Good day, ladies and gents. Sadly, my weekend plans to see Almodovar's Broken Embraces continue to be thwarted by unprecedented crowds, difficult schedules, and unexpected naps. Luckily, the longer I put it off, the more that warm, lovely, tingly feeling of anticipation grows. However, though I did not make it to the movies over my Thanksgiving break, I am not without a Wednesday review! I was fortunate enough to be personally invited (through C.) to the hilarious and titillating Saturday night magic show of the well-known sleight-of-hand artist, Simon Lovell.
Simon Lovell's one-man show, Strange & Unusual Hobbies, is small, in that there are no large-scale illusions, and the Soho Playhouse is a tiny venue. Nevertheless, by 6:00 the house can pack quite a crowd, and once the lights are low, Simon delivers big laughs and amazing effects that make you forget you're inside a tiny black box theater. He frames his show as the story of his life, starting out as a young prankster, graduating into a full-fledged criminal, and ultimately ending up as a humble performer. Sharing his perfect bottom-dealing, second-dealing, and other seamless card cheats, he proves why he is a big name in close-up magic. Simon himself is the real show, though, sipping a gigantic glass of white wine throughout the performance and making odd remarks about his mother. His odd British humor is off-color and crude, yet he comes across as incredibly sweet. He is a fascinating contradiction, riding a thin line between foul-mouthed creepster and self-deprecating charmer. It's a strange dichotomy, but it works...just don't bring the kids to this one. Seriously, though, if you want to see some of the most amazing sleight-of-hand right out of the movies (he plays Ed Norton's hands in Rounders) right in front of your face, you've got to see Simon's show. And afterward, he probably won't say no to another drink at the bar.
All in all, I give Simon Lovell two false thumbs up. It's a totally fun thing to do in Soho on a Saturday evening.
This is just an intro to a DVD and doesn't really do him justice, but it's just to give you a taste.
Simon Lovell's one-man show, Strange & Unusual Hobbies, is small, in that there are no large-scale illusions, and the Soho Playhouse is a tiny venue. Nevertheless, by 6:00 the house can pack quite a crowd, and once the lights are low, Simon delivers big laughs and amazing effects that make you forget you're inside a tiny black box theater. He frames his show as the story of his life, starting out as a young prankster, graduating into a full-fledged criminal, and ultimately ending up as a humble performer. Sharing his perfect bottom-dealing, second-dealing, and other seamless card cheats, he proves why he is a big name in close-up magic. Simon himself is the real show, though, sipping a gigantic glass of white wine throughout the performance and making odd remarks about his mother. His odd British humor is off-color and crude, yet he comes across as incredibly sweet. He is a fascinating contradiction, riding a thin line between foul-mouthed creepster and self-deprecating charmer. It's a strange dichotomy, but it works...just don't bring the kids to this one. Seriously, though, if you want to see some of the most amazing sleight-of-hand right out of the movies (he plays Ed Norton's hands in Rounders) right in front of your face, you've got to see Simon's show. And afterward, he probably won't say no to another drink at the bar.
All in all, I give Simon Lovell two false thumbs up. It's a totally fun thing to do in Soho on a Saturday evening.
This is just an intro to a DVD and doesn't really do him justice, but it's just to give you a taste.
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