[2012119] Scott Mangnoson presents: This is what I do
Scott Mangnoson @ Gluttony – Funny Pork
2:00pm, Sun 11 Mar 2012
After the previous magic show, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to another magic performance straight away… but a ticket in the hand is worth honouring, so into the smaller Funny Pork I went, telling myself that things could only get better.
Not only was the venue smaller, but the audience makeup was very different, too – not a child to be seen, just a bubbling collection of adults content to counteract Funny Pork’s humidity with cheery beverages, leading to a very easy-going and agreeable crowd. And it didn’t take long for magician Scott Mangnoson to get them (and me) onside: his opening trick, with ping-pong balls multiplying in his hands whilst he waved them in front of our faces, was performed with a pace and polish that banished any memory of the previous show.
But the initial rousing cheer that the audience gave him did not satisfy; Mangnoson spent some time grooming us in the style of applause that he wanted, and the lessons were accepted with good humour. Then he rattled through some great card transfers, a bit of fork bending, and starts a self-deprecating piece where he flubs about “reading people’s minds” to determine (i.e. guess) various audience member’s favourite ball-sports, animals, and words; it’s all rather cheesy and lame as he justifies his mistakes, until he reveals the contents of an envelope that’s been in plain sight the entire performance, the contents of which were the audience’s original selections. Impressive!
In fact, it’s only the last trick – where he claims to be able to walk through a paper wall without breaking it – that fails to impress; it’s an odd anti-climax to the performance, but Mangnoson shows enough earnestness and personality to sell the finale. And I leave the Funny Pork very happy at having caught his act – it was a perfect selection of tricks for the close-in audience, and Mangnoson was able to sell it with style.