KEITH BARRY EXTRAORDINARY: A REVIEW
KEITH BARRY: EXTRAORDINARY: A REVIEW
Last Friday, the CBS network presented to North American audiences the new star of magic, Keith Barry and his special Extraordinary. The one hour special featured Barry performing for big name stars such as Jessica Simpson, Mathew McConaughey and the hosts of Entertainment Tonight.
So, what did I think?
I liked it, kinda.
Let me explain. (No, it will take too long, let me sum up.)
First of all, Barry’s personality for most of the special was of a “regular kind of bloke.” This is quite refreshing in this day and age, since “regular kind of bloke” seems to be the last thing magicians these days seem to want to be. I hope somewhere, somehow this influences young magicians who seem to think to be a magician means you mumble a lot.
Then there are the tricks themselves. Some were outstanding (Like the triple prediction with Mathew McConaughey), some were weird (like the spider prediction with Jessica Simpson, although it was Ms. Simpson that made it weird. What exactly was she on?) And one trick was, well, confusing (What exactly was he doing with The Divinci Code? It was really badly done and confusing.)
And then there was the “Big Finish.” The hanging bit. I had a problem with this in that the lead up (The picking of the nooses, the deciding of where he stood) took far too long and was far too wordy, but even with that the visual of a guy on the gallows, possibly ending his life but then plunging downwards to safety was an outstanding visual. (A hell of a lot better then a guy jumping into cardboard boxes.)
So, what is the end result? Well, it was mostly good. If they had taken out the Davinci Code trick it would have been better, but for a first special I believe it was really good.
Rumor has it that Mr. Barry has signed for two more specials. I for one look forward to what he does next.
And no, I am not going to compare him to David Blaine’s latest special. Comparing the two is like comparing apples to really boring mumbling kind of oranges.
Next Post: Finally, I am going to address the hate mail I’ve gotten.
Last Friday, the CBS network presented to North American audiences the new star of magic, Keith Barry and his special Extraordinary. The one hour special featured Barry performing for big name stars such as Jessica Simpson, Mathew McConaughey and the hosts of Entertainment Tonight.
So, what did I think?
I liked it, kinda.
Let me explain. (No, it will take too long, let me sum up.)
First of all, Barry’s personality for most of the special was of a “regular kind of bloke.” This is quite refreshing in this day and age, since “regular kind of bloke” seems to be the last thing magicians these days seem to want to be. I hope somewhere, somehow this influences young magicians who seem to think to be a magician means you mumble a lot.
Then there are the tricks themselves. Some were outstanding (Like the triple prediction with Mathew McConaughey), some were weird (like the spider prediction with Jessica Simpson, although it was Ms. Simpson that made it weird. What exactly was she on?) And one trick was, well, confusing (What exactly was he doing with The Divinci Code? It was really badly done and confusing.)
And then there was the “Big Finish.” The hanging bit. I had a problem with this in that the lead up (The picking of the nooses, the deciding of where he stood) took far too long and was far too wordy, but even with that the visual of a guy on the gallows, possibly ending his life but then plunging downwards to safety was an outstanding visual. (A hell of a lot better then a guy jumping into cardboard boxes.)
So, what is the end result? Well, it was mostly good. If they had taken out the Davinci Code trick it would have been better, but for a first special I believe it was really good.
Rumor has it that Mr. Barry has signed for two more specials. I for one look forward to what he does next.
And no, I am not going to compare him to David Blaine’s latest special. Comparing the two is like comparing apples to really boring mumbling kind of oranges.
Next Post: Finally, I am going to address the hate mail I’ve gotten.
posted by Gord at 4:16 PM
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