Mac King is an afternoon delight
Now you see him; now you see him again. For nearly every day for the last nine-and-a-half years, comedy illusionist Mac King has been shedding light on why afternoons in Las Vegas can be magical, with no two appearing to ever be the same.
Creativity is King every day at the Improv at Harrah’s, where the comedy magician performs. His is not your run-of-the-mill magic show but rather it contains a combination of quirky humor, visual gags, and sleights of hand. It’s serious magic delivered in a tongue-in-cheek manner, spiced with a lot of ad-lib fun.
“This is a show for eight-year-olds to surly teenagers, grandmothers and bikers,” King laughs. “There is a lot of audience participation in my show and I bring five people up on stage every performance. That’s one of the things that keeps it entertaining for me. People do different things everyday and I play into that. I think the audience leaves realizing that the show is different everyday and that I’m not just reciting lines. This show they are seeing that day is the only time they will see that particular show.”
Known for his comedic personality and original illusions, among the latter is King’s Cloak of Invisibility, which is an ordinary raincoat that possesses extraordinary powers. He convinces the audience that the cloak renders him invisible and the gag that follows involves several illusionary feats.
King also makes his head disappear inside a paper bag, catches live goldfish out of the air, find’s an audience member’s playing card in a sealed box of cereal, and transforms himself into Elvis and Liberace – simultaneously. His affinity for Fig Newtons is also a recurring running sight gag in the show – the cookies seem to appear in the most unlikely places and situations throughout his performance and disappear in the same manner.
“I came from a very funny family in Kentucky,” King notes. “I’m not a serious guy. The more of me that crept into my act, the more successful I became. Part of any magic show is the magician’s persona.”
Humor aside, King, is no lightweight in the magic industry. He has numerous credits to his name, including been seen in on TV in numerous magic specials and having his own nationally syndicated magic comic strip. This summer, he was the guest performer at the 24th Annual World FISM (International Federation of Magic Societies) in Beijing, China, and performed for more than 2,000 of his peers.
- by Bobbie Katz, Las Vegas Reporter for HelloMetro
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