Ultimate Magic : Review
October 5, 2008 by vogue
Filed under Events/Performances
Location: The Arena
Date: 27th
September 2008
Time: Approx 1930
After working at Al and Al publishings for 9 months and starring in countless videos as professional “laymen”. Thor and I raised enough money to catch Singapore’s very first permanent illusion show.
Ultimate Magic!
In a highly anticipated opening, JC teleported from the Night Safari into The Arena via a clear glass chamber that was fogged up before the man of the night steps in. A very suitable and convincing introduction as he writes the initials of a live audience and a randomly chosen 3 digit number on his fore arm before teleporting.
Following up is a theatrics filled presentation of the Shadow box, where from a lantern screen, JC creates a hand shadow which develops into a beautiful image before materializing into a physical being, Ning.
Pace cools up with a unique take on the classic multiplying bottles routine. The duo’s presentation was well coordinated while appearing as though neither party knew what the other was prepared for with a continuous “surprise” production of martini bottles.
Bringing back the tempo was a modified version of the metamorphosis, The Crystal Metamorphosis. Ning was locked in a transparent box making apparent that she is clearly locked and not able to escape. Still, JC and Ning exchange places in less than a second. Blinking is not recommended.
Lights dimmed and sizzling the place up was a glow in the dark cut and restored rope with multiple phases. The rope was restored repeated despite Ning’s wicked knife works followed by a noted Francis Tabary ending but done in a sensual Ning style. A good effect that worked well with the settings of The Arena.
JC proceeded to demonstrate his PK skills with three ordinary forks that were examined by the audience. Flawless execution but Thor and I felt left out by the visual aspects since we were sitting at the left boundary. The ending was a multiple fork bend that kicked ass(es).
Not letting us simmer down was continued with a visual demonstration by a great demonstration of gravity manipulation, JC works a METAL modified losander floating table that looks pretty darn heavy.
Ning presented her very own straight jacket striptease escape. The selected volunteer chosen to tie her up was flushed. He could have drank alcohol or it could be Ning but we suspect its the latter. As for the escape itself, we leave it to you to witness the process. JC shows that he practices what he preach on killing dead time as the “void’ time while the audience took to tie Ning was filled by JC’s wity comments.
One of my favourite effects of the evening was JC’s humorous and witty take on the classic miser’s dream. Relevant to current real world situations. Not suitable for bimbos and this showed a more human side of the illusionist. Putting a more personal touch to his image was his amusing interaction and good audience control.
One of JC’s original invention, The Full Throttle produced a motorcycle even together with a rider. A blendo effect producing a race flag put a nice touch.
Up next was a video showcase of Ning’s Impalement Cage which made her the first female magician in South East Asia to escape in front of a live audience of 4000 people despite all the shackles handcuffs and chains and locks from a steel cage.
Ning takes on the lead as the role of magicians or partners or the sexes are switched when JC was put onto a Spiky situation when Ning shows no mercy in impaling her partner.Despite Ning’s masquerade, We know she’s behind it! JC should watch his back more often.
Up next was a heart stopping effect where Ning swallows six deadly razor blades and a freaking flaming torch which she all puts in her mouth. Not recommended that you try it at home as Ning hurts herself from the flames when we watched.
Vogue personally examined the next revo-illusion before J.C proceeded to appear in front of the spinning steel blades of a giant 8 feet tall industrial fan.
To finish off the audiences, extreme burn is a retake on a otherwise boring illusion, Ning and JC will be set to floor laymen and magicians alike. We leave it to you to find out.
Overall, a superb visual spectacle that demonstrated the stage presence of both performers, chemistry between both of them as well as their versatility in performance.
What we HONESTLY think?
7.5/10 ( You should catch this!!! )
RDM crew
THE JUICE COMING RIGHT UP!
several questions, first off, how much issit?
second, i heard its an hour long show, they are able to do so much in that one hour segment? pretty impressive in their own right i must say.
third, how bad was ning’s injury? hopefully she didnt hurt her lips or anything, that would be such a pity. (self-proclaimed ning fan)
lastly, i think i’ll be having a look sometime this week, after such rave reviews i have seen on several different sites.
Hey Clarence,
the price of the ticket is varies..
if you go to the upcoming events
http://reddotmagic.com/ultimate-magic/
you can see that the normal price is 40 and 20 for a child. its also 37 dollars for students and if you go with your friends you might enjoy a bulk discount.
Its free seating by the way to be sure to go slightly earlier to get the best seats!
As for your 2nd question, yea! they managed to jam pack everything in that short 1 hour time span! You have to see it to believe it!
Thirdly, She’s a strong girl! Erm.. Woman!
Lastly, You should and I’m sure you will enjoy yourself!
i saw the show too! it was really great, and there’s a free house drink too! it’s a good way to hang out with your friends. good magic, hot babes, drinks.. it was really great and i really enjoyed the show! the only down side was that the music was a little too loud for my liking. otherwise, i’ll give them a six-star rating out of 5!
Went for the preview shows in september and i have to say that ultimate magic show is indeed a very suscessful business initiative adventure for JC and Ning. In fact it even creates loads of awarness for the rather small local magic market in Singapore.
However in terms of quality of magic, production and entertainment value it was not impressive for example Revo-illusion was a disappointment. It is basically an appearance of a person infront of the fan rather than the person passing through which i saw in a recent elaborate local production.
Went for the Ultimate Magic after reading your review!!! It’s definitely very fresh and entertaining! Personally i love the show. There’s no cliche tophat stuff and everything is so contemporary. I think it is awesome that locals have taken a step up the ladder in the magical field, otherwise dominated by the angmohs. =p
Kudos on the excellent review. Definitely keeping watch here at RDM!
Now, i’m getting really curious about your identities, Vogue and Thor!! Keep up the excellent work!
Yes this is what the artists call it ” Urban Illusions In The City ” which i think helps to clear the common stereotyping or misunderstanding of the cliche ” top hat stuff ” style of magic like you mentioned.
Also i think that ” Ultimate Magic ” can only get better and better given its promising start.
Rest assured Thor and I will keep materials rolling in, not just for your information, but also for raising awareness and interest in this soon-to-be vibrant magic scene in Singapore!
I’ve read a lot about the show and heard about it. Is it worth the ticket price? Are there bad seats? I know JC Sum & Ning seem to be everywhere now so is this show as good as their video looks?
Hey Leonard,
It was a free seating arrangement the last time Thor and I went to watch. We were late and sat at the sides but still we got a very good view of the show due to the highly visual routines that Ultimate Magic employed. The visibility range of the illusions and effects were wide as well. So in effect i don’t think there are “bad seats” for the matter. I hope the review, experience posts and the comments from the users gave you a better picture of the show.
I can tell you that the ambience at the live performance is definitely better and stronger than what you see on the video.
Would love to hear from you soon!
Hi,
I attended the Ultimate Magic official launch on 21 Oct. It was full and I mean no seats to sit in… so technically, you are right, there are no bad seats, since I was standing. But I understand this was a one-off special situation because it was the launch.
But, you are right, the show was awesome and is very good for a first long-running show in Singapore. I have seen a number of magic shows here and oversees but their modern approach and more importantly their chemistry differientiate their show from any others. JC actually posted my review on his blog at: http://backstagebusiness.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/another-ultimate-magic-review/
I met with JC & Ning briefly after the show and they are very passionate and hard-working individuals. Ning is a beauty too
Thanks for your review!
Hey Leonard,
Its a pity you had to stand up for the entire show. Cause we advised Clarence at a previous post to go early to grab the good seats in the house!
Nevertheless, glad you enjoyed the show as much as we did!
Be sure that RDM will cover as much as we can in about events happening in Singapore so be sure to be back here to update yourself! Thanks for your very detailed comments. Your review on the show was also very well done too i must say! Good job!
Here’s to our very own up and coming local magicians and to the ever more vibrant local magic scene!
Cheers! =)