Mac King Comedy Magic Show

No one ever said being funny was easy. It's not like the evolved level of stage charisma and wit, that have contributed to the originality of Las Vegas stand-up shows is hereditary either. So Mac King resplendent in his plaid bumpkin attire and flat cap, hardly conveys a die-hard comic who'll do anything to draw a laugh from his crowd. But that is where first impressions get you nowhere. After all, this is a man who'll don a Pack-a-Mack and call it his “Cloak of Invisibility”; he'll gratefully lighten the burden of a hundred dollar bill from a 'volunteer', and proceed to burn it before your eyes. Lastly, he'll defy your classic expectations of stand-up to such a degree, you can't help leaving the show catechizing your own beliefs in magic and sleight of hand! Curious much?

Having just reached the decade milestone, Mac King's modestly titled “Comedy and Magic Show” shows no sign of giving up the ghost. Now in it's eleventh year at the ebullient Harrah's Hotel and Casino Resort, the rambunctious comedian has also finally received the seal of approval via the coveted Las Vegas Journal Awards. The “Best Magic Show” of 2010 pipped the likes of David Copperfield and Dirk Arthur to the post, scooping the gong predominantly for the ambitiously funny slant on sleight of hand and illusion. Well, burning a hundred dollar bill is ambitious – any illusion has odds of failing! In addition, the show (which had obviously outgrown the “Improv” comedy lair) was moved from it's former 350-capacity venue, to the upstairs showroom which is primed to receive over 600 guests for headlining acts.

King's fascination with magic could be attributed to it being “in the blood”, although he credits his grandfathers Elwood Huffman and Pax King (both amateur magicians who did the rounds in Kentucky) for being bitten by the bug. Such impression led to his studying of Anthropology and Magic at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota; he left with first-class honors in 1981, and the road to recognition beckoned. Despite his shows not being aimed at a pre teen audience, his caliber of comedic revelry, combined with fantastical illusions led to almost instant recognition over other aspiring wannabes of the time – because the nature of his stand-up was effortlessly clean-cut. Mac King soon found offers flooding in from the likes of NBC TV's “World's Greatest Magic Shows”, along with the L.A based “Comic Strip Live” and “Improv” clubs. It would be his regular slots at the L.A “Improv” that enabled the transition to an enviable spot at the Harrah's lair.

Debunking the myth that all comedy magicians rely upon “plants” to maintain the tight structure of the show, Mac King pretty much yanks an unsuspecting victim from the audience, before the welcome applause has died down. “Here, come and hold this” he beckons in that slow, comfortable Kentucky drawl. And you feel obliged to! He proceeds to cut the rope at length, and yet amazingly it never severs, despite him continuing to walk across the stage, every time he slices across another two feet of length!

The classic rope scene is inevitably followed up by one of King's wackier minor illusions, involving a length of carrot and his mouth. It's one of those blink and you'll miss it moments, as that piece of carrot transforms into a goldfish. Of course, this is promptly plonked into a convenient glass bowl as King assures “no goldfish are harmed in the making of this show”. He subsequently conjures a comrade for his new pet with the snap of his fingers, and a flick of the wrist. Surely he can't be concealing goldfish up his sleeves? A brief return to sleight of hand promptly follows; King asking a couple from the audience to stand at opposing ends of the stage. He resumes his observational narration, while transporting the Ace of Clubs, from one bewildered guest, to the other 20 feet away.

Sure some of Mac King's textbook tricks have been aired, revived and over-played along the Strip, but his outrageous outbursts and juvenile humor contribute to a show, that is altogether fresher in appeal, than some of the debilitated attempts still headlining along the Golden Mile. If you're seeking a show that guarantees appropriateness for the entire family, yet doesn't conform to a childish magician show – Mac King aims to appease!