DisMagician

Once upon a time, I wanted to track down the one quality that made successful performers successful. I opened up the dictionary, and through a chain of words dealing with performing I came finally to the word “charisma”. That is the one thing successful performers all have, charisma! One Latin root of the word is “the ability to perform magic”. DISILLUSIONED: CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL MAGICIAN is, of course, about performing magic, which is why I bring up my research adventure in the first place. Matt Marcy is the magician here, and he’s written a pleasant journey through his life as a magician, cleverly incorporating magic tricks, various visual aids, and a comely assistant in actress-model Jules Hartley to tell his life story. The package has all the ingredients for success but one. Marcy lacks charisma. He’s pleasant enough, performs his magic ably enough, can tell a joke, and uses a movie screen set upstage and above to great advantage, but doesn’t have that something special that brings an audience to the edge of their seats. Can director Nicole Blaine guide him towards that illusive quality I call charisma?

Marcy has performed at the exclusive Magic Castle over a thousand times, and has appeared on television. I don’t doubt his professionalism with these credentials. His entire concept, which includes beginning the show with famous and not so famous quotes from people like Oscar Wilde flashing on the screen, then segueing into telling us about his school days and taking up magic to be cool, and then getting into his identity crisis years, is a charming one. The audience hooted and whistled whenever the sexy Ms. Hartley pranced on stage. There’s a running joke about how he’s addicted to Diet Coke. Marcy uses the audience effectively in asking for volunteers for a couple of tricks. Certainly these are ingredients for an effective beef stew. But there’s something missing.

During the show, a message appears on the screen, ”You could become David f—king Copperfield” as an expression of awe towards the magician. Maybe a little more respect needs to be paid there. Charisma. It’s what’s for dinner.

DISILLUSIONED: CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL MAGICIAN plays now through June 19, 2010, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, at The Imagined Life Theater, 5615 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. 90019. Call 1-800-838-3006 or visit www.DisillusionedShow.com for tickets and information.