‘Spectacle and Illusion’ brings Vegas to Boulder
Old Main resembled a Las Vegas venue when magic took center stage Saturday night.
The show, titled “Spectacle and Illusion,” was the first of five performances scheduled for the CU campus.
Magician Aaron Eisenberg, a junior business major, had the help of 13 others to put on an extensive magic act that included large-scale illusions along with stock card tricks and slight of hand. In one trick, he shoved a beer bottle through an audience volunteer. In another, he bended a nail using his mental powers. But not all of the tricks and illusions went off smoothly.
Audience member Lissey Harrison, a freshman theater major, was not impressed.
“(It wasn’t) the best theater production I’ve seen,” Harrison said. “But it’s hard to be critical due to the amount of work involved.”
Despite a bad review, a different audience member had praise for the presentation.
“It was a good show,” Kevin Borenstein, a freshman open-option major, said. “It was really well done.”
But even the magician said the show went terribly. Eisenberg said the production is relies heavily on practice and technical detail. Because of time constraints, Eisenberg said he and his crew were unable to perfect the timing, which led to a few mistakes in the performance.
“It was a good audience, and they had good reactions,” Eisenberg said.
The magician’s assistant was Jessica Simpson, a senior dance major. Eisenberg found her through the CU dance department. The two have worked together for about a month, Eisenberg said.
“It’s opening night,” Simpson said about the timing problems on stage. “It’s a fun show, and I’m very happy to be working on it.”
All the proceeds for the performances will be going to the American Cancer Society. There will be three more opportunities to catch the show:
Friday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and children.
To purchase tickets, call King Soopers at (866) 464-2626, or get them online at Ticketswest.
All performances will be at Old Main on the CU campus.
