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Thursday, March 9, 2017

MO MAGIC: MOMENTS OF WONDER



(Mo Magic)



Many moments of wonder kept the audience amazed and enthralled. (Review by Keith Millar)



Magic is possibly the most universal and versatile form of entertainment there is in the world. It is performed by everybody from a clown at a kiddie’s party to the likes of David Copperfield on a stage in Las Vegas. It appeals to people of all ages and is the perfect family entertainment.



Judging by the overall profile of the audience at Mo Magic’s show, Moments of Magic, last night this is exactly the market he is aiming for - and certainly the many family groups present where very happy with the entertainment on offer.



Mo Magic comes across as an elegant, affable and laid-back character. His show reflects these characteristics perfectly.



Possibly lacking some of the pizazz a night-club type audience would want, he ambles amiably through his tricks and illusions with plenty of homespun humour and character.



The show is very interactive and his relationship with his audience is easy-going and jovial. He chooses mostly children and young adults to assist with his tricks and he puts them at ease on stage with flair.



The show starts with an exhibition of aerial hoop gymnastics by Amy White. She also appears later in the show to sing the song Pure Imagination.



Mo offered many of the standard type of tricks and illusions one has become used to seeing on stage and TV shows these days.



For example, he makes an audience members marked R100 note disappear in a puff of smoke and then finds it later in the show embedded in a lemon he cuts open.



At the request of an audience members he makes a bunny appear – a vegetarian Bunny Chow no less. He then producers a helper dressed in a bunny suite from a box.



He gets a young audience member to colour is a picture of a Unicorn and then opens a sealed envelope in which there is another unicorn in the same colours.



He smashes audience members’ cellphones only for them to re-appear later in the show.



These along with many other Moments of Wonder kept the audience amazed and enthralled.



Mo is assisted in his show by Rick McNamee and Melissa Ellis.



The performer was suffering from a bad chest infection last night. But true to the tradition that the show must go on, he soldiered his way through. Unfortunately, this led to his performance being slow-moving and hesitant. I am sure that this problem will be remedied for future performances.



Moments of Wonder will run from March 9 to12 at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on the UKZN Howard College campus, then moves to the Hexagon Theatre on the UKZN Pietermaritzburg campus from March 30 to April 1.



Tickets prices start from R100 and are available at www.computicket.com / 0861 915 8000 / Shoprite Checkers Money Market Counters. For more information visit www.momagic.co.za; Facebook: Mo Magic www.facebook.com/momagicfanpage1; Twitter: Mo Magic www.twitter.com/momagic or Instagram: momagicsa www.instagram.com/momagicsa - Keith Millar