Worst Show Ever.
Ok, I know. I’ve been a little behind on my posting since the New Year. I’d like to say the trend won’t continue but I cannot make any promises. I am quite busy with several projects but I think I can spare a half hour here and there to keep this up to date.
I hope.
One of the problems I have had, at least since my last posting, is that I wanted to give a review of the last magic show I’ve seen, but the show was so horribly, horribly bad that I wasn’t sure how to review without someone putting a bounty on my head.
But, what the hell, here it goes.
On Friday March the 25th, 2006 my wife and I were witness to a magic show titled “Motta & Chance Magic: Rock The House.” At Dave & Busters. I want you to take a good look at the promo card to the right. Can you see these two guys’? What type of magic do you think they do?
Did you say “Street Magic?” I knew you did.
You see, I don’t blame David Blaine for the whole Street Magic craze. I blame the first guy who saw David Blaine perform and said, “Hey, I can do that just like he does!”
But still, it has gotten ridiculous. Every magician of a certain age group wants to look, act and perform like David Blaine.
And yet Motta & chance surprised me. They were not complete David Blaine clones; let’s just call them faded copies.
So what about the show. Well, before it began there were close up magicians, looking and acting like Blaine, strolling around the theater. One performed for my wife and I and I have to say he was technically pretty good, he had his chops, but performance wise he was lacking. He did do this one trick where the deck was mixed up, one half up one half down, and they suddenly all turned one way except for the chosen card. (Pay close attention to that last bit, it will become important later.)
It was good that there were close up performers, because the show started a half an hour late and Jen wouldn’t let me get another beer, so I was in a bad mood before the show began.
The show started with a promo reel of Motta & chance performing, well, street magic. On the street, in a restaurant and even on TV. It did not bode well for the rest of the show.
Now, due to space limitations I am not going to go into detail over each individual routine, but there are some things that really bothered me. Like the opening routine, which was silk, candle and cane manipulation. One of the two did fine, the other was just a moment too slow, therefore giving away how the tricks were done.
Then they did some “Shtick.” Totally un-scripted. The problem with not scripting a show like this is that all of the “patter” comes off as a series of “Um’s” and “No way’s.” It sounded amateurish, mainly because it was.
They challenged each other to do magic with props the other guy “surprised” them with. First Chance challenged Motta to do a routine using three uneven pieces of rope he just happened to have on him. (Again, this part came off as a mess since it was unscripted.) And so Motta did a rope routine. It wasn’t bad, not bad at all. Then Motta Challenged Chance to swallow needles and thread.
Now here’s an interesting thing. They had video cameras and the camera came in close so you could see the needles go into the mouth, unfortunately you couldn’t see the needles go into the mouth. We did see the thread though, and he made a face like he was choking, reached into his mouth and, here’s the part that gets me, pulls out a bundle of needles wrapped in thread. The then spent the next thirty seconds pulling it all apart to show the needles are tied to the thread. The thing is I can’t tell if he meant to do it this way or not. If he did, he ruined a classic of magic, if he didn’t it proves that he was under rehearsed and shouldn’t have done this show.
And that pretty much sums it up. They shouldn’t have done this show. They didn’t script, they were under rehearsed and they obviously didn’t do a tech dress. As well the show itself was almost two hours long with no break. Then there is this. Remember that trick the close up guy showed me? That very trick was performed two more times during the show. That means I paid twenty bucks a piece to see the same trick three bloody times.
Really, truly I cannot fully describe how horribly bad this show was. It should have been taped and released on DVD as a lesson of what not to do. I hope these guys’s learned a good lesson, I really do, but I doubt it. They should never be allowed to perform publicly again.
Was that too harsh? Good!
I hope.
One of the problems I have had, at least since my last posting, is that I wanted to give a review of the last magic show I’ve seen, but the show was so horribly, horribly bad that I wasn’t sure how to review without someone putting a bounty on my head.
But, what the hell, here it goes.
On Friday March the 25th, 2006 my wife and I were witness to a magic show titled “Motta & Chance Magic: Rock The House.” At Dave & Busters. I want you to take a good look at the promo card to the right. Can you see these two guys’? What type of magic do you think they do?
Did you say “Street Magic?” I knew you did.
You see, I don’t blame David Blaine for the whole Street Magic craze. I blame the first guy who saw David Blaine perform and said, “Hey, I can do that just like he does!”
But still, it has gotten ridiculous. Every magician of a certain age group wants to look, act and perform like David Blaine.
And yet Motta & chance surprised me. They were not complete David Blaine clones; let’s just call them faded copies.
So what about the show. Well, before it began there were close up magicians, looking and acting like Blaine, strolling around the theater. One performed for my wife and I and I have to say he was technically pretty good, he had his chops, but performance wise he was lacking. He did do this one trick where the deck was mixed up, one half up one half down, and they suddenly all turned one way except for the chosen card. (Pay close attention to that last bit, it will become important later.)
It was good that there were close up performers, because the show started a half an hour late and Jen wouldn’t let me get another beer, so I was in a bad mood before the show began.
The show started with a promo reel of Motta & chance performing, well, street magic. On the street, in a restaurant and even on TV. It did not bode well for the rest of the show.
Now, due to space limitations I am not going to go into detail over each individual routine, but there are some things that really bothered me. Like the opening routine, which was silk, candle and cane manipulation. One of the two did fine, the other was just a moment too slow, therefore giving away how the tricks were done.
Then they did some “Shtick.” Totally un-scripted. The problem with not scripting a show like this is that all of the “patter” comes off as a series of “Um’s” and “No way’s.” It sounded amateurish, mainly because it was.
They challenged each other to do magic with props the other guy “surprised” them with. First Chance challenged Motta to do a routine using three uneven pieces of rope he just happened to have on him. (Again, this part came off as a mess since it was unscripted.) And so Motta did a rope routine. It wasn’t bad, not bad at all. Then Motta Challenged Chance to swallow needles and thread.
Now here’s an interesting thing. They had video cameras and the camera came in close so you could see the needles go into the mouth, unfortunately you couldn’t see the needles go into the mouth. We did see the thread though, and he made a face like he was choking, reached into his mouth and, here’s the part that gets me, pulls out a bundle of needles wrapped in thread. The then spent the next thirty seconds pulling it all apart to show the needles are tied to the thread. The thing is I can’t tell if he meant to do it this way or not. If he did, he ruined a classic of magic, if he didn’t it proves that he was under rehearsed and shouldn’t have done this show.
And that pretty much sums it up. They shouldn’t have done this show. They didn’t script, they were under rehearsed and they obviously didn’t do a tech dress. As well the show itself was almost two hours long with no break. Then there is this. Remember that trick the close up guy showed me? That very trick was performed two more times during the show. That means I paid twenty bucks a piece to see the same trick three bloody times.
Really, truly I cannot fully describe how horribly bad this show was. It should have been taped and released on DVD as a lesson of what not to do. I hope these guys’s learned a good lesson, I really do, but I doubt it. They should never be allowed to perform publicly again.
Was that too harsh? Good!
posted by Gord at 10:32 AM
2 Comments:
Man, oh man. Is there anything more painful to watch then someone working scriptless that really shouldn't be? Even improvisational masters like Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters and Jim Carrey have all talked openly about the alarming number of times that they completely bombed. And not just early in their careers, either.
And it just seems weird, to me, to mix something as carefully prepared as magic with improv. Do a lot of pros work off script like that?
A bit harsh, but ever magician had to start somewhere, so as bad as you may have thought it was it was a learning experience. Not being able to perform ever...wow...that's just not cool.
As a magic enthusiast maybe u should try with constructive points rather than bashing points its a brotherhood of magic right!? But with everything there will always be people to bash out or lash out... could it be better of course. But u picked out 2 tricks that and 1 that didn't go well... I am disappointed and hope that the person who wrote that review invites me out to their show to for me to be a critic...it'll probably never happen but I'll keep hoping. Thanks for coming out and and I hope the $20 door didn't hurt your wallet too much. But we will keep coming out and it will only get better. Thanks for the feedback and please let me know when you perform so that I can watch you too! All the best...
CHANCE of Motta & Chance Magic.
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