Yelp.com
By: Colleen L. West Los Angeles, CA
Have you ever been to a magic show? This was my first experience. Treated here for my bday celebration by my hiking buddy. At least I didn’t feel like the oldest person here. There was a good age mix. From kids to seniors, dating couples, gay couples, an eclectic crowd of mixed ethnicities. Shows are Friday, Saturday @ 8 pm, Sat & Sun @ 2 pm.
It’s a small theater with a up close stage. There’s regular, not super cushioned or reclining type seating. Just perfectly sized seats for me though. This is the first theater that I can ever remember in my life where my feet touched the floor! The seats, hooray are finally low enough. Usually 1 leg is tucked underneath myself when I’m seated or I just let my legs dangle.
It’s on a first come, first served basis, thus we arrived early, about 30 min. There’s drinks at the adult bar, separated by glass. Across the partition, there’s popcorn, soda & snacks counter bar for those under 21. Each bar has their own separate magician that holds a up close show. What an entertaining bar this was. I wish they had magicians @ all bars!
The bartender functioned as the magician until the doors opened to the theater. He performed a couple tricks which I paid special rapt attention to, those involved him bending a spoon & fork, just by wiggling it in the air. He pierced a 50 cent piece without force. There were a couple others utilizing cups & a ball.
My recommendation is to line up immediately/before the bartender/magician act ends, get as close to the door that leads into the theater. Because as it’s first come, first served, you’re seated by your place in record time. We were lucky, 2nd row, center stage.
It’s just 2 magicians who performed. A woman named Olga, with a beautiful figure & a hippie long haired dude named Steve.
One of the first tricks I recalled Steve asking for, was from volunteers in the audience to give up their rings. Steve connected all the rings, then disconnected them all too.
Another unforgettable, trick that haunted me, is where Steve acted as a psychiatrist, he levitated Olga. Spooky! She floated, suspended in mid air- about 2 feet horizontally above the couch.
One of the next tricks was when Steve got an guest in the audience to give up their $100.00 bill. Then he made it appear inside the juiciest lemon. It was sopping, fragrant, wet lemon scented.
Then there was a 15 min. intermission.
Afterwards Olga took a string, burned it at different lengths, then cut & reconnected it, with well wishes for everyone. She also appeared on another trick, cut in half horizontally.
One of the last tricks, is where Steve had Olga stand up in a tall box. He got the audience to chant “squish her, squish her”. He cranked a lever, she went from being tall & leggy to short & stumpy, to where just her head, shoulders & feet were visible. It looked awfully uncomfortable. Indeed baffling.
For the grand finale, Steve sacrificed himself by laying down on a steel table, *while handcuffed & restrained in 5 points” on a contraption called “the table of terror”. The goal was to escape before being impaled by the metal spikes, set off by the end of a burning rope. This was no ordinary kitchen table, as rows upon rows of metal spikes were well postitioned to impale him if all did not go as well as planned.
Olga set a piece of rope on fire. It was nerve-racking to say the least, imagining that Steve might burn to death or worse be impaled if he couldn’t manage to wriggle free of the 5 point restraints (wrists, ankle, & waist) by those metal spikes. The audience watched carefully as Steve had not a moment to spare, he unfastened himself behind a semi-opaque curtain, where all we could see was silhouettes/shadows of him. Luckily Steve got out of there in time, before the rope burned all the way down. When the rope finally burnt all the way down, there was a big “KABOOM”. The metal spikes crashed down with their heavyweight thunderous clanging sound. A bit like hearing jail doors shut tight.
I shudder to think what would have happened if there had been no electricity. See, they called to say their show had been cancelled (the night before), the electricity had gone out & was to be reestablished that day. A refund was offered or the other choice would be to come to the next show, fortunately it all worked out.
Just in case, I would still bring a mini flashlight with you – eeery, if the electricity goes out in that dark theater, this could be a dangerous!