Magician pulls a show out of shaky opening

By Lisa Bornstein, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 23, 2007 at 12:05 a.m.

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There is a lot to like about Nick Felix's magic show, Depth of Illusion. Too bad it's only 50 minutes long.

Perhaps it's standard for magicians, but it seems pretty brief for a $29.50 ticket. (Then again, Cirque de Soleil has made millions off such brevity.)

It doesn't begin auspiciously. The magic is preceded by 15 minutes from a comedian who, despite the early hour and family audience, is undeterred from a set that begins with boasting of drunken escapades before detouring into marijuana. If I were a parent (many, many people will be relieved to hear I am not), I would rather my child hear a stream of cuss words than see a cute, babyfaced guy singing the praises of alcohol. The high school girls in front of me enjoyed him, though.

Depth of Illusion begins with credits longer than your average Hollywood epic, projected on what looks like an oversize bed sheet hanging from the rafters. By the end of the show, I might have been impressed by how many people it took to put this together (really - it's a big enterprise). But before the show, I was wondering, "Why do I need to know the name of the bar manager?"

Amid all this disappointment, though, Felix is a pleasant surprise. Young and handsome, he has charisma to spare and approaches his illusions with an offhand, casual air.

Whether you love the illusions will depend on how you feel about magic. They're certainly well-executed, with a bevy of showgirls at the ready. A pretty girl in a huge box is run through with what look like sharpened exhaust pipes (it's not as bloody as it sounds). Pieces of fruit reveal hidden treasures, including a fake bird that Felix acknowledges with a twinkle.

A card trick seems to fail miserably, only to result in the evening's most impressive illusion - some of us never expected to be wowed by a card trick.

The surrounding design is nowhere near as impressive. The music is overpoweringly loud. A projection serves to show the back rows an up- close view, but it's out of focus.

Felix, though, has a quality that could take him far. Unlike many showmen, he's never smarmy. He occupies a tiny space between a cool guy and an excited kid. By the end of the show, when he spins a sorrowful tale, it seems like yet another illusion. His appeal is that the story is movingly real.

Depth of Illusion

* Grade: B-

* When and where: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 7:30 and 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 9, New Denver Civic Theatre, 721 Santa Fe Drive

* Cost: $29.50

* Information: 303-309-3773

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