Today in Las Vegas Magazine

Fun for the Whole Family - No, Really!

Children under 12 get in free! That statement should excite the parents who have brought the kids along in their family truckster to Las Vegas but send the rest of us running. With all the shows on or around the Strip, I was a bit leery going to a show like that, thinking it would be akin to a dizzying trip to “Chuck E. Cheese.” I was wrong.

The World’s Greatest Magic Show playing at the Greek Isles has been named the “Show of the Year” for the past four years by the International Magicians Society.

This show is not only fun for the whole family but also an enjoyable time for a couple of adults sans the young-uns (hint - for the latter, you might not want to sit right up front, there’s plenty of good seats a little further back in the Star Theatre).

The show shares its venue with “The Rat Pack is Back”; I have seen both of them and each is excellent in its own right. Like the Rat Pack, The World’s Greatest Magic Show (WGMS) occasionally rotates different performers, but each one is just as talented as the next.

There is a constant in the show, and that’s emcee/magician/comedian extraordinaire Kozak - and if you only go by one name in Vegas you had better be a superstar (and he is). Recently dubbed “Entertainer of the Year,” Kozak, with his funky ‘do and zoot-suit style, keeps this magic show moving at a breakneck pace.

The night we attended, more than a half-dozen award-winning magicians plied their craft. Dan Sperry made birds magically appear out of nowhere; Dirk Losander and Roy Shank levitated just about everything in the room, and Joseph Gabriel’s and Kevin James’ skill with their slippery sleight-of-hand blew us away.

Gabriel, no stranger to the world of magic, totally amazed the late, great, Johnny Carson, who said he was the best he’s seen. His own “Magic on Broadway” show ran for a healthy stint (not an easy task for magic shows in Manhattan) and broke box office records for that particular theatre. From Broadway, to tons of TV specials; from the Magical Empire (RIP) to the WGMS, Gabriel has continued to delight all that have been fortunate to catch his amazing act.

Another veteran that makes this show so spectacular is Losander whose specialties are the art of levitation and animation. Creator of the original “Bubble Levitation” and the “Floating Table” (vacuuming has to be a breeze for him) his acts are sights to behold. Looking like he just stepped off a Highlander set, Losander’s European persona and in-credible abilities all enhance his striking stage presence and act.

One might think that magicians would tire of performing the same act, day-in and day-out, but Roy Shank doesn’t think that way at all. “Every audience is different and it’s exciting for me to try and win them over every night.” He performs an illusion called “Things That Go Bump in the Night” that is truly astounding. Shank’s bright personality and unique presentation skills makes him a super-nova among the many other shining stars that make the WGMS such a huge success.

Often the space occupied between acts in variety shows is taken up by fillers, and most of the time, one finds themselves not full, not satisfied, but instead empty, wondering just how much longer they will have to endure this sideshow before the good stuff is on again. Kozak is the farthest thing from being a filler. He has the ability to engage, amaze, electrify and stupefy the audience. Did I mention that he’s also hilarious?

One thing that will never happen at this show will be a shortage of volunteers. The children, without a speck of self consciousness and no fear of looking like a fool, were all more than eager to step on stage. Some of the finer, touching moments of the show came from those children with their priceless looks of wonderment.

As we filed out into the lobby after the show, those awe-filled children (even some teens!) were now charged-up and all abuzz. And the smile, the ultimate barometer of a show’s success, filled many faces, children and adults alike.

-Brett Revell