Thursday, February 4, 2010

Magic on Board


1-4-10, at 8:30 PM, heading south toward Stanley in the Falklands. There are lots of shows on Board even when the sea is rough. As Holly and I both follow politics closely and appreciate misdirection, we went to watch Alan Chamo, a magical mentalist, in the Vista Loung to watch him peform a grand delusion. As we sipped our rum drinks in the front row, Holly was recruited to be the magician’s assistant. Holly tried to suck herself into her Mai Tai but Alan was on to her, and kindly invited her up to the stage. Holly dressed the stage well, projected like she’d always done this, and assisted the Great Chamo in his magical performance. Not to stretch this out but she took two silver dollars and put them on strips of duck tape and pasted them on Chamo’s bald head across his eyes so he couldn’t see, after certifying she couldn’t see through the silver dollars or the duck tape herself. Then Holly gathered items from the audience and, at the Great Chamo’s suggestion, she held them beneath his hand and he divined without benefit of sight what each item was. And he got every one correct. Enthusiastic applause. But there was more. He then asked Holly to draw a sketch of something she cared about. Of course, it was a rough fast sketch of a Jack Russell. With the Great Chamo’s eyes still covered, and without showing the sketch to the audience, at his unseeing direction, she put the sketch in her pocket. He then asked Holly to concentrate on what she sketched with her eyes closed. And she did as the Great Chamo instructed. Beforehand, with some obviously painful difficulty, the Great Chamo ripped the duck tape from his head and face. Holly did offer to help, got a laugh for that, but the Great Chamo preferred to do himself. He then walked over to a large white paper pad at center stage while Holly kept her eyes closed and he asked her to think again of what she sketched. Believe it or not, he sketched a similar dog, took a bow, and Holly’s tour as a magician’s assistant was well concluded. After the show, one woman asked if I was an entertainer – I suppose – to figure out if we were shills for the Great Chamo. But we were not. You all know that. Really, his performance was great. JPF

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