Branson has a new illusionist. Rick Thomas is appearing at The Andy Williams Moon River Theatre. Before I give my show revue I must confess as a matter of disclosure, I'm not really a fan of magic shows.
I am however a fan of entertainment, production and more than anything - people. Until recently, I had only vaguely heard of Mr. Thomas. I knew that he was a magician but little else.
Having several friends who are professional magicians, I do my best to look past the smoke, mirrors and pretty girls (although I sometimes pause at the pretty girls) and see the person. While a 2 hour show is not adequate to get to know someone performing on stage, you can still learn a little bit about them.
For instance, Rick Thomas, almost from the very beginning, invites the audience to dream along with him. In fact, the first thing his website says is, "Nothing happens until you dream." During the show he tells a small child (pulled from the audience to assist him), that all things are possible if she dares to dream and believe in herself.
Having several friends who are professional magicians, I do my best to look past the smoke, mirrors and pretty girls (although I sometimes pause at the pretty girls) and see the person. While a 2 hour show is not adequate to get to know someone performing on stage, you can still learn a little bit about them.
For instance, Rick Thomas, almost from the very beginning, invites the audience to dream along with him. In fact, the first thing his website says is, "Nothing happens until you dream." During the show he tells a small child (pulled from the audience to assist him), that all things are possible if she dares to dream and believe in herself.
It's easy to see that he believes in himself and his fellow performers by the way he confidently performs each illusion. His sense of humor should also be mentioned here as it shows through as well. As far as his illusions go, some are breathtaking and quite hard to wrap your head around. Others at first glance might appear as standard fair but Mr. Thomas puts his own unique spin on such favorites as the disappearing person and cutting his assistant in half. However there are other, for lack of a better word tricks, that are more rare.
He also seems to have mastered the art of picking out the most entertaining audience members to assist him. One little boy nearly stole the show with his quick pick of one of the beautiful dancers for an illusion. Overall, I had quite a delightful evening and stayed after the show to meet the cast and welcome them to Branson. I noted that even after a physically taxing performance, Mr. Thomas and his lead assistant/dancer Tara, stayed in good spirits and smiling until the very last person walked out the door.
For more information and the show schedule at Moon River Theatre click here. To see a video click here.