The Forgotten Monk

“He lives his act.” -Robert Angier, The Prestige

There’s a scene in movie ‘The Prestige’ where an old, bend over, slow-moving Chinaman performs amazing tricks by making these heavy objects appear. One particular object that appears from seemingly nowhere was a big fish bowl complete with water and a few big goldfish. When the performance was over, the movies two magicians watched the old man very slowly and frailly make his way into a carriage. The movies main characters, Alfred Borden and Robert Angier, stood watching. Alfred believed the magician had the fishbowl between his legs. Robert was bewildered, how could this frail old man, carry a big heavy fish bowl between his legs during his hour-long act? Alfred still watching the man says something like, “Being old is part of his act”. Robert understanding sums it up, “He lives his act.”

One of my side hobbies is magic. Specifically mentalism. So it’s no surprise that Phenomenon is my show of choice last night.

Now every performer in this arena has a specific act. And they live that act. Some of them act like they can really read minds, some act like they can see the future and some act like they can channel a spirit to help them accomplish tasks. Magicians have a reason for their “powers”. Maybe they had an accident? Maybe they just had a natural talent since they were young? Maybe the spirit of a friend helps them? That’s their back-story.

If anyone caught Phenomenon last night you would have seen something unexpected and in my opinion uncalled for.

Why single out this one performer and not the others who have made similar claims as part of their back-story? To be fair, Criss Angel, is a Harry Houdini fan. And Harry Houdini, hated mediums, he spent a lot of time and effort exposing them. According to the shows background info on Criss, they went so far as to call him the next Houdini. Could it be Criss was trying to pull a Houdini? Maybe he was temporarily possessed by Houdini himself thereby proving the performer could be the real thing after all?

Seriously folks, I really believe Criss was way out of line here. That was not the forum to attempt to single out and belittle one of the performers just because you don’t like or believe their back-story. It was not the forum to challenge your own co-judge, the hand that feeds you. Especially when Criss, himself, proclaims to use supernatural forces and performs séances in his own show.

That was just Criss’s over inflated ego trying to act like Houdini exposing another medium. You’re no phenomenon in my book Criss…

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