Marvels of Magic – The Experience

The Q law: The length of the queue is directly proportional to how good something is!

It was full house for the event Marvels of Magic! Presented by Singapore Association of Magicians (SAM), the event was highly anticipated by the both of us. The show featured a wide array of experienced, well-known, and unique magicians mainly from Singapore.

Learning from our mistakes from the previous free-seating magic performances, we decided to come early to book the good seats! Despite the long queue, everyone was seated minutes after the door was opened for entry. The show started promptly once everyone settled down and Jeremy Tan was the first magician to perform for the night.

His act was smooth and well rehearsed. Consisting mainly of visual stage magic, it was a good opening as it captured the audience attention instantly. Using streamers, cards, appearing wands, multiplying balls and parasol etc. Despite some minor hiccups along the way, his act was dynamic and fun to watch.

Up next it was Alex T’s turn in an act called Transformation. As much as I have seen this perform overseas and in Television shows, it was the very first time I was seeing it in Singapore. Not only that but Alex T’s mask changing performance was of such fine caliber that the audience was left dumbfounded. He also infused a little bit of magic inside his routine with tricks such as appearing canes and snowstorm.

We had good seats in the house! Check out OUR view!

As we were left wanting for more, Gician was up for his act. His act brought the kids in the show. His first act was a linking rings act followed by his version of the Instant Magician. It definitely brought laughter to both the young and young at heart.

A performance by Andrew Kong followed. His version of Multiplying bottles and Metamorphosis (Followed after Jeremy Pei’s act) was a more classic take on the tricks. The vintage looking props gave the whole act a very traditional feel which was really refreshing from all the modern, stylish magic being performed currently.

Daisy Ho was next. She wowed everyone with her really stunning performance attire! It was attention-grabbing! She showed us that you do not need to be a full-time professional magician to deliver a high quality magic performance. As an audience, it was delightful to see someone so happy performing magic and it made me feel happy watching it too!

The mood became solemn when the two-man illusion duo( Danny Koh & Nique Tan) came on stage to perform the classic Spirit Cabinet. It was also the first time I was seeing this in Singapore. A classic in magic. I must say that they performed the illusion flawlessly, but it was rather rigid in terms of following exactly what the original trick was. It could probably be better if they modified the trick to suit their style and the Singaporean context.

It was Imran’s turn to impress the audience. His stage presence oozed mystery and confidence. Throughout his routine, which was so perfectly executed, he never at once seemed to be fazed by the large crowd of people watching him. His dove production was also “steady” as he showed superb dove handling skills by controlling his doves with ease. He was definitely a pleasure to watch.

Jeremy Pei was next. Being the only magician to be representing Singapore in the FISM 2009, we were wondering if he was going to use the show as a practice ground for his FISM routine! He opened the act with his one of his version of the eternal ropes. Both Vogue and I talk to Jeremy occasionally off-stage and we both agree that he’s a completely different person when he takes the stage. When he is on stage, he owns the stage. Magic at its finest.

People always say “save the best for last”. And this was definitely true for the last act of the night, Reach for the Stars by Kiki Tay. The act was taken out of his musical/theater show “Waah! Magic!” and despite seeing it for a second time, it made me envious of Kiki’s originality. Who needs linking rings when you have linking hangers with a SUPER KICKER linking saw? Who needs the standard dlites when you have a handmade super bright white light? And who says magic can’t flow like water with a smooth and touching story line and matching music to boast? Kiki not only lit up the stage but also lit up the faces of all the people watching him! Gasps could be heard when he did his finale. Terrific performer he is!

The real stars in front of a starry background!

To sum it all up, what was $25 dollars when you get to see so many performances by a star-studded cast of Magicians? Marvels of Magic certainly showed us the caliber of the magicians in Singapore! Despite some minor incidents and errors here and there, it was a night to remember. With such talented magicians around, I’m sure that the magic scene in Singapore will continue to flourish and become more vibrant!

On a random note:

Did you know one throw like that $12 bucks? Pain. Haha.