitled " The Three Young Grimaldis " . 
