In season one, Criss Angel vanished himself, most notably from an inverted trash can on Las Vegas' Fremont Street. In "Vanish," the second episode in his second season and that followed "Building Float," Angel attempts to vanish a spectator while surrounded by witnesses, once again, in the middle of Fremont Street.
Before the big event, Angel performs what initially appears to be a classic vanish of a woman sitting in a chair. The setup and execution are reminiscent of the classic illusion, but the chair looks like a lounge chair, and the vanish occurs while it's sitting on what appears to be a concrete patio. I continue to admire the way that Angel adapts illusions and performs them in non-theatrical settings. Everything looks quite ordinary, which adds to the bewilderment.
In A Suitcase
In a segment that is more gag than illusion, Angel looks like he pulls his Mom out of a suitcase that he just carried in. It's reminiscent of Lance Burton's production of several dancers from a suitcase that's sitting on a table. Here, his crew, who surround him, do some acting to sell the effect.
I particularly enjoyed the segment where Angel crawled out of a manhole, placed the heavy cover on the hole and then rolled up the manhole as if it were a poster. The conclusion to this cartoon-like effect was a total surprise and I think that few magicians would have seen this payoff coming. Angel likes to keep everyone guessing, and this offbeat segment delivered some whimsy and humor.
More Vanishes
Later, Angel interacts with a crowd and vanishes various borrowed items and then. back with his crew, vanishes his cat from a cardboard box. Most amazing is his disappearance on a motorcycle-he uses a cloud of dust generated by the bike to vanish without a trace.
Angel acknowledges magician Jeff McBride who performs a portion of his excellent mask routine. Of course, watching Jeff McBride is always a joy.
The Finale
For the show's finale, Angel pulls a female spectator from the audience and stands her on a box. Other spectators carry and position portable walls to encase the volunteer and shield her from view. At the trick's end, Angel knocks down the walls-vanishing the young lady from within a crowd.
It's a puzzling effect that is no more spectacular than Angel's vanishes from an inverted trash can and various water tanks in season one. But the real trick here lies in the fact that Criss Angel and his team have put together yet another entertaining and puzzling half-hour of magic. I hope he can keep it up.
-Wayne N. Kawamoto
