Introduction:
We were
tempted to be witty and clever when reviewing Mark Kalin and
Jinger's show at the Magic
Castle.
But the
fact that we resisted the easy and innuendo-laden path for the more noble and
professional approach does not mean we have matured. It simply means we are writing this while on
public transportation and afraid the person to our right will find it more
titillating and deserving of his attention than his less than furtive glances
already indicate.
In a word,
Mark Kalin and Jinger perform real magic really well.
Sit back,
relax, and keep reading: this may be a long review. It has already taken longer to write and edit
than the act itself.
We have
separated the review into its constituent parts only to ensure we do not leave
anything out. But Mark Kalin and
Jinger's act is greater than the sum of its parts. We have never witnessed a tighter 45 minutes
of magic ever or anywhere.
The Venue:
In our
humble and poorly informed opinion, The Magic Castle's Palace of Mystery
is a tough room to play well. We have
seen big illusions squeezed on to the platform and performers work through
their best approximation of a scaled version of their regular stage show. While traveling illusionists must constantly
adjust to the venue du jour, this
stage makes for tight fits and, consequently, less than optimal performances.
On the
other hand, the Palace
of Mystery is perfect for
magic-loving audiences. Every seat is
perfect, no obstructions or awkward tier structure to block views. The sound system is perfect and the lighting
is always professionally done.
We have a
chance to see the very best in our business from the moral equivalent of a
front-row seat -- even if that means they must perform in tight quarters.
Mr. Kalin
and Jinger are known for their full-scale illusions and we wondered how they
would cope with the restrictions posed by The Palace.
In a word,
they owned the joint.
We have
longed to see their Magic
Underground theater in Reno,
Nevada. The couple built the showplace to serve as
the perfect forum to perform and watch magic.
They note
on their beautiful
web site:
Real magic only happens when all the
elements are perfect, the setting, the audience, the stage and the pace of the
show. Over the years, we've had a chance to present our magic in many different
settings, but it has only served to convince us of the perfect opportunity, the
perfect showplace. We've finally found that home at Magic Underground.
We thought
there could be no better place to see their show than in the theater they
built. We also worried we would never
have a chance to see the couple live unless we traveled to Reno.
The Performers:
Mr. Kalin
and Jinger are wonderful to watch -- a plus for performers. We admit our infatuation and schoolboy crush
could bias our opinion but it does not.
(The crush, by the way is on Jinger -- although Mr. Kalin is no
slouch).
Mr. Kalin
either truly enjoys what he does or he is the best of all possible actors. His energy-level is high but not contrived or
over-the-top. We saw the second show of
the evening and yet he bounded onto the stage as if it was the first -- not
just of the evening but ever.
Recall the
enthusiasm you felt when first performing a new, well-practiced routine for
family or close friends? You could not wait to get started and share the reason
for your excitement.
Mr. Kalin
was that excited.
There was
no question he was well-prepared and what we were about to see had been
rehearsed, blocked, and practiced; but tonight was different. This show would be different than any they
ever put on. Mr. Kalin's body-language
and persona said, "all of our practice and development was to prepare for
this very show."
The Production of Jinger
Mr.
Kalin's first illusion ended with the incredible production of Jinger.
Jinger's
appearance was magical on so many levels.
First, we
had not previously seen this production and enjoyed the impossible vanish of a
tall male assistant, and the appearance of Jinger. Note this was not a transformation of the
assistant into Jinger. The assistant
vanished, the apparatus was freely shown to be empty, and then Jinger appeared.
But the
production of a magician's assistant -- even as lovely as Jinger -- is not
enough to warrant our high praise. When
Mr. Kalin saw Jinger appear, he seemed genuinely delighted, surprised. He must have known Jinger would appear at the
end of the illusion. After all, that is
what rehearsal is for. But the couple
seemed genuinely happy to be reunited on stage for this all important
show.
Finally,
Jinger's smile, poise, beauty, and complete ease on stage brought what appeared
to be a natural and involuntary smile to Mr. Kalin's face. His admiration for her was clearly shared by
the audience.
We have
seen many husband and wife magic acts.
We have seen very few with the natural charisma and ineffable quality to
be endearing rather than annoying or cloying. Mr. Kalin and Jinger have
wonderful chemistry. They share what
appear to be spontaneous asides and inside jokes as any would any good friends.
Wakeling's Sawing
The late Alan
Wakeling's version of Sawing a Woman in
Half is one of the most amazing effects we have ever witnessed. We first saw Mr. Kalin and Jinger perform the
seemingly impossible illusion on a television special, and then at the last Magic Live convention in Las Vegas. Jinger is held to a steel surgical table
developed by "Dr. Alan Wakeling" during the Civil War. The straps holding her neck and feet to the
very thin steel platform are threaded through holes and held firmly in place by
volunteers from the audience.
So let's
review: Jinger lies down on a surgical table.
Her neck is bound with a leather collar and attached to a strap (or
"leash" according to Mr. Kalin).
The strap is passed through a hole in the table and held tightly by a
committeeman from the audience. Is that
fair enough? There are no boxes covering any part of her yet and as the
volunteer pulls on the strap, Jinger is pulled to the surface of the cold steel
table.
At the
other end, Jinger's ankles are fixed within another leather device, the
attached strap is threaded through a hole in the table and pulled taut by
another volunteer. In the course of the
next five minutes, Jinger's body is covered by two wooden cabinets no taller
than necessary to accommodate her body. The
cabinets' side-doors are opened immediately after she is covered, the
committeemen verify she is within the cabinets and that they have not allowed
any slack in their respective straps.
Immediately,
Mr. Kalin pushes steel blades through Jinger's torso and the boxes are
separated. The effect is like nothing we
have ever witnessed.
From the
first time we saw the couple perform this effect, we were baffled. We had no idea how the effect could be
accomplished and that was fine with us.
We like to be fooled and were very happy knowing Mr. Kalin and Jinger
were one of the few in the world performing this miracle and that we had a
chance to witness it live.
Unfortunately,
in perusing our neighborhood bookstore, we found a book exposing the effect's
secret method to anyone browsing the shelves.
We will not identify the title of the book or the author. The author says Mr. Wakeling approved of the
exposure. We do not doubt the author's representation;
we just were disappointed it was in such wide release.
Consequently,
when we saw Mr. Kalin and Jinger perform the effect at The Magic Castle, we
knew the method. We were impressed by
the incredible skill necessary to accomplish the effect and certainly the
showmanship employed in its presentation; but it did not bring the same sense
of amazement. We were no longer
mystified; only impressed by Mr. Kalin and Jinger's abilities.
The Spirit Cabinet
Next to
"Dr. Wakeling's" sawing illusion, The Spirit Cabinet is our all-time
favorite effect. We were looking forward
to seeing Mr. Kalin and Jinger perform the effect live but had no idea we would
be sitting within the spirit cabinet next to Jinger during a final
manifestation of the spirits.
As one of
the two volunteers from the audience, we had the honor of tying
Jinger's ankles
together and her wrists to each other and through a wooden post. We
have rarely been as nervous. There was no intent to tie to tightly but
we
also had no desire to make it too easy.
Mr. Kalin and Jinger perform The Spirit Cabinet superbly; on
par with Glenn
Falkenstein and Frances Willard -- our gold standard. Ms. Willard and Jinger are authentic,
compelling, and sensual figures within the cabinet.
We were
delighted but nervous when asked to sit in the cabinet with Jinger. Fortunately, our eyes were covered with a
very effective blindfold before the curtains were closed. Almost immediately after the curtain could be
heard closing, we were aware of spirit activity near us.
Even without a blindfold, we doubt we would
have discerned the method for this illusion.
When the blindfold was untied, we found a bucket on our head and our
pant legs pulled up to past our knees.
We were
asked by another audience member if we knew how the spirit demonstration
worked. We told her honestly that we had
not a clue.
Conclusion
We did not
expect Mr. Kalin and Jinger to disappoint. Chances are, we would have written a
positive review even if their performance was average or even better than
average. But we doubt we would have
written a review of more than 1200 words.
Mr. Kalin
and Jinger performed the finest magic show we have ever seen. Their dedication, enthusiasm, choice of
effects, and unique charisma are just some of the reasons we feel secure making
such an unequivocal statement. How
fortunate to see their performance in such a perfect venue.
As we
drove back to downtown Los Angeles from Hollywood later that
evening, we felt a pain in our jaw from smiling so much.
It hurt
but it was a good kind of hurt.
Some pain
is worth enduring. Do not miss Mr. Kalin
and Jinger -- in fact, affirmatively seek out their next live performance. Life is so uncertain and there is no sense
putting off such a wonderful experience.
Quinlan's Inside
Magic Review: Five out of Five - Our
Highest!
tags: mark kalin and jinger, magic reviews, magic show, spirit cabinet, alan wakeling, magic castle, magic exposure
TMZ.com has the latest take on the David Blaine
stunt / magic trick. They term the event as "lame" and in keeping with
prior "lame stunts and passing them off as a magical feat."
We received great news from 