Elephant Room: An Unexpected Delight

I must confess, I went into the opening night with mixed feelings. Why, I wondered, would the venerable and esteemed Arena Stage lend its new play incubator, the aptly-named Kogod Cradle, to a show that appeared to be nothing more than piling on the existing canon of bad magician jokes? From the publicity materials on the show's Website, the featured "magicians," if one could use the word, are named Don Diamond, Daryl Hannah (no, not that one), and Louie Magic (!) They appear at best, to be deluded wannabes, and at worst just an exercise in cruelty toward the hapless nerd magicians that we all have met (and some of us have been).

I was wrong. I was not merely pleasantly surprised, but delighted with a show that is by turns fresh, silly, enchanting and profound. And here's the tough part: in order to show you how well-crafted, adeptly performed and ultimately satisfying Elephant Room is, I risk revealing too much. How much curtain can one pull back without ruining the surprise? Do I tell you how they do it? I'm a magician; it's against my nature. Plus, I promised not to tell.

Perhaps I'll just nibble around the edges, and whet your appetite to get your own tickets.
Here's what I can tell you: there is more to Elephant Room than meets the eye.

And I can add one thing you won't see elsewhere: the magic is very well-designed. It moved the plot and characters along, was transparent or mystifying as needed for the script. The show is full of magical inside jokes with plenty of sometimes affectionate, often pointed, send-ups of famous magicians.

It's one of the oldest tricks in the book. The magician shows you a trick, apparently shows you how it's done, and then stuns you by proving the explanation impossible. It's called a "sucker trick," and it's often done badly. At its worst, a sucker trick makes you feel stupid and angry at the performer. Done well, a sucker trick can be a gentle reminder that no matter how much we think we know, there is always another mystery.

Elephant Room does it right.

Elephant Room is directed by Paul Lazar and written by Steve Cuiffo, Trey Lyford and Geoff Sobelle.
In the Kogod Cradle at Arena Stage, January 20- February 26, 2012.
Reserved seats are $40. Buy tickets here.


Arena Stage
1101 Sixth Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024.
Metro: Green Line Waterfront-SEU
Tel 202-554-9066(General), 202-488-3300(Sales)

"Elephant Room" at Arena Stage

Hey gang! Betsy and I are going to see Arena Stage's production of Elephant Room, a show about hapless, clueless wannabe magicians billed as an "absurdist performance...Filled with off-the-wall magic and sublime comedy." Written by Steve Cuiffo, Trey Lyford and Geoff Sobelle, the show is directed by Paul Lazar.

It's clear from the promo materials that someone in the show has experience as a professional magician, with a certain amount of "inside baseball" humor. I'll let you know how it is.

Elephant Room is a co-production of the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, Philadelphia, PA and Arena Stage, Washington, DC and runs from Jan. 20 – Feb. 26, 2012. You can buy tickets here.

This Just In...

Exciting News!
Just got booked to open for music legend Leon Redbone at The Birchmere!

The show is Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 7:40 p.m.
You can buy tickets here.
The Birchmere is at 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA, 22305
Their phone is 703-549-7500

If you are a music fan, you've probably already been to The Birchmere.
If not:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"The Birchmere is a concert hall in Alexandria, Virginia, known for presenting performers in the bluegrass, country, folk, and jazz genres. The main stage has table seating with dinner service. The room seats 500 people and the tables in front are about two feet from the stage. The bandstand includes a dance area."

See you there!

Nice mention in the Washington Post

Hi gang:
Got a nice mention in tomorrow's Washington Post in an article about magicians and smartphone technology - check it out!

Our Wounded Warriors, and What You Can Do

I'll be at Walter Reed Army Medical Center this Saturday, July 16, from Noon-2 p.m. doing magic for families of our wounded warriors. In the past year, I had two more extraordinary privileges. The first was performing at the White House Halloween Party for the Obama family and 300 invited military families. The second was in December, performing at the Army Surgeon General's Holiday Banquet for the Army Medical Command leaders and the Sergeant Major of the Army.

I LOVE doing military events because it's like working for my family. As a child of two Naval officers, and with four generations of Navy in my family, this is a cause near and dear to my heart. I flew before I could walk. We moved from base to base, making new friends along the way. I know what it's like being in a military family, although thank God I never had to deal with a parent killed or wounded in the line.

So why am I telling you all this? It's because the needs are acute right now, and you can help.

Saturday's event is sponsored by Operation Homefront, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit volunteer organization that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. By clicking here, you can find out what items and skills are currently needed to assist military families in the DC metro area. Here's the unusual thing - they mostly don't want your money. They need skilled tradesman to repair houses and cars, donations of vehicles, gift cards, supplies for care packages, party supplies for Saturday and so forth. Even in this tough economic time, that's probably not beyond your reach.

You can also visit servicemen and women - those who are here in DC may still be far away from loved ones. You can donate, and you can volunteer.


A word of advice: if you plan on visiting our troops at Walter Reed or anywhere else, don't plan on doing anything else the rest of the day. You'll be an emotional wreck. Seeing the courage, optimism, vision and faith of these amazing men and women will hit you hard. In the gut. And you'll never be the same.

A Comedy & Magic Society show that is much more than just Magic!

Here is the announcement from producer Mark Phillips:
Summer is here; the relatives are all in town for the fireworks, but you still have a weekend you want to fill with fun. We can help! Come join the Comedy & Mystery Society on Friday, July 1st and Saturday July 2nd at 8 PM at the Arts Barn in Gaithersburg. We've got a special treat with two guest acts appearing both nights! (We may run out of room backstage...)

We have been trying to get Jesse & James to do our show since we started. Though they live nearby; they entertain all over the world, in theaters, on cruises, and as a featured act at Dollywood. Our schedules have finally aligned and they are bringing their newest show, "Mutts Gone Nuts" to the CMS both nights. These two consummate entertainers always stop the show and now they have a troupe of performing dogs to add even more action to their hilarity. Who says Vaudeville is dead!

In keeping with the variety theme of this week, we are pleased to have Haywire join us again for both nights. With these two, you never know what to expect - magic, physical comedy, verbal fireworks - its all part of the Haywire package.


Our two magical guests, Eric Henning (Fri.) and Mike Kaminskas (Sat.), are both back for more fun with the CMS. Both are experts at magic up close and on stage, and both bring unique charm to each performance.

Our alternating producers and emcees for these shows are Brian Curry (Sat.) and Barry Wood (Fri.). Brian and Barry will prove to you that some of the best magic in the world happens in our own back yard. We hope you decide to come to both shows!

Once again, summer is our busiest season at the CMS and we hope to use this time to double our email list. We would be extremely grateful to have you contribute to our viral success by forwarding this article to any and all friends and family you think would enjoy our lighthearted, family friendly entertainment. They can sign up for future emails by sending one to me at markcards@gmail.com.

Close-Up Magicians George Woo, Jeff Eline and Nick Decutis will be on hand, ensuring that there is always more magic per square inch at the Comedy & Magic Society.

Come enjoy the air conditioned splendor and laugh until your sides hurt! The Arts Barn is at 311 Kent Square Road, the Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland. For further information or tickets, please call the Arts Barn at 301-258-6394.

Comedy & Mystery Society Show in Gaithersburg!

I'll be at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn TONIGHT, May 28, at 8:00 p.m. in the Comedy & Mystery Society show, alongside Brian Curry and Mark Phillips. We'll also have more magicians doing Close-up magic during the intermission! That's a crazy amount of LIVE entertainment for only $12-$15! The show is appropriate for adults and children age 10+

May 28, 2011
Comedy & Magic Society
Astounding magic and sleight of hand with interactive theatre and hilarious fun!.

Saturday at 8 p.m.
$15 Nonresidents / $12 City of Gaithersburg Residents
For tickets call 301-258-6394 or visit RecXpress online at recxpress.gaithersburgmd.gov

311 Kent Square Rd
Gaithersburg, Md 20878
Map & Directions