Las Vegas

For months now, I have been getting emails and phone calls from friends, both magicians and "regular people," telling me to get over to Vegas and check out one of the newer magic shows unabashedly entitled “The World's Greatest Magic Show.” Vegas has long been a mecca for the magic arts but never have I experienced so much word-of-mouth promotion about a Vegas show. So last week, I found myself in sin city and headed right for The Greek Isle Casino to see for myself what all the buzz was about.

I have never been to The Greek Isle Casino. In fact, I had never heard of it before. However, it is just a block off the The Las Vegas Strip on Convention Center Drive and walking distance from The Stardust and The Wynn resorts. It's a small, older casino hotel where you would not expect to find a major production show such as The World's Greatest Magic Show. But the unassuming front is the show's first illusion. The talent inside the showroom can go head to head with the best magicians on the strip.

The style of "The World's Greatest Magic Show" appears to be loosely based on the series of popular television magic specials with the similar name. The idea is to present 8-10 of the top magicians in the business today performing their very best illusions. Some of the acts are permanent and some slots are rotating performers, which allows the show to bring in acts on tour from around the world from time to time.

Kozak the Magician

All of these performers are seamlessly presented in a fast-paced variety show format held together by the funny sleight-of-hand magic of host Paul Kozak, known professionally to comedy club audiences as "Kozak the Magician." Unlike the usual host or MC, Kozak utilized no filler material or time killers. Every set he performed between the other acts featured top-notch sleight-of-hand and comedy magic.

Kozak "appeared" between the other magicians, each time wearing a different tailored suit and presented some knuckle-busting prestidigitation with cigarettes, pipes, candles and even a bottle of tequila. At one point he performed sleight-of-hand magic with a little girl from the audience that is as cute as it is amazing. Kozak's face showed how much fun he was having up there on the stage and his persona, in turn, rubbed off on the audience. You cannot help but have fun in this show with Kozak at the helm.

World's Greatest Magic, Indeed

It's difficult for me to choose a highlight because, honestly, this is the first magic variety show I have ever seen with absolutely no low points. Seriously. Being a professional magician myself, I have seen a lot for comparison. The producers of this show must know magic and magicians well. These are some of the artists that actually create and invent many of the illusions the bigger names are doing on television specials.

One of the show’s highlights for me was the illusions of Kevin James. No, not the "King of Queens," this is Kevin James the magician. Magicians know him as one of the brilliant minds behind original illusions in magic today. In this show we get to see many of his own creations as James only performs magic that he invented. He makes it snow from nowhere in the theater. He folds a paper rose and makes it levitate and dance in mid-air on a child's hand. This is fast-paced magic illusion.

Another top act in the show was The Majestix, a male and female illusionist team that presented eye-popping illusions choreographed to music-some classics of magic and some never before seen, all presented with a twist. Of particular note is their take on the Origami Illusion. They present it in a way that will even fool magicians who thought they knew how it was done. I won’t say anymore, you have to see the show.

Arden James is a magician, actor, mime, comic and performance artist all rolled into one. He doesn’t utter a word in his entire act but will have you laughing yourself silly all the while wondering how the heck can he do what he does so well. I can't even begin to explain in words what his act is like, you really have to see it. Just know that you have never seen any other magician perform like Arden James. His show is chock full of laughs and audience participation. He commands the stage with physical dexterity and emotion that few others can accomplish.