UPCOMING EVENT/THEATRE: MILLENNIUM MAGIC XIV

0

MILLENNIUM MAGIC XIV

 

Millennium Magic XIV, at Theatre West this coming week-end, is one show I can really recommend in advance, for several reasons: I’ve seen an excellent previous rendition of it, it’s fun for all ages, it’s very affordable, has a free parking lot across the street, and Jeanine Anderson, one of the producers (and emcee,) is an entertaining female magician I’ve seen perform dozens of times over the years.

And if, like me, you’ve seen this year’s crop of trying-to-be-nominated films, you’ll need an uplifting break right about now. This show, full of humor and illusions, is exactly that.

TW_MM14_FrontCard.inddBeing a gal around town, who’s assumed to be able to get in anywhere, I’m always asked to help people gain entry to the venerable, private, membership-only Magic Castle. Since so few are actually allowed into it, Millennium Magic is the perfect way to get to see some of the Castle’s top magicians perform, without the hassle. And unlike that venue, Theatre West doesn’t have a dress code or dinner requirement! You just go to the show, relax, and be entertained. There’s nothing better than that.

This is a one-weekend-only event, with three different line-ups of magicians. So, you can go on all three dates, and ostensibly see a different show each time! (But make sure to get tickets soon; I believe that in the past, they’ve sold out pretty quickly.)

Here’s the current schedule of performers, but please keep in mind that it can be subject to change:

Friday, December 6 at 8:00 p.m.: Mike Elkan, Hillel (a.k.a. Mr. Balloon Man), Fernando Velasco, Abbott Alexander, Christopher Hart, George Tovar, Jeanine Anderson.
Saturday, December 7 at 8:00 p.m.: Tony Clark, Brent Gerris, Jonathan Levit, Jeff and Kimberly Bornstein, George Tovar, Jeanine Anderson.
Sunday, December 8 at 2:00 p.m.: Shawn McMaster, David Martinez, Andrew Goldenhersh, George Tovar, Jeanine Anderson.

Here’s a little background on some of the headliners:

Christopher Hart played Thing in The Addams Family movies. Andrew Goldenhersh is a pretty big name in magic circles.  Co-producer-and-host George Tovar worked at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for years. (I actually had lunch with him there several years ago, with my favorite magician of all time, Bob Jardine.) And Fernando Velasco is a teenager who fell in love with magic when he attended a Kids’ Day at the Castle!

I really love magic; I do think of it as magic, not tricks. I shun the stupid television shows that try to tell us how everything is done, because I’d rather sit there with my mouth open, in wonderment. (Of course, like most of the rest of you, I do enjoy figuring it out when there is a not-supremely-talented magician on shows like America’s Got Talent. I hated that goony teen-ager who was on there this summer.) People ask me all the time how my act was done when I was The Divided Lady in the circus, and after all these years, I still won’t divulge the secrets. (And trust me, you’re not missing anything by not knowing the truth of this one!)

So, one of my holiday suggestions is to get yourself and friends and family to Theatre West this weekend to see Millennium Magic XIV. I’m planning to be there on Sunday, unless Mr. X asks Jeanine to do a trick to make me disappear before then.

Millennium Magic XIV running only December 6-8, 2013
Theatre West  3333 Cahuenga Boulevard West  323-851-7977  theatrewest.org/onstage/millennium-magic-xiv

Share.

Leave A Reply